The fact that GM actually chose tires of an appropriate width for once. Most of the time GM screws up by putting tires that aren't wide enough for the vehicle's performance. But this time, it looks like they got it right. Kudos, GM!:cheers
Good point. The XLR and the CTS-V both come to mind regarding tires being too narrow for the model/power.
For comparison some time, take a look at the width of the tires on a BMW 3-series (even the 185-hp 325) and compare to other models that make similar power. BMW definitely uses a wider tire. I am not engineer, but I would assume that only can help with traction and handling... and surely looks better to boot.
A meaty contact patch is great, I'm just afraid of oversized heavy wheels. This car won't come with enough power initially to not be affected by 30lb 18" anchors. Last thing I want is the car to gain a bad rep based on factory performance numbers. I can hear the nickname now "Pontiac Slow- stice"
Originally posted by Darkhamr A meaty contact patch is great, I'm just afraid of oversized heavy wheels. This car won't come with enough power initially to not be affected by 30lb 18" anchors. Last thing I want is the car to gain a bad rep based on factory performance numbers. I can hear the nickname now "Pontiac Slow- stice"
bah! having a rep as a slowbe is what makes beating ponycars and vettes fun! btw, there any names out there for the ole grand prix?
__________________
Coming Soon: The Solstice With The Mostice
Originally posted by Bizz bah! having a rep as a slowbe is what makes beating ponycars and vettes fun! btw, there any names out there for the ole grand prix?
Wide tires are fine when it's nice and dry, but get into slop, or especially snow and ice, and the car is basically worthless. They become great big skies. My Vette once slid off a road with a normal crown while it was stopped! Water planing in heavy rain is another problem. They are also not very comfortable, as a rule.
There is also the problem when real wide, grippy tires encounter
pavement that isn't perfectly aligned - one side of the car wants to go one way and the other side another. Very discombobulating.
Small errors in front alignment also are magnified greatly. They also cost an awful lot. Actually, I can't think of a single reason why I would buy a car with wide tires, unless I could re-wheel
it to my tastes.
Originally posted by theBike45 Wide tires are fine when it's nice and dry, but get into slop, or especially snow and ice, and the car is basically worthless. They become great big skies. My Vette once slid off a road with a normal crown while it was stopped! Water planing in heavy rain is another problem. They are also not very comfortable, as a rule.
There is also the problem when real wide, grippy tires encounter
pavement that isn't perfectly aligned - one side of the car wants to go one way and the other side another. Very discombobulating.
Small errors in front alignment also are magnified greatly. They also cost an awful lot. Actually, I can't think of a single reason why I would buy a car with wide tires, unless I could re-wheel
it to my tastes.
Best thing I can say to this, DON'T buy a sports car! Lots of nice Ford Taurus' out there for you.
Wide tires are actually worse for getting the power to the ground. They distribute the weight of the car over more surface area, so there is less pressure per square inch. Wide tires are great for cornering and all forms of handling, but aren't for drag racing..but really, who drags on a regular basis? Personally, I love wide tires for their handling and ride quality, but i see their drwbacks as well.
Wide tires are actually worse for getting the power to the ground. They distribute the weight of the car over more surface area, so there is less pressure per square inch. Wide tires are great for cornering and all forms of handling, but aren't for drag racing..but really, who drags on a regular basis? Personally, I love wide tires for their handling and ride quality, but i see their drwbacks as well.
Um, right... That's why dragsters have such skinny tires in the back... :rolleyes
Sorry, but you don't have a clue what you're talking about.
here are some actual drawbacks of wide tires:
cost
poor wet/snowy traction
gas mileage
drag (affecting highway speeds mpg and top speed, but this one is a bit picky)
weight
For a sports car like this, wider tires are a better fit for the intended use.
Um, right... That's why dragsters have such skinny tires in the back...
arent front wheel drive dragsters the ones with skinny wheels in the back? as far as i remember rear wheel dragsters have some pretty big slicks on the back!?!
arent front wheel drive dragsters the ones with skinny wheels in the back? as far as i remember rear wheel dragsters have some pretty big slicks on the back!?!
You must have missed the sarcasism denoted by the :rolleyes emoticon...
But you are correct. FWD dragsters have big tires in front skinny in the back, RWD are the opposite... Hence, wide tires are better for the drive tires for drag racing. Opposite of what SupraScoobyDoo was saying.
I think what was misunderstood in that statement was that it's not the width of the tire that is of greatest importance for drag racing launches it's the sidewall flex. Low profile street tires have very little sidewall flex and immediately transmit all torque to the contact patch / road surface interface and overcome traction. Drag tires "give" and store some of that energy.
Wide tires are actually worse for getting the power to the ground. They distribute the weight of the car over more surface area, so there is less pressure per square inch. Wide tires are great for cornering and all forms of handling, but aren't for drag racing..but really, who drags on a regular basis? Personally, I love wide tires for their handling and ride quality, but i see their drwbacks as well.
yeah, that's almost as far from the truth as you can get, however it should be noted that more accelleration force can be gained in adding hight to a tire rather than width. Width does help, just the contact patch of a taller tire is better for accelleration:
patch of tire contacting road (front of vehicle ^)
btw, there any names out there for the ole grand prix?