rodgling
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| posted on 21/1/13 at 08:56 PM |
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Tyre width
I recently bought a set of 15" wheels, 6.5J at the front, 7J at the rear which came with 205 AD08s on the front and 225 A022s on the rear.
My current thinking is that the tyres are a bit too wide for a 7 and that I'd get more steering feel (it's a touch numb at the moment) by
putting the 205s on the rear and putting a pair of 185 AD08s on the front.
It's a heavyish 7 (about 700 kg) with a lot of power so needs a decent amount of grip at the back.
In a perfect world I'd probably fit R888s or similar, but the AD08 is supposed to be a very good tyre and it seems too good to waste.
Will dropping tyre width down by 20mm each end improve handling noticeably? Will grip be significantly compromised? Handling and feel are more
important than outright grip for me.
[Edited on 21/1/13 by rodgling]
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Not Anumber
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| posted on 22/1/13 at 12:07 AM |
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Conventional wisdom suggests that might be too much tyre for the weight of car. A wider tyre spreads the car's weight over a greater area so is
less able to bite into the road surface. What the exact tipping point for tyre width is though can be influenced by tyre compound, suspension settings
and the car's handling characteristics.
The only surefire way is to run it round the country lanes with a set of borrowed rims/ build rims with narrower tyres say, 185 14" 65s or
thereabouts. On a private bit of road push it to the limit to note when the back comes out and what it takes to recover. Also try it on loose surfaces
such as gravel then change back to your current wheels and do the same.
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edsco
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| posted on 22/1/13 at 10:24 AM |
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Hi. Im no expert...but last year on the Fury i raced we ran A048s on 7" wide rims all round with 185 on front and 205 on rear. Yes the car was
much lighter than the 700kg you mention, but in my humble opinion 205 tyres on a 6.5j rim is too much. The rear 225 yes they fit, but again. Too
much. Bearing in mind I was racing the sizes i ran tyre and rim wise really felt good. Responsive......oh and cheaper!
So in essence i agree with your thinking. Do it!! Put 205 on rear and get yourself some 185 or 195?? on the front.
edsco
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40inches
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| posted on 22/1/13 at 10:36 AM |
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Some Caterham tyre sizes here,go to page 19
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adithorp
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| posted on 22/1/13 at 10:58 AM |
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I'm running 205's on 7" rear and 185's on 6.5" front rims.
The 185/205 combo is pretty common.
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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rodgling
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| posted on 22/1/13 at 11:32 AM |
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Thanks for the info, looks like the consensus is that I should do it then. Will give 185s a try, probably not going to test drive it until the weather
improves though :-) Will be interesting to see what effect this has.
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BangedupTiger
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| posted on 22/1/13 at 11:40 AM |
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195 on 7J for me front and rear.
But if I was you I'd go with 205 on rear and either 185 or 195 on front.
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rodgling
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| posted on 22/1/13 at 11:45 AM |
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Yup, that's the current plan - 185/205 AD08s on 6.5/7J.
It's worth noting that the 205/225 setup was on an MR2 which does kind of suggest it's overkill on a 7.
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