[Shotimes] yet another tire/rim question

[cmichaelo@optonline.net]

Ron is so right about matching the tire to the rim.

I learned the hard way...too.

If steering response is of key importance to you, do NOT put a 235/45 tire on a 7 or even 7.5" rim.  You need to go to 8".

I think it's possible you might get lucky with certain 235 tires that have slightly narrower widhts and slightly stiffer sidewalls. But generally speaking, it just won't work.

Just check out any serious sports car with 45 or 40 series tires. You'll see how closely the tire and rims are matched.

Michael
94MTX,green,BOS+,Koni/Intrax,Baer,Corbeau
SHO items for sale: http://hometown.aol.com/cmichaelo/for_sale.html

----- Original Message -----
From: Ron Porter <ronporter@prodigy.net>
Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 11:31 am
Subject: RE: [Shotimes] yet another tire/rim question

> Well, BMWs are also RWD!!!
> 
> In a recent car mag (CRS strikes...I think it was C&D, but it 
> could have
> been R&T or AutoWeek) they interviewed a guy who is a trained, 
> professionaltire tester. One of their observations was that the 
> tire companies are least
> concerned about a tire's performance on a skid pad.
> 
> Whatever, but with all things being equal.....which they never 
> are.....yes,a wider contact patch would produce some difference in 
> g-forces. In reality,
> there are so many variables involved here (rim width, tire 
> construction,tire pressure, tread width (varies among mfrs), tire 
> compound, road surface
> & temp, suspension setup, etc) that just going to a wider tire 
> probably will
> not produce anything readily discernible. And, going to a wider 
> tire without
> getting a wider rim can reduce grip and steering response.
> 
> I have retold the story more than a few times about the tires on 
> the 911.
> basically, I swapped 245/45/16 back to the stock 225/50/16 on the 
> 16x8"rims, and EVERYTHING about the handling and ride improved.
> 
> I feel it is far more important to have a correct rim width for 
> the tire
> that you run, and to have a better set of tires, than to worry 
> about the
> width. A "good" 215 or 225 tire on a correct rim width has more 
> corneringand handling capability than 99%+ of SHO pilots. And this 
> is on the track.
> On the street, it is next to impossible to get near the limits (at 
> least on
> the roads in much of the country).
> 
> Ron Porter 
> 
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