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1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Rim diameter does not control tread life. Tire compound and engine torque do. For those with the 250HP engine or engine mods, tire traction becomes a performance limitation. For many such folks, tire life is a secondary concern and lower wear rating tires are sought for better traction. Such tires will provide better handling, accident avoidance, dry and wet braking for any vehicle, high power or not. So these do improve ones life expectancy on the road. If you want longer tread life, you can get high tread life ratings and loose some road grip.
And some long life treads just last too long and the tires age harden with time and heat. The tires then have very poor traction and often should be tossed out before they are worn out. So in some cases, the tires with higher tread life are plain dangerous and the economics are very sustpect when the tires get tossed with lots of tread that should have been useable.
On the other hand, if one has ample torque and has tires that are not grippy enough, then these 'harder' tires will be subject to wheel spin and scrubbing which really wears them out fast. A max performance tire that will grip and not slip, will not have wheel spin wear. So a softer grippier tire can out last a lesser tire that cannot grip. So sometimes a softer tire will outlast a tire with a higher wear rating! Now traction control does have a major influence on this. Some folks turn that off as it can be too sensitive and limits performance too much. And, when one has enough torque, the only way to go faster is to get tires with better grip.
Some consider good tires and brakes, and the added costs, as a form of insurance. But one that does not pay off after an accident, but improves ones chances of not having one. At the very least, in some cases, you will avoid hitting a vehicle in front of you and then will get rear ended by someone with lesser tires or intellence, but then you may then be held faultless by the police and insurance companies. That happened to me :(
Remember: Accident avoidance braking performance is tire traction limited, not limited by the rotors and pads. ABS does not change that truth at all! Grippier tires allow for better emergency braking.
So no golden rule, go for whats important for you. Upfront cost is not always the issue.
Winter tires: Tirerack.com has great winter tire packages. Suggest you keep the 17" wheels for summer tires. Some folks with good grippy tires also like to avoid winter wear of those treads when they can't take advantage of that traction anyways. And real snow-ice tires are again the ability to avoid accidents and protect you life and your vehicle. Again, not a first cost issue. Not a engine torque issue either.
posted by 68.95.119...
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