Practicality of wider tires
 

I only recently found this YouTube channel all about tires. Real tests, to the point, clear results. I like it! I watched this one and also the one about the newer Pilot Sport 4S vs Pilot Super Sport so far.

https://youtu.be/Bgz0qF3CuNA

Of course it all depends on power, and not upsetting the balance of the car.

mike_ekim1024: yeah, i like reviews of this guy too. For example also https://youtu.be/ovwopvZLuNc .
As for one about tire width .. you forgot to mention intended use. One thing is for track junkie, another for just very few trackdays per year, another - for someone daily driving on public roads only. For example - importance of wet grip is different then.

wow, he liked the square setups! What a shock!

Being new to the scene I note that a lot of people are running fairly wide tires. Having just bought a BRZ tS, I wonder why the STI engineers went with Michelin Pilots 215's /18 when everything else I see are running substantially wider. Is the stock power of the car a consideration of rolling resistance vs power available?

Any thoughts?

Interesting conversation starting point.

firekat: my bet would be on lowering grip by purpose to ease power oversteer even .. with stock lack of power, and for more fun of feeling driving at limits even at legal speeds. Also twins are rather light, so don't need as wide tires as eg. some heavier bmws or musclecars. As sidegain - also better economy and longer lasting tires, but main purpose was as above, due targeting car for youth / some predecessor AE86 legacy / popularity as drift car (at least in image).
From those that go for widest tires possible, i guess 9/10 do so because they think that adding wide tires "like on supercars" they will never afford will make it closer to ones, or to lesser extent some that don't know how to deal with any loss of grip and just try to throw as much grip as possible. Rest, 1/10, do so to maximize lateral grip in auto-x within class limits, or for more grip if installed forced induction.

I agree with Churchx, 215s keep the car playful. In general, go wider as power increases because of the negative effects on increased weight. Also don't forget cost, skinny is generally cheaper.

Tires are always a compromise. Keep in mind your specific circumstances when purchasing.

On paper an all season might be close to a summer or summer close to a track oriented tire. But get some heat in them, more than a 40 second autocross track. Then see the real differences.

Unless you track your car or add FI, going wider than stock adds nothing to performance and is worse on wet roads. Upgrading your tires from OEM does make a much bigger difference (which is what I did on a new 2018). Those who do it are, for the most part, supercar wannabes -- or worse, ricers. Yes, those wide tires and low offset rims do look sexy. And yes, I did this kind of stuff when I was young, i.e., intakes, exhausts, headers, wheels/tires. The difference? I've now owned supercars and know the difference. Also, every time I hear an inexpensive car with a loud exhaust, I think "ricer". The exception are those who race their cars and are looking at every minute improvement.

Wide tires is the current trend, but keep in mind that the first WRX RA's and WRX STI RA's had 205/55 tires and power up to 280ps with turbo. A stickier tire on stock wheels or on lighter similar size wheels is all you need, unless you go more than 300ps.

Check here: http://www.type-ra.com/impreza-type-ra-specs/

True but they probably weren't 205 width Ling Long Ding Dongs

While I agree with the sentiment, the RA (record attempt) cars aren't specifically showing what record they were attempting to take. (may be public knowledge, I just don't happen to know, sorry for my ignorance) With the weight and frame of those cars, coupled with the AWD and an LSD in the read, surely they had no traction problems even at those power levels.

Don't discount that different weight and chassis size/balance on a car will very much dictate generally what tires you'll need for a goal. I can say that a 200tw tire in stock size is way more than enough grip at stock power levels, you'll be hard pressed to lose traction unless you're trying.

TL;DR - For this car frame, I completely agree that stock size or a 225 will offer completely more than enough grip if you go with a good tire and have it inflated correctly. I really hate when people buy a discount 255 section tire and complain they still have no grip...this is why some people just don't know any better I think :(

Even more relevant are the new WRX's. They use 245's for 268hp plus in a car that weighs 3400 lbs while the BRZ's come with 215's for 205hp and 2800 lbs. When racing, there is no need to go much wider, only for track tires which are far more sticky. Again, if you are going to FI your car, there is an argument to go 245's on the rear, but given the light weight, even that is a push.

A lot of people go for 245's/255's etc. for looks. Wider tires look better, even though they may perform the same or worse. For most street driving it's all fine, no issues with skinny or wide as long as you have clearance.

So, while thinking about this thread, I'd like to present a definition:

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ricer

So what percent of "ricer" are you? I went up from 215's to 225's, so I'm probably 5% there.... I could argue that these are much better tires, which they are, but I could have put on 215's.... Oh, well.... Here's a proposed list:

Add an intake -- 10%
Add headers/exhaust -- 20%
Lower car -- 10%
Wide tires (235+) -- 15%
Expensive rims -- 20%
Big spoiler -- 15%
Stickers, etc -- 10%