RE: 17" wheels on a Spider

[C2slayman@domain.elided]

On Wed, 20 Nov 2002 14:50:22 -0800 (PST), Tessie McMillan  writes:

OK, it's been a while since I've asked a dumb question or played the 
devil's advocate... so I'll do both! &:-)

Why would anyone WANT 17" wheels on a Spider? 

Tess,
       Simple answer - the larger the diameter, the larger the contact patch 
--> more grip.  This works with wider tires too.  But you probably already 
knew that.  
       Of course, there are issues like tire clearance.  So if you go with a 
larger wheel diameter, then you usually have to reduce the profile ( 60series 
---> 50series or 40series).  In part, this negates the gain in contact patch, 
but with a stiffer sidewall, the tread deflects less under load ---> better 
adhesion, worse ride quality.
       So all in all, larger wheel diameter leads to higher ultimate 
handling.  Of course, anyone who remembers the old Car & Driver issue where 
the skinny 70 series Sears radial (aka Michelin) kicked the pants off all the 
Goodrich, Firestone, Goodyear ultrawide 60series tires (belted-bias ply at 
the time) will just laugh at this argument!  So things are much more 
complicated than tire patch alone.  
       Frankly, I think the "unsprung weight" arguement is a red herring.  
There are "heavy" 14" wheels and "light" 17" wheels.  So you can't make 
generalizations.

Cheers,
Charlie
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