Well I got my eibach/agx suspension installed not too long ago and after it was all said and done I'm just a little disappointed. I bought the eibachs with intention to do serious cornering. I wanted to be able to take 90-degree left and right turns without slowing down. Right now, I have to slow down to 20 or 25 before I can turn in which is still fast, but I thought it'd be better.

I also have a ftsb and rsb. Are my stock tires limiting my peformance right now? Or, are the stock 16*6.5" rims just too small to hold firm through high speed cornering? What can I do to feel the G's??

 

the rims are 6 1/2 inches wide ... that could be a cause

 

yes stock tires are holding you back..



also sub frame connectors, and new bushings for front sway bar will help..

 

set your agx to 4 & 8 and get yourself a set of wheels 18x8.5 and let me know what happens.

 

How did that work out for you? Big difference?

 

have not installed them yet..

my arm is in a sling..


shoulder injury..


hope to install in a couple weeks

 

Seriously,

If you need some help, let me know!

 

Your stock tires are the biggest issue. Get some real tires and you will be happy.

 

Don't discount the importance of proper air pressure. On the autocross course, I usually run 42psi front, 36 rear.

You'll still get a lot of understeer; it's just the nature of FWD.

 

Sticky tires add the most to increased handling. Springs and struts definately help the car corner flatter and more controlled, but tires should be the first thing on the list. For the best handling, "summer" tires are the only way to go (except during the colder and snow-filled months). "Performance" z-rated all-season tires don't hold a candle to "summer" Z-rated tires.


Dave

 

Exactly! Nothing you do to the car for handling will out perform GOOD tires.

 

What would help out more.. 18's on budget tires or my stock 16's on ultra-high performance z-rated tires? Reason I ask is because I don't want to shell out $1500-plus for 18's when I can get a noticeable increase in handling by just changing the rubber.

 

Even on the stock 16's when I changed the tires I noticed a good difference, granted it might be a larger difference on the 18's but it still is a nice place to start until you save for the 18's or something.

SuDZ

 

I agree with SudZ. You will notice a BIG difference just by switching to a high performance tire. If you can bump up the width a bit too that would also help. I remember in my old 87 Maxima, I went from the stock Bridgestone 195-60-15 all season tires to a set of Yokohama A008 tires in the same size. There was a HUGE improvement in handling.

Frankly, if you are comparing 2 tires of the same width, make and model, but on 2 different rim sizes - say a 215-55-16 and a 215-45-18, there will only be a very slight difference in handling. In fact, depending on the weight of the rim and tire, the 16" might actually handle better.

I think either Road and Track or Motor Trend did this exact test on a BMW 540i about a year or 2 ago. They tested 16", 17" and 18" wheels and tires on an otherwise identically set up 540i. I believe the 17" combination provided the best handling and acceleration. But, the performance differences AND ride quality between the 3 were very very close.

 

 

 

What's a good tire size that will give me the best handling for my stock 99 se wheels?

 

215's?

 

I agree with a 215 width. I also agree that the lightest tire/wheel combo will be the better handler no matter the rim diam. It's your choice on the profile though. Upgrading to a 7"+ width rim would increase your choices significantly.

Last year I did a comparison of 37 different 16" performance street tires for auto-x. Here's a piece of the spreadsheet (believe me you don't want all 19 columns). According to John Rastetter @ Tirerack, for the best cornering you want your rim width to be 85% or greater than your tire section width (SWidth). But still using mfg's specified rim ranges. So find the tires with the highest % that fit on your 6.5" rim - like these 3.

