[Shotimes] handling and steering

[van Oss]

My 92 wears 235/45 tires on 17x7.5 rims.  The sidewalls are vertical.

My steering response was most affected when Delrin subframe bushings were
installed during a clutch job.  Also, make sure to check torque on subframe
bolts.

VO



----- Original Message -----
From: "Leigh Smith" <leighsm@comcast.net>
To: <cmichaelo@optonline.net>; "shotimes" <shotimes@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2004 4:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Shotimes] handling and steering


You are comparing apples and oranges in the sense that you have 2 changes
going 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 harder
rubber than the Rosso tires?
>
> or
>
> 2) Is it that the 7.5" wide SSRs bend the sidewall so much as to weaken
the 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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