As far as turn-in response yes this is true. I increased my rim width one
time by 2 inches, re-used the same tires, and it was as if 1 to 2 inches of
slop had been removed from the steering wheel. The turn-in was soo.. much
quicker. The car would settle-down in the turn like 1/2 sec faster (til the
tires dug-in and bit). In a slalom situation this was a major difference,
since there was only about 1 seconds between cones / turns.
> I've always wondered about tire width vs. rim width. In the days before
> radials you wanted a min. rim width almost as wide as the tread, but I
think
> this is a bit less critical with radials.
Most tires still give max performance with a rim width the same as the tread
width. Roughly 8-9 in wide for a typical SHO tire. The problem is getting
them to fit production cars.
> If you buy into the argument
> about rim width affecting performance, then you might be as well off with
> 205's.
Yes; also true, but only so far as turn-in "crispness". Since the tire is
smaller you usually lose ultimate traction. The tires warm-up faster (which
might be good) but they will also over-heat faster (which is most likely
bad). It's a trade-off.
Lee
(ex-BFG corporate)
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