Re. Wide Vs Narrow Tires - I rest my case

Somebody wrote a “review” about the “handling” characteristics of a 10 year old sub-compact econobox that’s no longer being sold. That itself is ridiculous and things just went downhill from there. :grinning_face:

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I owned econoboxes with skinny during my younger years

They were NOT fun to drive, nor did they handle particularly well

The cars got the job done, which was get me to/from work, grocery store, doctor’s appointments, etc.

There’s nothing more to be said about any of them

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Your opinion, duly noted.

So I guess no solution on this one… :upside_down_face:

Already had 2 engineers comment on this, so no use in adding anymore with my personal experience on the subject…

This will just be another 100 reply go nowhere thread that changes nobody’s mind (wright or wrong)…

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Here are 2 I owned . . .

1994 Tercel 1.5-liter engine 155R13 tires, if memory serves. 2door 4spd stick, ac, vinyl seats, sealed beams, manual steering, windows and locks. The rear seats didn’t even fold down. It didn’t even come with a passenger side mirror or a trip meter

1986 Starlet (europe) 1liter engine 145/80R13 tires, if memory serves, 2door hatchback, 4spd stick, no ac, manual steering, windows and locks. That car didn’t even have a radio

Are you going to argue and say those cars were fun in any way, shape or form?

Yeah, it’s my opinion, but I believe most people that owned those cars . . . or comparable models . . . probably don’t remember them as being particularly fun to drive

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No error at all. Straight line stability is as much a component of handling as is acceleration, braking, and weaving around other drivers like you were playing Gran Turismo on a console.

None of my cars have lacked for straight line stability, 50 series tires on all 3 recent ones.

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In the snow, you are better off with narrower and taller(longer footprint) tires.tires. The first cars you see up on top of the guardrails aronun here when winter hits are Camaros and Mustangs, only because hardly anybody is crazy enough to drive a Corvette in our winters.

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tex:

My issue is more with how much more responsive wider lower profile tires are to even normal steering commands. It doesn’t feel natural to me.

Higher profile tires resist steering a little more, and feel more intuitive to me.

Sure, skinny tires rule!

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Dude:

I’m what you’d call a ‘contrarian’, but with the added quality that I’m not doing it just to be different. My views on everything:

Narrow tires vs wide

Standard time vs Daylight Slaving

CRT (tube) TVs vs flats

Payphones vs the ones we carry in our pockets

etc.

It’s all sincere and genuine.

based on what you just posted about CRT and payphones, I’d say you might even qualify as “cantankerous”

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Good Grief !!

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Come on old pal - you’re probably older than I am. Don’t’chya feel it? lol

First of all , I am not your old pal and age has nothing to do with be stubborn to the point of refusing to adapt.

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We all have the choice to adapt what we feel like adapting. Isn’t that what free markets are all about?

A friend had a Dodge Challenger. We were driving back from date night on a slushy highway. The back end kicked out and as he tried to correct, the oscillations grew. It didn’t take long before the back end spun around. I put my upper arms across my face with forearms draped behind my head to minimize glass injury to my face and eyes. Turned out the back right fender hit the guard rail in the median without any additional damage. We got back on the road and returned home without additional problems. Since there was no bodily damage and I didn’t own the car, I think of it as good roller coaster ride.

That would likely not have happened to me.

Years ago I would contribute to forums like this with definitive assertions on things I believed to be true. It didn’t take long for me to learn how wrong that approach was. Digging my heals in only kept me from learning with an open mind, as well as limiting the productiveness of the discussion.

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No, they resist less. The reaction time is slower because the higher aspect ratio tire is a “soft spring” rather than a stiff one.

And a 6 inch wide tread tire takes less force to turn that a 12 inch wide tread.

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