hey guys.
its nearly time for me to put my Recaro alloys with the Winter tyres on the shelf. I am looking at replacement alloys to wear summer rubber.
I have spent hours and hours now thinking about this, and going over various options - and exploring outcomes.
in short, i cannot make up my mind.
so please, chip in. gives us some views. lets shoot the breeze. no right or wrong answers.
I am (just about to fit) the BBR 190bhp setup. in the future there will be more power, clearing the 200bhp. (i was set on the supercharger, but i think i am now swaying more to the camshaft route).
suspension wise, got strut bars, coilovers (stiff), and anti-rollbars.
factors to consider for my application:
- i sit quite low to the ground. i can raise the ride height via the coilovers if needed
- i like to track weight of my car items. and wheels&tyres are a great place to lose weight
- my opinion of a fast car isnt how fast it gets to 60, its ability to stay at 60 into corners.
my personal opinions
- the 205-45-17 bridgestone is poor (grip wise). i didnt like it before nor after the suspension upgrades.
- before the winters went on, i fitted Nexen 215/45/17. they are a MUCH softer tyres (off the alloy you can bend them in half with a single finger). These were much improved, but still less grip than i was looking for. (also i have had both on the scale at home, these tyres are just decimel points apart on the weight)
- rubber grip in general is low on this car. understeering is easy to do (front grip), traction control kicks in often when the road surface condition drops a little. (rear grip).
- a fan favourite on some tyres is a āmeatyā tyre look (high profile). i detest these. i want to avoid a taller sidewall than oem.
For my tyre replacement, its also important to include the new Alloy too, as the dimensions here will affect the tyre options. For ease, i will use the Avanti Storm S1 wheel (as its a colour & design i can use) plus its very light. different options will use this wheel in various sizes.
I am also using the Nexen tyre weights (where possible) to keep things as apples to apples as possible
OEM Option
OEM Recaro alloy - 17x7, approx 19.5lbs (TBC - i will be taking this to the tyre shop for weigh in shortly)
OEM Bridgestone - 205/45/17 19lbs
Total - 38.5lbs combo
Option 1: āSimple Weight Upgradeā
Avanti S1 17x7 - 14lbs
Nexen 215/45/17 - 19lbs
Total - 33lbs combo
Outcome: much less weight. little more contact patch. little slower on gearing.
Option 2: āMax Rubber to the roadā
Avanti S1 17x8 - 16.8lbs
Nexen 235/40/17 - 20.3lbs
Total: 37.1lbs combo
Outcome - little weight save. much bigger contact patch. near identical diamter to 205.
Option 3: āBetter at everythingā¦?ā
Avanti S1 16x7.5 - 13lbs
Nexen 225/45/16 - 18.8lbs
Total: 31.8lbs combo
Outcome - Massive weight saving. more contact patch. reducing gearing by 1.2% (faster acceleration). little more sidewall (not what i was after)
*these wheels at 16" also still clear my Willwood biger callipers. **aaand these have a 35 offset, meaning increased track! (bonus)
All note all of these weight savings are per corner. x4 for real totals
you can do variations on the above options. but these are just what i would cal the most major thought points.
discuss. i need to bounce some ideas off people
racingbeateuropes website, which is where im getting the wheel weights from
rimstyle uk are really good for tyre weights
https://www.rimstyle.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhvK8BhDfARIsABsPy4icKuzBQtuQs_r2Wu3QnJUZIUOCqRiup9IpYkAcFLzu8claOvciuUAaAj2IEALw_wcB