17 INCH TIRES AND RIMS

[1MEAN PT]

[xx(]
IS ANYBODY USING 225/45/17 IN FRONT
AND 245/45/17 IN REAR, I WAS GOING TO GET THEM BUT A LOCAL TIRE STORE THE GUY TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WITH BENT RIMS AND SUCH BECAUSE ITS A EVERYDAY CRUISER AND THE LOW PROFILE OF THE TIRES
ANY THOUGHTS
THANKS[?][^][?]

[Ed Lim]

Hey Meanie, I heared several things about using these staggered tire sizes, cuz I want to do something similar myself. I asked around about using a 225-45-17 on a 17x8 front and 245-40-18 on a 18x8 rear. A couple people told me it would fit and a few people recieved my question like there was an onion growing out of my ear[:0]. Buddy at Tire Rack told me this combination would work, but I may get a little "understeer". A guy at
Just Tires also told me it would work, and it would be a cool look for my car. I got an email from someone else who's running the same tire setup and said it was just fine (THANKS, MEEKS![^])If a 245-45-17 would work for the rear, that would make your rear sidewalls a wee bit taller than your front sidewalls. It would raise the a$$ end of your car slightly, and your car will be endowed with the fine gift of UNDERSTEER! (I still don't completely understand it.) Anyway, I think your car would look COOL!

[MichaelDay]

Ed, increasing understeer is not a good thing in a front wheel drive vehicle. Understeer occurs when nearing the limits of tire adhesion, the car tends to not turn as sharply. Pushing the car harder in a turn will result in it leaving the road nose first. Rear wheel drive cars can apply more power to the rear wheels and bring the rear end out to compensate. Front wheel drive cars can't. In a vehicle with oversteer, as you push the car harder into a turn, the rear end tends to move out making you turn more sharply. In the case of a rear engine, rear wheel drive car, excessive oversteer can result in you leaving the road rear end first it you push it past the tires limit of adhesion. From a handling and safety standpoint, I would prefer that a front wheel drive car be neutral or have a slight oversteer rather than having understeer.

[Ed Lim]

Hey, Michael, thanks for the info. I didn't realize all these factors that go into tire sizes and their affect on handling. In your opinion, how much understeer would I be getting with the wheel/tire setup that I want: 225-45-17 on a 17x8 front and 245-40-18 on a 18x8 rear? The reason I chose this combo was to keep front to rear sidewall heights similar (my car's a slave to fashion)[8]. I have compared tire diameters, and the rears would be about an inch taller than the fronts. How much would I have to change my driving style, and what kind of change in wet/dry weather handling can I expect with that setup? I don't consider myself "2 Fast, 2 Furious" and I'm not an overly agressive driver, but now I'm concerned; would I be driving a dangerous vehicle?[B)]

[MichaelDay]

Ed,
Under "normal" circumstances you would see little differences. The problems would likely occur on cornering on wet streets where the front end would be more likely to "let go" first. Remember than as Sterling Moss, the famous race car driver, said in the law suit against the Corvair "It doesn't matter if you have understeer and plow off the road front end first or oversteer and leave the road rear end first, either way you are out of control."

Front wheel drive cars with understeer are just harder to get back under control than a rear wheel drive car with the same understeer.

[1MEAN PT]

HEY ED THANKS FOR THE TIP IM GETTING A QUOTE ON SOME CUSTOM RIMS TOMMOROW THEN IM GOING TO MAKE A CHOICE ON WHICH LOOK TO GO WITH
205/60/15 IN THE FRONT AND 255/60/15 ON REAR THAT LOOKED REALLY GOOD
AND THE DRIVER STATED HE HAD NO DRIVING PROBLEMS WITH IT BUT THE RIMS I WANT START IN 17INCH SO SEE WHAT HAPPENS

[Kirby]

Everyone is talking about the tire size giving the car "understeer" like it was the only thing involved in the equasion. Other factors:

1 - Roll stiffness: Thicker rear sway bar = less understeer/ more oversteer
2 - Stiffer shock setting for rear = less understeer/ more oversteer
3 - Higher inflation pressure front = less understeer/ more oversteer

[flashbk2]

There's another consideration...the tire sizes front to rear have to be within a certain percentage of each in order for ABS to work properly .

[Ed Lim]

Do all PTs have ABS? I think the base models from 2001-2002 do not... do they?

[flashbk2]

No all don't have ABS ,one quick way to check is if you have 4 wheel disc brakes ,however that doesn't insure you have ABS. If you don't have ABS then my post shouldn't have any affect .