round tires

[Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@domain.elided>]

I was tired of skidding around in the rain dangerously and listening 
to the thudding-drone of flatspotted tires vibrating me along the 
highway. So it was with some relief that I realized I could steal 
away from the office for a couple of hours this afternoon and get 
FrankenSpider's new shoes fitted.

After a suitable amount of study, and a lot of very helpful 
discussion with the several alfa-digest folks who responded to my 
questions, I decided that for this round I was going to stick with my 
existing 5spoke 14x6" Alfa wheels and go with a set of Yokohama 
AVS-Intermediates in a 195/60VR14 size. This size tire drops the car 
about a half inch, effects about a 3-4% lowering of the 4:10 final 
drive ratio I've got in the beastie, and I was banking on the stiffer 
sidewalls improving the steering responsiveness.

Gads, it's good to roll on round tires again. I took the car for a 
quick thrash up and down Highway 9 after I got out of the office. I'm 
impressed. The ride is better than the old Michelin 185/70HR14s. The 
steering is lighter and feels tighter, particularly on center. There 
is no comparison in dry braking, cornering adhesion, and steering 
responsiveness: the Yokos are FAR FAR better. The slightly lower 
gearing makes the upper three gears more useful. Confidence, 
security, responsiveness ... my oh my, FrankenSpider is a happy thing.

And I haven't grounded yet. That's good news. I have just about 3" 
between catcon and ground, lowest point on the car, and have managed 
some nasty parking lot humps with minimal scraping. Nothing in normal 
thrashing has touched. I was really worried about the ground 
clearance. This seems all right.

A successful shoeing. Thanks to all who sent me info and notes.

Godfrey

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