Stock ride height or lower?

[blur]

Originally Posted by 2fast4you

And Car & Driver and Grassroots Motorsports have done testing that prove 17s were faster and more responsive than 18s. I don't put much stock in those tests.

NVM, test was flawed... lol. I'd much rather rock 15s if they'll fit on the FR-S anyway.

[ZetaVI]

Lowering the car about 1-1.5 inches will do it for me.

[MiguelAE86]

I'm lowering it about 3 inches and getting some m@d tyte stretch y0!

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by LSxJunkie

There is no functional benefit to stretched tires. Period. If your setup is safe and you're happy with it, good for you. However, a 245 on an 8" wheel and a 245 on a 10" wheel do the same thing. You'll actually get more traction out of the 8" wheel set up.

yes there is. period. i would imagine 245s are faster on the 10" simply because i know that 225s are faster on a 9" over the 8". and that isnt even considering what it would do for the response and crispness of turn in. but im also pretty sure that isnt very stretched since 245 should come out to be just under 10". i agree with your point but not so much the example i guess

[WingsofWar]

more response in terms of tire performance doesn't mean better performance, although it can at times.

Its true that when you have less sidewall flex the response from the steering becomes sharper, but at the cost of what? Which by nature, proper traction is more associated with performance and it reduces with less contact patch from stretched tires.

With less than ideal sidewall you start to run into many problems. Which isn't an issue for people with show cars, because frankly they aren't really using the tires for anything other than rolling around. But for motorsports function is everything (obviously).

also..Iv had better results on my rx7 with 17s than with 18s on the same aspect ratio.

[dabocx]

Looking to leave around a one finger gap on all 4 corners. Hopefully thats not too low

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by fatoni

yes there is. period. i would imagine 245s are faster on the 10" simply because i know that 225s are faster on a 9" over the 8". and that isnt even considering what it would do for the response and crispness of turn in. but im also pretty sure that isnt very stretched since 245 should come out to be just under 10". i agree with your point but not so much the example i guess

I'd like to see evidence.

You have the most contact patch at a specific wheel width. For 245/45/17s that 8.0". For 245/40/17 that is 8.5".

For 225/45/17 it's 7.5"

I know many people here know this stuff more than those idiots who engineer the tires.. but I'd like to see proof. (yes that was somewhat sarcastic)

I agree with the response, stretched tires FEEL faster and have better response because the sidewall flex is reduced by stretching. That doesn't mean they'll set a faster laptime though.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by dabocx

Looking to leave around a one finger gap on all 4 corners. Hopefully thats not too low

Compared to the stock ride height you may not have much suspension travel at that point. I think we'll have to see the car in person and then people will start messing with it to find the limitations and issues with the suspension.

[dabocx]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Compared to the stock ride height you may not have much suspension travel at that point. I think we'll have to see the car in person and then people will start messing with it to find the limitations and issues with the suspension.

Yeah i was thinking similar. Im going to get coils so hopefully ill have some play in the system.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

I'd like to see evidence.

You have the most contact patch at a specific wheel width. For 245/45/17s that 8.0". For 245/40/17 that is 8.5".

For 225/45/17 it's 7.5"

I know many people here know this stuff more than those idiots who engineer the tires.. but I'd like to see proof. (yes that was somewhat sarcastic)

I agree with the response, stretched tires FEEL faster and have better response because the sidewall flex is reduced by stretching. That doesn't mean they'll set a faster laptime though.

all i have to go from is the people involved in supermiata and hours of conversation with 949racing and what they say they found when making the 6ul rims. i never looked farther than that because a. at the time i was only driving a miata and b. those guys have the fastest miatas. what do you mean most contact patch? contact is a function of weight and tire pressure.

[Blaster]

Coils and whatever takes me to the height my GTI is at. Covering tread and nothing more with the fender. Wide wheels with a stretched stock width tire so I can slide around and have fun

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by fatoni

all i have to go from is the people involved in supermiata and hours of conversation with 949racing and what they say they found when making the 6ul rims. i never looked farther than that because a. at the time i was only driving a miata and b. those guys have the fastest miatas. what do you mean most contact patch? contact is a function of weight and tire pressure.

Tire section width and/or a shorter contact patch is what I should have said. With wider wheels you will get a wider patch, but a shorter length. Good for handling, bad for acceleration and braking. I care about both, but in my experience the measured wheel width provided by the tire manufacturer (and within +/- .5") has always resulted in the faster lap times for me.

[LSxJunkie]

Originally Posted by WingsofWar

more response in terms of tire performance doesn't mean better performance, although it can at times.

Its true that when you have less sidewall flex the response from the steering becomes sharper, but at the cost of what? Which by nature, proper traction is more associated with performance and it reduces with less contact patch from stretched tires.

With less than ideal sidewall you start to run into many problems. Which isn't an issue for people with show cars, because frankly they aren't really using the tires for anything other than rolling around. But for motorsports function is everything (obviously).

also..Iv had better results on my rx7 with 17s than with 18s on the same aspect ratio.

This.

Originally Posted by fatoni

yes there is. period. i would imagine 245s are faster on the 10" simply because i know that 225s are faster on a 9" over the 8". and that isnt even considering what it would do for the response and crispness of turn in. but im also pretty sure that isnt very stretched since 245 should come out to be just under 10". i agree with your point but not so much the example i guess

They're really not faster. Period. Read up on slip angle and it's effect on handling and maximum grip. Stretched tires, like putting a 245 on a 10" wheel, mean that the sidewall does not give at all. That's great for steering feel. That's NOT great for handling. Plus you can fit a 285 on a 10" wheel and have that much more tire. Or you can put a 245 on an 8" wheel and have that much less weight.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by LSxJunkie

This.



They're really not faster. Period. Read up on slip angle and it's effect on handling and maximum grip. Stretched tires, like putting a 245 on a 10" wheel, mean that the sidewall does not give at all. That's great for steering feel. That's NOT great for handling. Plus you can fit a 285 on a 10" wheel and have that much more tire. Or you can put a 245 on an 8" wheel and have that much less weight.

miatas with 225s (nt01 or rs3) are faster on a 9" rim than a 8" rim. period. thats counterintuitive to your theories. and if thats the case, i couldnt imagine why a 245 would be faster on an 8" rim than a 9" rim. and the way you are talking about rims and tires is a little misleading at least in my opinion. you pick a tire size you want to run and then you find the best rim to suit your needs so puttin 285s on a huge rim for grip or a 245 on a small rim to save weight isnt holding any value becasue they are conflicting statements in themselves if you are trying to tell me that both big and small wheels are faster