Tires and turn signals

[Ken Keith]

Hi Taka,

I was really asking only about the "contact patch" term and whether
you were referring to changes in area.  I remembered hearing that the
contact patch area is the same between different tires for the same
weight and pressure, and thought you were saying that the contact
patch would be increased by changing tires.

I accept that stuff about the shape of the contact patch, the affects
of those other tire factors, and the need for better tires on the
200q20v.  Not too long ago I took mine out through the canyons on a
group drive with a bunch of other Audi's, BMW's and VW's.  Actually, I
don't recall any VW's actually participating (following the "car show"
we had).  Anyways, suffice it to say that with the 29800 Eibachs and
Bilstein Sports, the old stock Michelin Energy MXV's were screaming
and the car understeered more than I liked.

On the turn signal thing, I've already got some clear ones in my car,
from some unknown VW.  I just wanted to know what your solution was in
case it was better.  I'll have to keep an eye out for those PIAA's on
AW to see how they look.

Thanks,

Ken

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 16:12:40 -0500, Taka Mizutani <t44tqtro at gmail.com> wrote:
> Ken-
> The wider, lower profile tires will help immensely with cornering
> ability. All things being equal, a wider, lower-profile tire is
> actually going to be detrimental to braking and acceleration because
> both favor a longer, narrower patch as opposed to a wider, shorter
> patch. However, AFAIK, no one makes a comparable tire in both
> narrow/tall and wide/low.
> 
> With the big pig cars (most big Audis), you have to put some serious
> rubber down- until very recently, none of the big sports sedans had
> enough tire to really effectively utilize the car's handling
> capability. I noticed a huge improvement in both ride and handling
> when going from a 225/45R17 to a 255/40R17, although the ride aspect
> may have to do a lot more with the switch from Yokohama AVS Sport to
> Sumitomo HTR-ZII. The handling aspect is interesting- although the
> tread compound on the Sumitomo is inferior to that of the Yokohama,
> the car simply understeered less, was less prone to riding on the
> sidewalls, had much better tire wear, etc.
> 
> Clear turn signals can be had quite easily- Jeremy Williams did it
> first AFAIK, I figured it out as well. I'll leave these two '91
> 200q20vs to be the only ones unless you figure it out yourself, sorry.
> PIAA 3000 series is the way to go, anyway- gives you a turn signal,
> fog lamp and driving lamp- I've seen this on an Audiworlder's car,
> very sweet.
> 
> Taka
>