BFG KDW 215/50YR16
BFG KD 225/50YR16
Yoko ES100 225/50WR16

Brand Model, Size/Serv Load, Swidth, % Rim/Tire, Rim range
Toyo Prox T1-S 225/40ZR16 89W 7.9 95% 7-8.5"
Bridgest RE010 215/45ZR16 86Z 8.1 93% 7-8"
Pierelli P7000 215/45WR16 86W 8.1 93% 7-8.5"
Kuhmo 712 215/40WR16 82W 8.2 91% 7-8.5"
Yoko A520 215/40VR16 82V 8.3 90% 7-8.5"
Hankook K102 215/40ZR16 82W 8.3 90%
Falken Azenis RS215/45ZR16 86Z 8.3 90% 7-8"
Kuhmo 712 225/40WR16 85W 8.4 89% 7.5-9"
Kuhmo 712 225/45ZR16 89W 8.4 89% 7-8.5"
Yoko ES100 225/45ZR16 93W 8.5 88% 7-8.5"
Dunlop Sp8000 225/40ZR16 85Z 8.5 88% NA
Yoko A520 225/40VR16 85V 8.6 87% 7.5-9.0"
Yoko A520 225/45ZR16 89W 8.6 87% 7-8.5"
BFG KDW 215/50YR16 90Y 8.6 87% 6-7.5"
Bridgest S-03 225/45YR16 89Y 8.6 87% 7-8.5"
BFG KD 225/50YR16 92Y 8.7 86% 6-8"
Yoko ES100 225/50WR16 92W 8.7 86% 6-8"
Summitomo HTRZ2 235/45ZR17 93Z 8.8 85% 8-9.5"
YokoAVS Intermed225/50ZR16 92Z 8.9 84% 6-8"
YokoAVS Intermed225/55WR16 95W 8.9 84% 6.8-8"
YokoAVS Sport 225/50WR16 92W 8.9 84% 6-8"
Bridgestone S-02225/50WR16 92W 9.0 83% 6-8"
Yoko A520 225/50WR16 92W 9.0 83% 6-8"
Kuhmo 712 225/50VR16 92V 9.0 83% 6-8"
Kuhmo 712 225/50ZR16 92Z 9.0 83% 6-8"
Bridgest RE730 225/50ZR16 92Z 9.0 83% 6-8"
BFGKDW 225/50YR16 92Y 9.0 83% 6-8"
Kuhmo 712 225/55VR16 95V 9.0 83% 6-8"
Kuhmo 712 225/55WR16 95W 9.0 83% 6-8"
Bridgest RE730 225/55ZR16 95V 9.0 83% 6-8"
BFGKDW 225/55YR16 95Y 9.0 83% 6-8"
Dunlop Sp 8000 225/50ZR16 91.5Z9.1 82% NA
Dunlop Sp 2000 225/55ZR16 93Z 9.1 82% 6-8"
Dunlop Sp 8000 225/55ZR16 94W 9.1 82% 6-8"
Kuhmo Ecsta MX 225/50YR16 92Y 9.1 82% 6-8"
(Sorry if I missed anybody's favorite)

 

FAQ!

 

Well 2 of the 3 are 225. Wouldn't that handle a little better because its a little wider?

 

Yes, they would - good point. 225/50's are a much more popular size and usually better priced too. 225's with wider section width's like 9.1"+ might actually flex a bit on the rim during hard cornering. Of course now you look at actual tread widths, profiles, compounds, etc.

 

How do you get a shoulder injury from whoring?????

 

i really only see two initial benefits from a larger diameter rim. quicker turn in (i noticed this immediately) and looks. Wheel weight factors in to, but you have to figure out where the extra or less weight came from...the outer edge of the wheel or the inside. the least weight on the outer edge creating the least amount of torque to turn the wheel the better.

 

i was the only stupid **** tackling big peeps like you a couple weeks ago..

 

In my experience, 16s and 17s are the best tires for speed, fun, corners, and pot holes. 16s for street, 17s for looks. 19s for clubbing...picking up chics, etc.

And for tires, mind you, ultra high performance Z rated tires are classified as "soft" rubber, they wear out faster, but are really meant for driving with lots of fun.

For the "hard" tires, like H and T, simply put, they suck. I changed back to T rated for winter and they simply suck. When I do corners a bit aggressively, I feel my tires scream and my max surges to side as well as to the direction I'm trying to go (i.e. front).

But these cheap tires last a life time

 

RedbeardMax,

You takin corners on 2 wheels?! j/k You are right though, I do hear a lil squeal in "aggressive" cornering.

But for every day driving, they are just fine

 

Ok, well then its time to buy tires for the stock 16's...which of these do you think will give me the best handling for the money?

And does a UHP V or W speed rating give you anything over a UHP Z rated tire besides higher speed capabilities? Thanks!

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar..._25YR6SPORT_=4

 

bump