rubbers: wide-tall or narrow-short?
03-20-02, 04:30 PM
#1
Rotary Father
Thread Starter
rubbers: wide-tall or narrow-short?
OK, I'm tired of the stock 15 inch wheels on my 90 GXL. I love the looks of the Konig Toxxin wheels and want them in 17X7.5 white finish. Now my question is on the tires. I want asymetric tread and the two models I like (and will fit such a narrow wheel) are A) Falken Azenis 225/45/z17 and B) Yokohama Parada 215/40/z17. The falkens are almost half an inch wider but have side walls half an inch taller too. So with them my contact patch would be nice and fat but the walls might roll a little more than on the narrower and shorter yoko's. My current BFG Radial TA 205/60/r15s have side walls 4.84 inches tall the Falkens are 3.97 inches tall and the Yokos are 3.38 inches tall. I'm not worried about ride comfort, but I do care about road holding. SO the question is.....What would hold the twisties better: the wider tread, or the shorter side wall?
Side note: Will 17x7.5s fit under the car without rubbing the shocks? The peeps at the tire rack said they would fit just fine. Anyone with 17X7.5s what offset are they?
Thanks, Dudes!
peace
Side note: Will 17x7.5s fit under the car without rubbing the shocks? The peeps at the tire rack said they would fit just fine. Anyone with 17X7.5s what offset are they?
Thanks, Dudes!
peace
Last edited by My Junx; 03-20-02 at 05:14 PM.
03-20-02, 07:23 PM
#2
Rotary Father
Thread Starter
What's up with this?!?! I'm thinking the falkens are better, but I would like to hear SOMETHING! I mean tell me I'm better off with wrinkle-walls or something....**** tell me that asymetric tires suck *** and I need a directional tread.
Anyone?........anyone?.....voo-doo economics.....
Anyone?........anyone?.....voo-doo economics.....
03-20-02, 07:49 PM
#3
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Easy there tiger, give people a chance to read the thread.
I've never been a big fan of Falken.. I'd go with the Yokos, but in either case, I doubt you'll ever get into a situation where the extra .25 of an inch is going to matter. Conversely, the extra 10mm of width isn't that big of a deal either.
Paulc
I've never been a big fan of Falken.. I'd go with the Yokos, but in either case, I doubt you'll ever get into a situation where the extra .25 of an inch is going to matter. Conversely, the extra 10mm of width isn't that big of a deal either.
Paulc
03-20-02, 08:48 PM
#5
SPORKY
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I have falken azenis on my mr2 and I'm very impressed with them. they also make excellent rain tires, seeing that that car got top time of the day at our last autocross (rain constantly) and the car is completely stock.
03-20-02, 09:33 PM
#6
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I have 17*7.5 wheels on my 89 GXL. My offset is +42. but +40 is optimal. There are no fitment issues. The best tire size to use with this size wheel is 215/45. There is a good chance 225/45 will rub the spring with an offset around +40. You will need an offset closer to +30 and you will need to roll the inner edge of the fenders. I would not use 215/40 as that is just too little sidewall and could actually be bad for handling. As the sidewall get shorter, the car becomes more darty and will follow truck ruts, etc. Plus, with a really short sidewall, the itres grip until they let go with no warning. With a taller sidewall, you feel that tires beginning to slide before they really let go.
Finally, the 17" wheels will slow your car down. My 17" wheels weigh only 14 lbs each and tha car is slower than with the 15-16 lbs stock 15" wheels.
If I could get good 15" tires, I would have never gone to 17" wheels. What about 16" wheels you ask? Well, just try to find a light wheel in 16" for our cars. I couldn't find one that I liked and didn't require a 6 month wait to come from Japan.
Finally, the 17" wheels will slow your car down. My 17" wheels weigh only 14 lbs each and tha car is slower than with the 15-16 lbs stock 15" wheels.
If I could get good 15" tires, I would have never gone to 17" wheels. What about 16" wheels you ask? Well, just try to find a light wheel in 16" for our cars. I couldn't find one that I liked and didn't require a 6 month wait to come from Japan.
