Fw: [Vwdiesel] Better Handling?

[Shawn Wright]

On 8 May 2003 at 14:51, Gerry Wolfe wrote:

> All things equal, a lower profile and a stiffer sidewall will decrease slip
> angle, giving the same response.  When you go up in "quality" e.g. from a H
> rating to a V rating you are usually getting a stiffer sidewall as well.
> This will also give a much harsher ride.  My Michelin Pilot 205/50HR50
> rubber on 15x8 rims are actually uncomfortable; in retrospect, I shouldn't
> have gone this far.

15x8? Or do you mean 15x6? Yes, there is a wide range of stiffness between low
end and high end tires in the same size. It used to be that 60 series was only
available in high performance tires, with at least an H rating, but this is no longer the
case. It also used to be that treadwear was inversely proportional to speed ratings,
but again, some very good H and V rated tires now have decent tread life. (My dad
went though a set of 205/50ZR-15s on his Jetta GTX in one summer...)

> All things are not equal.  What will give the most dramatic increase in
> overall handling is the quality and the design of the tire itself.  A high
> quality / performance version of 170/70x13 tires will "run circles" around a
> lower quality / touring version of 185/60x14 tires.

Very true - I've had some pretty decent 175/70R13 tires that were better than a set of
cheap Uniroyal 185/60R14s for example. And a set of Michelin MXV4s in 185/60R14
that ran circles around the stock 195/50R15 Contis on my Corrado. I just retired
these MXV4s after at least 120k kms on 3 different cars... great tires.

How's your suspension? Good tires are wasted if your suspension is worn out. I
swapped the Spax front struts from my old retired Jetta to my new one this week,
and what a difference - like going from an old Pontiac to a GTI! Next I'm going to
swap the A-arms with urethane bushings from the old Jetta, since the new Jetta has
258k and is a bit soft still. I like the preciseness of the urethane A-arm bushings, and
they're a lot easier to install than stock replacements. A worthwhile $30 upgrade,
especially if you have high mileage, imho. (they will seem a bit harsh at first, but you
get used to it.)

> rgds, g.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "TexasTDI" <TexasVWdriver at hotmail.com>
> To: "Nate Wall" <natewall1 at yahoo.com>
> Cc: <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
> Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 2:55 PM
> Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Better Handling?
>
>
> > Handling should increase some.  Since the tires are wider and the
> sidewalls
> > are shorter.
> >
> > I can definitely tell a difference between my stock 195/65/15's and my
> > 225/50/16's on my Golf.  Handling was good with the 15's, but the 16's
> feel
> > like I'm riding on rails.
> >
> > Chris Thornton
> > 1991 Volkswagen Jetta 2 Door 1.6 Diesel - 236k miles
> > 2000 Volkswagen Golf 1.9TDI (turbo diesel) - 81k miles
> > Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants Dealer #1098500
> > http://www.amsoil.com
> > http://texastdi.com/6/ubb.x
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Nate Wall" <natewall1 at yahoo.com>
> > To: <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
> > Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 11:26 AM
> > Subject: [Vwdiesel] Better Handling?
> >
> >
> > > I've got 175/70 R-13 tires w/ 13 inch alloy rims on
> > > the Jetta. How much improvement could I get using
> > > 185/60 R14, tires on 14 inch rims? A fellow is selling
> > > a set of 4 tires mounted on these rims from an '88 GTI
> > > for $105 on e-Bay, and I think I'll pass because I
> > > think the shipping would kill me!
> > > See:
> > >
> > >
> >
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38662&item=2414603931
> > >
> > > --Nate
> > _______________________________________________
> > vwdiesel mailing list
> > vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> > http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel
> >
>
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Shawn Wright
http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright
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