Tire Question

[LxMike]

What affects handling more with tires, the size or compound??

On same car with everything same just different tires. Would you go wider with a good tire or stock size with a great tire??

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[MidwayJ]

What affects handling more with tires, the size or compound??

On same car with everything same just different tires. Would you go wider with a good tire or stock size with a great tire??

I doubt there is a definitive answer. Depends on what tires you are comparing and how much wider you'd be going.

With stock 235s on a non performance pack car, I would definitely go wider, with wider wheels to properly fit the tires. You could always upgrade to stickier tires the next time.

 

[LxMike]

[/QUOTE]

I doubt there is a definitive answer. Depends on what tires you are comparing and how much wider you'd be going.

285-35-19. Firestone 500. vs. 255-40-19 Michelin ps4s.

Correction to my original post also. With the wider tires they are on the appropriate sized wheels. I'm trying to plan for when I do need tires. Would I be ok with just better tires on my stock wheels or would I be better off with wider wheels and good tires.

 

[MidwayJ]

285-35-19. Firestone 500. vs. 255-40-19 Michelin ps4s.

Correction to my original post also. With the wider tires they are on the appropriate sized wheels. I'm trying to plan for when I do need tires. Would I be ok with just better tires on my stock wheels or would I be better off with wider wheels and good tires.
[/QUOTE]

I haven't actually used either tire but I know people who run both of them. The Indy 500 is a pretty decent summer street tire, so I would expect better grip with 285 Indy's than 255 MP4s. Plus, you get better looks with the wider setup.

So that's what I would do, but the MP4s is a great tire. Depending on your goals it could be all you ever want/need even at the smaller size. And they should last longer than Indy 500s.

 

[ICU812]

Wider has a bigger impact on lateral grip. Compound affects everything.

And, contrary to all the 9th grade physicists who are going to disagree with me, wider also improves launch grip as well

Go ahead, tell me how wrong I am and quote the static friction equation at me. I'd love to talk about spherical cows while we're at it.

(Tires aren't uniform or static, the road surface isn't uniform, and shear forces are a big part of "grip" )

Depends on tread design, a wider tire that has a tread blocks that move under load isn't going to help you.
not on launch , or handling.
But yes, the same design tires side by side with one wider will work better.
But I think there is much more to this than what you are ready to argue about.
The small tire racers have made a point of proving your thinking wrong.

 

[ICU812]

Everything is a trade off.
Sticky tire compounds don't last long, heat cycles kill their usefulness long before the tread is worn out. as far as grip is factored in.
Wider tires may or may not have more of a contact patch on the driving surface than a narrower tire, depending on tread design.
Tread design matters a lot more than most think, they think wider always = more better, this is not the case.

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