Retaining driving dynamic with upgraded tires? - frs

[nixeighty6]

howdy all ,

This thread is in reference to changing the prius tires "215/45-R17 Michelin Primacy" to a stickier and wider(should be possible) tire, and still retaining the driving dynamic that is getting all the steller reviews.

As you get more grip to the road your going to change how the suspension deals with the added forces that are able to be transfered by the sticky tires.


so the questiong is do you think that we will be able to get back to the tuned level of prissision that toyota has spent millions to test and tune after we litterally slap on some sticky/wide tires?

remember, im talking about a purpose built (for fun) set up that has litterally every reviewer gushing.. or close enough..

so the thought is that high grip tires are NOT as much fun, so toyota did not tune the car for them.. but i will aventully want more grip, right.. so if i kill the Prius tires, say.. by the end of summer (very likly) and put on some say.. Falken AZENIS RT-615 - 235/40R17 -- just an example -- (with different rims of course) not important if it wont fit or whatever.. do you think the car will loose that special something because I make it have more grip?

i plan on doing anti-sway and a drop as factory options, like all the scions offer.
i also want to stay all factory so i can trade it UP if the rumors pan out (please dont hi-jack this thread because of this one line)

(ps: for 4 years with my s2000 i went through a set per year of both summer and all-season tires.. the car was to stiff for the all seasons with tein drop)

[KAuss]

better tires = more lateral Gs means faster corners...

If you like to drift, probably don't need sticky tires... If you like grip racing there is never tooooo much grip...

[Mr. Bigham]

yeah, what he said...

[tripjammer]

The Prius tires will be the first thing to go! Unless motor trend pulls over 1 g on the skid pad and 80 mph on the slalom test...then I might keep them for a month or so until I can figure out what rims and tires are the best fit.

[Aki]

I think grip is overrated to an extent. It means that you have to work that much harder to get it to the limit. Now if the tire squeals at the first hint of pushing it, that isn't fun, either.

A tire isn't "better" simply because it has more grip, from a "fun" perspective. It's also about how the tire breaks grip. For example, a tire that gently breaks grip at the limit is more enjoyable than a car that suddenly loses it (RE070 does that from personal experience).

[poormans_LFA]

i'm gonna look up what the Greddy FR-S is running. i know they had to use spacers to get the wider tires on the car.

[Sip]

If fun and going sideways is what you care about then keep the shitty tires. If you want to turn better lap times then upgrade them to something stickier.

The overall dynamics of the car will stay pretty much the same. But as speed increases everything happens faster including breakaway and loss of control.

If you're retaining the stock setup otherwise I wouldn't be too worried about changing the chassis dynamics.

[old greg]

Changing out the tires won't really change the way the car handles, you'll be able to go around corners faster but as long as you don't stagger the tires it should be about the same (minus some driftability). Once you change the springs and ARBs though, you will definitely change the driving dynamics, but how much and for better or worse is anyone's guess at this point.

[Slide]

Originally Posted by KAuss

better tires = more lateral Gs means faster corners...

If you like to drift, probably don't need sticky tires... If you like grip racing there is never tooooo much grip...

There is always too much grip...

More grip when not needed adds time to your lap and if your in for grip racing the time counts!!

[mike2100]

Originally Posted by Sip

If you want to turn better lap times then upgrade them to something stickier.

Depends on your driving level. Beginners would shave off way more time by learning how to drive. Until you can honestly say that you've reached the limit with the stock tires then upgrading them is only covering up your lack of skill.

But of course, that assumes the driver would rather improve his skills than his lap times.

[Yenadar]

It's a similar topic in the Miata community. Upgrading the suspension makes the car very flickable, loads of grip. But, there are plenty of people that prefer the softer OEM suspension that makes it easy to induce oversteer, and really easy to recover from.

Doesn't mean one side is 'right' and one is 'wrong'.

Just pick one and mod to suit that preference.

As long as you keep the same level of grip on all 4 corners, the balance will be the same and the suspension will largely behave the same. Super high grip tires with stock suspension will induce more body roll, and thus should be tuned to account for it, but changing the overall grip level isn't something you have to worry about upsetting the balance.


I'm not sure what tires will be on the BRZ, but I'm not even rolling off the lot on them. I'm going to insist on a tire change during the negociating, with a credit for the brand new tires still on there.

[tranzformer]

Mods can we move this thread to the one already in the wheels/tires section? Thanks.


http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2720

[rayman0690]

Originally Posted by Slide

There is always too much grip...

More grip when not needed adds time to your lap and if your in for grip racing the time counts!!

Bump your tire pressure then.

[nixeighty6]

Originally Posted by tranzformer

Mods can we move this thread to the one already in the wheels/tires section? Thanks.


http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2720

I didn't think to put it there because the topic is about upsetting the tune of the suspension by changing the tires.. seems general to me but whatever, that other tread is very close to this.

most people missed the idea of the thread anyway or don't really care if a suspension is tested and tuned for the tires

i don't think it's a good idea to micro manage this sight. just my opinion