Tyre width
- Thread starter Grant
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AndyMac
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Don't know, but your rolling diameter is gonna be quite a way out from stock, adversely effecting speedo and performance
XXX_18T
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i noticed that the the new S4 has gone from 225/40/18 to 235 any reason?
just curious dont see any benefit of going wider it would just add more weight to the wheels /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
just curious dont see any benefit of going wider it would just add more weight to the wheels /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
s8n
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Ive got 235/40/18's
The difference is in the sidewall, its considerably more comfortable. Comparing 235/40/18 to 225/40/18 there is 0.3" more sidewall with 235's
So, comfort and ride quality are the biggest gains. 225's are WAY to narrow on S3's and look silly. I had 225/40/18 and they look stupid, also giving no protection to a 18x8 rim
Look at 235's, even 255's on the rear is good. You can ever fit bigger than 255's on the rear if you like!
The difference is in the sidewall, its considerably more comfortable. Comparing 235/40/18 to 225/40/18 there is 0.3" more sidewall with 235's
So, comfort and ride quality are the biggest gains. 225's are WAY to narrow on S3's and look silly. I had 225/40/18 and they look stupid, also giving no protection to a 18x8 rim
Look at 235's, even 255's on the rear is good. You can ever fit bigger than 255's on the rear if you like!
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I have 235/35/19 all round on my S3 and no rubbing at all. Rear arches an an S3 will accomodate 255's but stick to 235's and add some spacers at the rear to fill those arches.
Joe
Joe
S8N , the first part of the tyre size (i.e 225) is the width not the tyre wall this is signified by the second part of the tyre size (i.e 35).
I've been running 235/35/19 for a while now and think the ride is surprisingly decent, even though its lowered.
I hear what your saying Glen but think that 215 from the back would look pretty skimpy?
I've been running 235/35/19 for a while now and think the ride is surprisingly decent, even though its lowered.
I hear what your saying Glen but think that 215 from the back would look pretty skimpy?
I agree with you Ess Three, for a short while i had 225/40/18's on the front and 235/40/18's on the rear. Not out of choice but i only noticed this about 2 months after having new tyres. They had put wider ones on the rear by mistake. Anyway the backend kept wanting to kick out and on braking into corners the car felt very unstable. It also felt like the rears were about to slip off the rim.
I reverted back to 225/40/18's all round. I just wish i had the performance back from when i had the original 17's. they were better for handling.
I reverted back to 225/40/18's all round. I just wish i had the performance back from when i had the original 17's. they were better for handling.
s8n
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Scotsthree, thankyou for pointing out the obvious. But did you know that the sidewall changes as the width does?
225/40 & 235/40 , there is more sidewall in 235/40 than 225. Go and put the numbers into miata's calcuator. So I am correct in saying that tyre WIDTH has a BIG effect on ride comfort of course along with the profile
You cant just change the width and expect the other sizes of the tyre not to change..The two measurements along with circumference, diameter and rolling diameter constantly change as you change width & profile. The two measurements are proportional
225/40 & 235/40 , there is more sidewall in 235/40 than 225. Go and put the numbers into miata's calcuator. So I am correct in saying that tyre WIDTH has a BIG effect on ride comfort of course along with the profile
You cant just change the width and expect the other sizes of the tyre not to change..The two measurements along with circumference, diameter and rolling diameter constantly change as you change width & profile. The two measurements are proportional
The first number eg 225 is the width of the tyre in mm the second number eg 40 is the height of the sidewall as a percentage of the width. So the sidewall would be 40% of 225.
s8n
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XXX_18T
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dont reckon 225/18 look silly /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
look at my avatar wheels look nice /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
look at my avatar wheels look nice /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
s8n
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Your car has different guards , so those tyres would A3's better
From the rear 225's look ugly on a S3, with the S3's fat guards I think 235 and even wider is better, at least for LOOKS only.
From the rear 225's look ugly on a S3, with the S3's fat guards I think 235 and even wider is better, at least for LOOKS only.
Glen, your comments on tyre size are spot on and are backed by extensive research carried out by Prodrive on their test track. Although wider tyres look great and give the appearance of better grip it is an illusion.
We are being conditioned by the Germans (BMW in particular) to appreciate the looks of bigger and wider rims. I personally like the look but know that in ultimate performance terms they are compromising the handling. That said we are talking about handling on the limit of the performance envelope and lets face it if you are getting close to the edge you should be on a track not on the road.
We are being conditioned by the Germans (BMW in particular) to appreciate the looks of bigger and wider rims. I personally like the look but know that in ultimate performance terms they are compromising the handling. That said we are talking about handling on the limit of the performance envelope and lets face it if you are getting close to the edge you should be on a track not on the road.
The old mini 1275 handled better with the 10" rims that were fitted the standard car, but was fitted with 12" rims(style over content),way back then. My Golf Gti MkII handled better on the 185/60/14 it came with than 195/50/15 that I subsequently fitted, by some margin.
Ok, so it's not quite in the same league, but I had a very similar experience when I swapped a pre-faclift 306 for a newer one. Same basic model, engine etc. Until I picked it up, I hadn't noticed the tyres were now higher profile. I was a bit worried about grip when I saw this.
I found the newer car more adjustable, even if ultimately it couldn't quite generate the same grip. The newer car broke away in more controlled manner. More fun /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
It's one of the reasons I've chosen to stick with the std 17s on the S3. It's taken me quite some time to actually start to push the S3 and I know I'm still the limit, not it.
I found the newer car more adjustable, even if ultimately it couldn't quite generate the same grip. The newer car broke away in more controlled manner. More fun /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
It's one of the reasons I've chosen to stick with the std 17s on the S3. It's taken me quite some time to actually start to push the S3 and I know I'm still the limit, not it.
