Re: I have seen 225/50-15's on a 4kq

[Erik R Addy <erik@aero.und.edu>]

Mark L. Chang wrote:
> 
> On Mon, 23 Nov 1998, Michael Williams wrote:
> 
> > Erik R Addy decided to speak these words:
> >
> > >That being said, I DO NOT RECOMEND YOU DO THIS ON A STREET CAR!!!
> > >No matter how cheep the tires are.  225 is WAY to wide for a 4k.  Among
> > >other potential problems, the car will hydroplane like you wouldn't
> > >believe.
> >
> > Uhh...why is this?  Doesnt make too much sense to me...
> 
> If you are referring to the hydroplaning part, I believe Erik was saying
> that because the contact patch is _way_ up on a 225 tire, giving more area
> for water to get under and less pressure per square inch of tire patch.
> The Skiing syndrome.

exactly.  The 4kq's are fairly light cars, and as such do not need that
wide
of a tire.  The S4/S6's used a 225 tire in this country, and they weigh
1000lbs
more than a 4kq!  Plus, unless your wheel has exactly the right offset,
I
would think you would have terrible tire clearence problems. 205/50-15
is
a better +1 tire size for the 4kq, and is also a better match for
gearing/
speedo accuracy.  Believe me, they look plenty "beefy" on a 4k, and work
quite well.

Erik
erik@aero.und.ed