What is the best wheel and tyre combination forall out handling and grip??

any links for wheels and tyres?

I like the look of 17" rims but I dont like driving on them, 13"? r888? avons??

Stand by for a loooong discussion!

I went for the traditional look-n-feel with 185/70 on 13" rims - but that was my preference.

This combination doesn't have the ultimate grip, but it is forgiving and gives me plenty of warning when near the limits. The high profile also helps the suspension a fair bit.

Saying that, I have been in cars with wider, low-profile tyres and they've all managed very well!

David

15" seems a good choice as they allow plenty of tyre choice but not as light as a light 13" set....

imho you would want the lightest possible 13" wheel (maybe the mag ones from stuart taylor if budget allowed) and some good tyres to match, maybe 205 width r888s or some slicks if going off road.

I will be fitting 185/70 on 13" rims - for clearance and more important the tyre wall is part of the suspension ... peeps have said they are more forgiving and let go gentley allowing more fun

I'll keep an eye on this post over the weekend

We went down the route of using the size wheels that the Cortina was designed for, 6Jx13xET19 rims fitted with 185/70 Yokohama A021R. So far with not many miles on the clock the combination feels good.

I have 195/50/15s. I don't have any real problems. There is loads of grip, even with ordinary road tyres and when the back end goes, which is rare, it is very slow and easily catchable.

The only problem I have had was braking down hill into a 30 zone on a rough road surface with bumps painted onto the road to warn you to slow down. They bounced me up and down so much that I couldn;t brake too well. Lighter wheels / uprights / brakes would have helped the suspension do its job better. A heavy old sierra with the same corners would have stayed more level because the wheels are a smaller fraction of the whole vehicles weight.

13s are best for weight but have trouble fitting over sierra rear discs. There are enough good tyres for 13s not to worry, so long as you line 185/60s and 205/60s

I recently changed to 13"x7" Compomotive CXRs with Toyo R888s (185/60/13) and they have made a HUGE difference to grip and acceleration in top gear, as the overall diameter is smaller than my old wheel tyre combo. The wheels are 4.9kg each but the Toyo's are quite heavy (7.9kg!!), so for ultimate performance I'd get a set of ACB10s to go with the wheels.

quote:

---

Originally posted by dilley
What is the best wheel and tyre combination forall out handling and grip??

any links for wheels and tyres?

I like the look of 17" rims but I dont like driving on them, 13"? r888? avons??

---

Go for shiny wheels and black tyres.

It will be for both but Ireally do have traction issues so I just want the best I can get within reason.

are ACB10'S road legal? are they more sticky than R888'S?

Ive found some part worn ones for sale, 19545/15

[Edited on 2/9/06 by dilley]

14" minilites, 195/65 R14 michelins or Continentals... pretty cheap here if you get them at the right season...

what sort of traction issues

straight line problems

And after a passenger ride in indybirds car at snetterton I really was impressed with the traction(15"R888)

[Edited on 2/9/06 by dilley]

ACB10s are road leagal. They are supposed to be about the bet for dry grip but are suicidal in even mildly moist conditions.

simply put, the smallest lightest wheel you can fit over your brakes (anything bigger than the minimum that will fit over brakes is simply Chav tuning) with a decent tyre designed for light cars, i.e. something from the road legal Yokohama or Avon track tyre catalogue.

traction problems are usually down to damping on these cars, and this, if cheap dampers are used, is often upset by too much unsprung weight (or rather not enough sprung to unsprung weight ratio)

If you go by the Caterham R500, which is built on a 'cost is not an issue' basis and to simply be the best car Caterham could produce, it uses 13" wheels. There must be a clue in there somewhere!

Depending on usage, 15'' tyre & wheel combos are probably the cheapest & allow decent size brakes inside them.
I have recently bouight some Colway formula remoulds for trackday use at around £200 a set & they have brilliant grip levels when warm, but not so good when cool.
Regds
Ian