I have learned tires as boring as they are, are the main thing when it comes to small cars. Mini Cooper GTI, Hondas all of them, usually the suspension and chassis is tight enough, it’s tire squeal and driving at the limit of their grip that kills how hard you can take it. My stock height GTI with a RSB and PS4S handles just as good as my lowered, chassis braced to hell, wide, mini Cooper with Nitto NeoGens that aren’t quite as sticky. Certainly a tire snob now
Hmmm, maybe I’ve just needed sticky tires and an RSB all along then. I don’t really know for sure. What I do know though is way back in 2017, I was on completely stock car and suspension, but I had Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires on the car at 245/40 18 all around. Yes, these are all-season tires, but they’re pretty dang grippy for what they are. I ran them several times on my E46 M3 6spd, twice without coilovers, and once with coilovers, and I’ll tell you what, the difference in grip when I put coilovers on, with the same tire, was immense. The car gripped and handled a lot better just by swapping suspension. With the A/S 3+’s on my GTI, and fully stock suspension and car, I specifically remembering driving a canyon. I was taking corners at double the speed limit just fine, but there was this long sweeping downhill corner I came up to. It was a 35mph corner, long sweeper, and probably a 10% downgrade. Well, I came into that corner way too fast, at like 73mph, turned in, and the car’s rear end started getting loose. I couldn’t brake because that would have completely loosened rear traction, and would have put me into a max understeer right into the side rail. So I had to mix between momentum, throttle, and very light braking once I felt I got some traction on the rear. Basically, I almost wrecked my car, but I was able to control it through that corner. It was a stupid move on my end, but I also wasn’t used to the car because in my M3, and that speed, it would have been a cake walk. But with the lighter, FWD GTI, and softer suspension, it just could handle that turn at that speed, even with those tires. Now with my suspension setup, I’m 100% sure on that same road, then, and speed, I know this car could easily manage that corner. I think it mostly has to do with the RSB, as turn in on corners has drastically improved. But also with the Koni Yellow dampers/struts and lowering springs, the car is a lot flatter and stable through corners, and I have to give it to these suspension parts too. They help stabilize the car, and keeps it compliant as it’s being thrown harder into a corner with the RSB upgrade. Yes, these Indy 500 tires are stickier, but like I said, on my M3, given the suspension changes on the same tire, the car felt completely different. So yes, tires are a big thing, but in my mind, so is suspension.
How are you liking the suspension set up? I’ve been running the same one for about a year. Koni Yellow with EMD, but kind of struggling to find a good middle ground. Any issues with rubbing? Are your front shocks set to full soft?
I absolutely love them. I have zero rubbing issues. I have both the front and rear set to 3/4 turn from full soft. Why are you rubbing? Do you have aftermarket wheels? If so, what’s the wheel offset? What tire sidewall you running? Is your car’s alignment off? I’m running 18x8 ET45 OZ Ultralegerra HLT wheels with 225/40/18 Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires. I never rub with this setup.
@@JacesOwnWorld Thank you! Trying to figure that out. I have the same tires but I’m 235/40/18 wheels are 18x8.5 + 43mm; pretty standard! Alignment was recently done and I’m all square there as well. Super odd
@SLIPKNOTmaggot262 yeah that’s odd for sure. Your wheels and tires are a little wider. I wonder if it’s the +43 offset?? But that’s pretty standard, so not sure why it’s rubbing. Have you done the fender screw mod?
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I have learned tires as boring as they are, are the main thing when it comes to small cars. Mini Cooper GTI, Hondas all of them, usually the suspension and chassis is tight enough, it’s tire squeal and driving at the limit of their grip that kills how hard you can take it. My stock height GTI with a RSB and PS4S handles just as good as my lowered, chassis braced to hell, wide, mini Cooper with Nitto NeoGens that aren’t quite as sticky. Certainly a tire snob now
Hmmm, maybe I’ve just needed sticky tires and an RSB all along then. I don’t really know for sure.
What I do know though is way back in 2017, I was on completely stock car and suspension, but I had Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires on the car at 245/40 18 all around. Yes, these are all-season tires, but they’re pretty dang grippy for what they are. I ran them several times on my E46 M3 6spd, twice without coilovers, and once with coilovers, and I’ll tell you what, the difference in grip when I put coilovers on, with the same tire, was immense. The car gripped and handled a lot better just by swapping suspension.
With the A/S 3+’s on my GTI, and fully stock suspension and car, I specifically remembering driving a canyon. I was taking corners at double the speed limit just fine, but there was this long sweeping downhill corner I came up to. It was a 35mph corner, long sweeper, and probably a 10% downgrade. Well, I came into that corner way too fast, at like 73mph, turned in, and the car’s rear end started getting loose. I couldn’t brake because that would have completely loosened rear traction, and would have put me into a max understeer right into the side rail. So I had to mix between momentum, throttle, and very light braking once I felt I got some traction on the rear. Basically, I almost wrecked my car, but I was able to control it through that corner. It was a stupid move on my end, but I also wasn’t used to the car because in my M3, and that speed, it would have been a cake walk. But with the lighter, FWD GTI, and softer suspension, it just could handle that turn at that speed, even with those tires.
Now with my suspension setup, I’m 100% sure on that same road, then, and speed, I know this car could easily manage that corner. I think it mostly has to do with the RSB, as turn in on corners has drastically improved. But also with the Koni Yellow dampers/struts and lowering springs, the car is a lot flatter and stable through corners, and I have to give it to these suspension parts too. They help stabilize the car, and keeps it compliant as it’s being thrown harder into a corner with the RSB upgrade. Yes, these Indy 500 tires are stickier, but like I said, on my M3, given the suspension changes on the same tire, the car felt completely different. So yes, tires are a big thing, but in my mind, so is suspension.
How are you liking the suspension set up? I’ve been running the same one for about a year. Koni Yellow with EMD, but kind of struggling to find a good middle ground. Any issues with rubbing? Are your front shocks set to full soft?
I absolutely love them. I have zero rubbing issues. I have both the front and rear set to 3/4 turn from full soft.
Why are you rubbing? Do you have aftermarket wheels? If so, what’s the wheel offset? What tire sidewall you running? Is your car’s alignment off?
I’m running 18x8 ET45 OZ Ultralegerra HLT wheels with 225/40/18 Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires. I never rub with this setup.
@@JacesOwnWorld Thank you! Trying to figure that out. I have the same tires but I’m 235/40/18 wheels are 18x8.5 + 43mm; pretty standard! Alignment was recently done and I’m all square there as well. Super odd
@SLIPKNOTmaggot262 yeah that’s odd for sure. Your wheels and tires are a little wider. I wonder if it’s the +43 offset?? But that’s pretty standard, so not sure why it’s rubbing. Have you done the fender screw mod?