Tire sizes

[Andrew Buc <72220.443@compuserve.com>]

 > I now have a Nitto NT501 on the left front with ~1600 miles on it 
 > and 3 Pirellis with ~4k miles on them. Will replacing the Nitto 
 > with a new Pirelli adversely affect the drivetrain given the 
 > differing tread depth? I doubt that the Nitto and Pirellis have 
 > the same rolling radius eithe
 
I realize you were in a jam and had to do this, but this doesn't sound like a 
good situation. A question like this (re a Saab 99) came up 20-odd yrs ago in 
Road & Track's "Technical Correspondence" column. R&T's take was that this 
setup would overwork the differential, and the car would be likely to pull to 
one side on acceleration and the other on braking. No, I don't remember 
everything I read 20 yrs ago in R&T--this just happened to stick in my mind!
 
--Andrew Buc, Seattle, WA; 04-Jan-98, 20:11