225/40 16" First Impressions

[Alexander van Gerbig]

    Well I got the 16" rims back on the car today with my boy racer BIRA
brakes.  I checked the weather report and it looks like spring has finally
sprung for upper VT.  A little sad considering tomorrow will be my last day
of skiing at Mad River, moment of silence please.

    The tires are new 225/40 16" Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's.  They are on
Borbet Type T 16x7.5" ET35.  The firs things I noticed is that the steering
is back.  I was riding on 185/70 Blizaak's so the comparison makes for some
amazing differences.  The steering is very crisp and I feel every crack in
the pavement.  The next thing I noticed was a bit unnerving, these tires
tramline very badly.  I can no longer drive with on hand on a less than
perfect road.  If the road has any contour to it these tires instantly yank
that direction, yes they yank, it isn't a gradual turn in.  It makes for
some busy driving to say the least, maybe this will get better as they wear
in.
    I did some slalom at 55mph on a wet back road to compare to the old
205/45 Dunlop SP9000's.  These tires are way more crisp into the turn, no
sliding that I could tell, just right into the turn.  I felt no hint of
sliding at the rear at 55mph and turning very sharply across the road, very
neat.  I also tested my BIRA brakes with freshly turned Coleman rotors,
amazing is all I can say.  With these wider tires I found that I was braking
way harder than with the 205/45's, no doubt.  I never hit threshold while
testing and I was making my eyeballs pop out.  I'd say the 225/40 is a good
upgrade for those who want maximum traction, but 205/45 is probably the best
bet for a mix of more comfort and great traction.  I'll give another report
when the roads dry out and I have some real miles on these tires.

Cheers,

Alexander van Gerbig -- '88 80

The Audi  80 Pages-----------------
http://surf.to/the80pages.com

North Ferrisburg, VT 05473