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Comments
swaybars- as the car is set up right now, I can absolutely get the tail light with throttle lift or late braking. Therefore I am going to see how the wheel/tire upgrade affects things first. If only there was a HP summer tire in 225/50
anyway I was noticing that 235/45-17s do require 7.5" wide wheels... and there just aren't many of those that fit the FXT. 225/45-17s would look odd without lowering the car, plus recalibrating the speedo would be desireable.
without typical budget restrictions--which is bunk advice, of course!-- I'd use 17x7.5 SSR competitions and something valued priced in a 235/45-17. I've been fairly happy with Yoko ES100s, but they're aren't superb or anything.
~c
-mike
given the disparity in price for the available 17" tire choices over 16", it is tempting to pick up a set of 16X7 Rota Slipstreams (15+ pounds) for $500 bucks or less, and a set of 225/55/16 Firehawk ZEP50s (or whatever you call em) and call it day. You'd be within 1.6% of original rolling diameter and tire replacement costs are anywhere from $40 to $100 less than with the available 17" PLUS you get dedicated summer rubber and can use the stocker for winter. Decisions, decisions.....
I'll have to do more investigating on the 235. I'm pretty sure that I've read cases of rubbing.
Can't say I would feel good about going with Rota. They are still cracking. Not something I would want to deal with on a 600 mile family trip to SC. Well it is a 48 offset I probably don't drive like those guys. :-)
-Dennis
my M3 came stock with 235/40-17 all around and 17x7.5 front, 17x8.5 rear wheels. I **HAVE** carefully measured the mounted tires' footprint and the difference is insignificant. the sidewall profile does alter slightly though, and that's the real reason for BMW's scheme. they really should've used 225/45-17 front and 245/40-17 rear, most hobbyists do for better front fenderwell splashguard clearance. I won't own the car long enough to bother.
___
anyway, loosh I too would be seriously tempted by your latest 16" suggestion. I definitely swear by the SZ50EP!
~c
I emailed Firestone suggesting that they make a 225/50/17 SZ50EP. :-)
-Dennis
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-juice
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Hey - wanna try em out? Come by any evening or weekend, we'll go for a spin (not literally!).
They are directional, which I like, and in some sizes they protect the rims, even. Not bad for a budget priced all-season tire. CR rated them #1 but that may not have a lot of significance to someone who might autocross with them.
-juice
But I probably will go out a couple of times for the purpose of learning the car, if for no other reason than highway safety.
-juice
-mike
I can't use them anymore but if you want 'em for the L, I'd take $100 for the whole set. I paid $300 for the setup, plus the mounting and balancing costs.
-mike
http://TeamIAC.com
One thing that I really liked about the 17" P1's, is the solid/planted feeling (especially at Interstate speeds). If I were to go with a 16, would I lose that feeling?
That's comparing a WRX with P1's/Firehawks and a 20mm rear sway bar to an XT with a 20mm rear sway. Now that I think about it, maybe it was more of a result from the swaybar upgrade.
-Dennis
It is the swaybar upgrade that provided the solid/planted feel. However, a plus 1 to 17s and grippier tires will emphasis/compliment the feel I would think,... I won't know, since I'm still running of 16 stockers.
-Dave
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We added a moonroof and alloy rims to our Legacy.
-juice
Had the idea of unbolting the sheet metal of the roof to make for a gapping sunroof.
-Dave
-mike
-juice
-mike
I emailed Luke at Tire Rack about your nabisco thread and he responded there:
"while it is a pretty decent tire it should not be confused with a performance tire. By design it sacrifices some of it's performance to achieve better ride quality. During testing, with me behind the wheel of the test cars, I found it to be "ok" for normal driving and cruising around but, when I tried to drive really aggressive it just wasn't up to the task. I also was somewhat disapointed in the wet traction. For a summary: it is a decent touring tire for the money and does perform it's duties reasonably well but, there are better choices out there. In the 225/50-17 size if you want a good handling touring type tire the Turanza LS-V from Bridgestone is a very nice tire which will out handle the KH11 eventhough it's an all-season grand touring tire and if you want shear performance the Michelin SX MXX3 is a true "big dog" tire"
-Dennis
~c
-mike
-mike
-Dave
ps, Mike's time estimates are absurdly low. no average hobbyist could do it near that fast, and $30/corner is really cheap for shop rates.
~c
And trust me, the 'burbs aren't a whole lot better. Pot holes all over the place, even in Rockville, MD.
-juice
I know it's short
The AGXs being adjustable are great IMHO, for a daily driver you can't beat going from stock to stiff with a click of the knob. Of course on the track car I run coilovers. I'm just not a big fan of running real stiff stuff on a daily driver, I'd always suggest an adjustable suspension with err on the side of comfort rather than stiffness for a daily driver.
-mike
If I brought supplies, how long would it take?
Or could we do it at Summit one day, you think?
-juice
-mike
I am considering a Forester XT, but I wanted tighter handling than what I test-drove. I'm willing to sacrifice some ground clearance to get the job done. Have you installed a WRX suspension onto an 03-04 Forester? If so, what is the resulting change to ride height(I'm expecting a bit over 1 1/2 inches.)and how did it ride?
How much of the suspension needs to be replaced to get the right geometry for proper operation and wear?
-Zor
That includes struts, springs, and top hats. You are going to have increased neg. camber which will help turn in and static load cornering, but will also wear the insides of your tires faster than the outsides.
Zor
~colin
-mike