[Shotimes] handling and steering

[cmichaelo@optonline.net]

Leigh, Mark,

You and Mark confirm what I've been suspecting all along. I admit that I'm "into" crisp handling and the wide look. In fact, I'm so unhappy with the steering response, and lack of wide look with the 7.5" rims, that I'm  considering replacing the 17"x7.5" SSR wheels with 18"x8 or 18"x8.5" BrandX wheels combined with 235/40 tires.

Do you have any recommendation for 18"x8 or 18"x8.5 lightweight wheels?

I'm like ready to kick myself for having spent all this money on the SSRs. Though they are extremely light and look damn good on the car. And the Rosso are quite sticky and wonderful in the rain.  

If anyone is interested in a set of SSRr with Rosso tires (7K left on thread), let me know.  I'm not decided yet, but probably will sell soon.  The wheels have only ~5,000 miles on them.  I can send pics if you're interested.

Michael Olsen
94MTX, green, BOS+

----- Original Message -----
From: Leigh Smith <leighsm@comcast.net>
Date: Thursday, May 6, 2004 5:10 pm
Subject: Re: [Shotimes] handling and steering

> You are comparing apples and oranges in the sense that you have 2 
> changesgoing on.
> I have no personal experience with either of the 2 tires listed, 
> and tire
> models can make a big difference.
> BUT wheel size can also play an extremely big role in exactly what 
> you are
> discussing ... steering "crispness" or "sloppiness"
> 
> A 235/45-17 is about 9 inches wide sidewall to sidewall.
> Recommended rim width ranges that I checked were between 7.5 and 
> 9.0 inches.
> Running on the narrow side of the recommended range gives you softer
> response & ride, running on the upper end can give you instant 
> response but
> a somewhat harsher ride.
> Both changes can be very noticable.
> Envision the sidewalls pointing inward as they go upward from the 
> tread to
> the rim
> ***versus*** almost literally straight up.
> For best response with those tires the 7.5 in wheels are too skinny.
> An autocrosser or road racer would want to run 9.0s.
> I've seen many racers run 1 or 2 size "skinnier" tires because 
> they fit the
> wheels they have better and ultimately were faster.
> Your car will certainly feel "crisper" and may actually be 
> "faster" with
> 225s on either of those wheels.
> But then the wide "look" is another story.....
> It's all about compromise.
> I raced with 9.0, 10.0 or 11.0 wide depending on what tire I had: 
> 245/45-16,
> 255/50-16, etc. and whether radials or bias ply Hoosiers...
> even 8.0s were too way slow...
> .
> Lee
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <cmichaelo@optonline.net>
> To: "shotimes" <shotimes@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2004 3:45 PM
> Subject: [Shotimes] handling and steering
> 
> 
> > Hi,
> >
> > I currently have 17"x7.5" SSR with 235/45 Pirelli Pzero Rosso. The
> handling is not particularly crisp above 55mph in the sense that 
> when you
> turn the steering wheel, there is a delay before the cars steers 
> into the
> new direction.
> >
> > In contrast, when I put my old 17"x8" TSW Hocks with 235/45 Pirelli
> P7000SS, the handling is significantly better in the sense that 
> when you
> turn the steering wheel, there car almost instantly steers into 
> the new
> direction.
> >
> > I'm trying to figure out what is causing the difference in steering
> responsiveness.
> >
> > 1) Is it that the 7000SS tires have stiffer sidewalls and have 
> harderrubber than the Rosso tires?
> >
> > or
> >
> > 2) Is it that the 7.5" wide SSRs bend the sidewall so much as to 
> weakenthe stiffness of the Rosso tires while the 8" Hocks is more 
> optimal for the
> 235 tire?
> >
> > or
> >
> > 3) Both of the above?
> >
> > Anxiously awaiting your opinions....
> >
> > Michael Olsen
> > 94MTX, green, BOS+
> >
> > [demime 0.99d.1 removed an attachment of type text/x-vcard which 
> had a
> name of cmichaelo.vcf; charset=windows-1252]
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Shotimes@autox.team.net
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