Tire sizing

[deca]

Originally Posted by RayRay88

All of what you are feeling can be attributed to the change in tire/compound.

In my opinion any dullness or lazy initial response is probably more of a function of a few extra pounds gained between a wider wheel and tire combo vs anything to do with the extra width. Hard to tell without an apples to apples comparison (weight, compound etc.).

In this instance the wider setup actually still manages to be lighter. 43lbs (19+24) vs 42lbs (16+26)...which says a lot about why so many people are running RPF1s.

Could definitely be down to differences between the tires themselves, which I'll have a better understanding of whenever I get a fresh set of RS4s on them. I have no prior experience on the Falkens.

I am still inclined to believe that an increase in width as dramatic as 225-255 by itself would have an impact on the steering feel, and my track buddies that I've spoken with about it have had the same experience.

[AFRichZC6]

It's not just the tire itself or the weight of the wheel/tire combo. You're changing wheel and tire width along with wheel offset compared to stock, so it's probably also increasing scrub radius which increases the feeling of effort and feedback through the steering.

To me, the car doesn't feel as playful or light on its feet with wider wheels and tires. Not necessarily better or worse, good or bad. It just depends on your use case.

[Plumbus]

Originally Posted by RayRay88

All of what you are feeling can be attributed to the change in tire/compound.

In my opinion any dullness or lazy initial response is probably more of a function of a few extra pounds gained between a wider wheel and tire combo vs anything to do with the extra width. Hard to tell without an apples to apples comparison (weight, compound etc.).

I wonder if there is a definitive answer to this. For sure the tire compound and build should make a huge difference by themselves (well fitted tires with strong sidewalls vs meaty tires with squishy sidewalls), but of course total rotating mass/weight will affect feel too. According to my spreasheet, the stock PP wheels and tires are 41 lbs total per corner, while my TC105s 17x9 with 245/40/17 V12 evo2s are 39 lbs; I wonder how different or similar feel will be. guess I'll report once I have time to mount them.

[Ernest72]

Wider tires can give you more grip but not feel any better. Feeling and grip may not go hand in hand. For example when you get wide tires on the front wheels it is so much easier for the car to tramline, especially on highways that have heavy trucks that form those depressions. I can feel the difference in tramlining for different summer tires. This is why a dedicated track or auto setup is better than trying to do both track and DD. A setup that gives great grip at a track could feel crappy on our lovely local roads.

I live just over the border in NY and on my commute to NJ I can feel so many bumps and cracks in NY, as soon as I cross the border onto the garden state parkway it’s nice and smooth. NY roads are pretty bad. Everyone claims it’s salt and winter, but I drove in Maine and the roads were great compared to here.