The banner above is an advertisment - if it asks you to download software, please ignore.
Site News - 7/1: Members: Log In to See Fewer Ads! | 5/28: SAAB Evolutions/TSN T-Shirts $14
[General | Members | C900 | 9000 | NG900 & OG93 | 93 | 95 | NG95 | 99 | Sonett | Vintage Models | Clubs | Other Cars | FAQs | Gifts | Member Photo Galleries | Member Directory | Classifieds | Manuals | *Buddy Registry | *Mileage Registry | Polls | What's New | Raffle | Photo of the Month | Sponsors]

95 Bulletin Board
1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest]
(Search Author's Posts: e.g. Keyword:username)*Members Only

[Main 95 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ | Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ] Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
In general
Like This Post: - Subscribe to Daily Digest for this Bulletin Board
Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Tue, 7 Sep 2004 10:52:55 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: '01 wagon tire up-sizing?, Indy Viggen, Tue, 7 Sep 2004 08:40:16
Alert me when someone posts in this thread:
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup

Generalizations - A wider tire has more contact area. That translates into more grip. If you want to keep the diameter the same, you drop the profile. A lower profile tire has shorter sidewalls. For the same tire, this usually translates into stiffer sidewalls, which improves handling.

Downsides - the wider the tire, the harder it is to get water out. Therefore, more of a tendancy to hydroplane. More of a tendancy to 'tramline', or to follow grooves/imperfections in the road surface. Sidewalls provide shock and vibration insulation - stiffer sidewalls produce more vibration and harshness over anything but smooth road surfaces.

OF course, that's all in general. Tread pattern, tread material, sidewall construction, all impact things. So comparing a 215/55 of one style to a 225/50 of another may be an apples and oranges thing. But in general, lower profile tires are assumed to be more performance oriented, and folks tend to give up certain things (like wet performance and smooth ride) for performance.

My recommendation - unless you are looking for a specific performance improvement, a wider tire, in general, will give you worse wet performance and more harshness. I wouldn't do it. However, for the relatively minor change you're talking about, a wider, lower profile tire with good hydroplane resistance and a smooth ride may do better than a narrower, taller tire with poor wet weather action and a harsh ride. But if you're not looking for imporved performance, I'd use the same tire, and just get a better one.

posted by 192.249....
Posts in this Thread:
Alert me when someone posts in this thread:
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
Post a Followup

No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.

Name: Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
E-Mail: (Optional)
Re-Enter E-Mail: (Confidential & Secure - Not revealed to other users!)
Note: Please check your spam folder for BB responses.

Subject:

Posting rules are simple - No for sale/wanted ads may be posted here - use the site classifieds.
You may not cross-post your message to multiple BBs.
Not permitted: political/religious topics and being disrespectful (personal attacks, insults, etc...).
 Site Members do not see any red text, inline ad links, bottom of page anchor ads, box ads, or anti-spam check.

Message: (please no for sale/wanted classifieds - post those in the Saabnet.com Classifieds)
Links are now automatically made active, no need for any special code (or use the Option Link field below) - don't put links in () or end with a '.'
To add inline images to your post, use [img]http://www.domain.com/img.jpg[endimg] (or use the Optional Image Link field below).

Links are now automatically made active, no need for any special code (or use the Option Link field below) - don't put links in () or end with a '.'
To add inline images to your post above, use [img]http://www.domain.com/img.jpg[endimg] (or use the Optional Image Link field below).
Optional Link: (e.g. http://www.saabnet.com/)
Link Title: (Optional)
Optional Photo/Image Link: (e.g. http://www.saabnet.com/img.jpg)
Photo/Image to Upload: (Please be patient while file uploads)



StateOfNine.com
SaabClub.com
Jak Stoll Performance
M Car Covers
Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2024 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]

Random Saabnet.com Member Gallery Photos (Click Image)
This is a moderated bulletin board - Posting is a privilege, not a right. Unsolicited commercial postings are not allowed (no spam). Please, no For Sale or Wanted postings, SERIOUSLY. Classifieds are to be listed in The Saab Network Classifieds pages. This is a problem solving forum for over 250,000 Saab owners, so expect to see problems discussed here even though our cars are generally very reliable. This is not an anything goes type of forum. Saabnet.com has been a moderated forum since 1988. For usage guidelines, see the Saabnet.com Mission and Purpose Page. Please remember that you are not anonymous. Site Contact | Site Donations | Other Sites by SP - Poverty2Prosperity.org | Run Club Menlo Park | ScreenBot


Site Members do not see red text instructions, bottom of the page anchor ads, or box ads.
Click here to see all the Site Membership Benefits!