The Future of Fun...
Discussion
... in motor cars the inspired, and slightly bonkers, Morgan 3 wheeler. Look at the wheels.
I'll explain. Some of the best fun I had in a car was my first ever drive, a 1974 Triumph Spitfire, and then after that a Lotus Elan +2 Why? Skinny tyres! So easy to slip and slide at low speed (swing spring rear end helped too).
The problem we have is modern motors are designed to look good with 18-19 inch wheels, and they do look great.
However my argument is that the fun has diminished as the WIDTH of the tyres increased at the same time.
That has meant more, grip, higher cornering speed, less slippy-slidey opportunities and arguably less fun.
What I propose is; stick with the large diameter wheels but go narrow. 135-145 width on an 18" rim? Would look great and give much more accessible fun at 'safer' speeds. Think of the old Bentleys, Bugattis, huge diameter but skinny wheels.
Not quite space savers all round but along those lines, I'd buy a set!
"Edited to change 'quiet' to 'quite' and BMW making the i3"
I'll explain. Some of the best fun I had in a car was my first ever drive, a 1974 Triumph Spitfire, and then after that a Lotus Elan +2 Why? Skinny tyres! So easy to slip and slide at low speed (swing spring rear end helped too).
The problem we have is modern motors are designed to look good with 18-19 inch wheels, and they do look great.
However my argument is that the fun has diminished as the WIDTH of the tyres increased at the same time.
That has meant more, grip, higher cornering speed, less slippy-slidey opportunities and arguably less fun.
What I propose is; stick with the large diameter wheels but go narrow. 135-145 width on an 18" rim? Would look great and give much more accessible fun at 'safer' speeds. Think of the old Bentleys, Bugattis, huge diameter but skinny wheels.
Not quite space savers all round but along those lines, I'd buy a set!
"Edited to change 'quiet' to 'quite' and BMW making the i3"
Edited by hoganscrogan on Friday 23 May 22:06
most safety campaigns are concerned with wet-weather grip - which is if anything positively affected by narrow tyres.My idea for fun: elise-type chassis, moderately powerful bike engine (say a 100hp parallel twin), KERS-style power focussed hybrid tech. Lovely noise and handling at sensible speeds, then a power boost for overtaking - and hopefully decent economy due to reasonably light weight (hybrid gear partially offset by lighter bike style trans). Maybe even NOS for hairy-chested moments
If anything, it's leading to a generation of drivers who are dependent on ESP etc, as by the time the grip runs out on a set of 225x40x18s, you're going too fast to be able to pull it back without any assistance.
A set of 155x70x13s on the other hand, mean much lower speeds at the limit of grip (for the most part) and you get a feel for the tyres and how the car handles at that limit.
What's going to happen in 10 years time? 24s on shopping cars as standard? 30s on family saloons?
A set of 155x70x13s on the other hand, mean much lower speeds at the limit of grip (for the most part) and you get a feel for the tyres and how the car handles at that limit.
What's going to happen in 10 years time? 24s on shopping cars as standard? 30s on family saloons?
Mr Happy said:
A set of 155x70x13s on the other hand, mean much lower speeds at the limit of grip (for the most part) and you get a feel for the tyres and how the car handles at that limit.
I had a 1970s Fiat Spider which had that size tyre - it was fitted with brand new ditchfinders all round when I picked it up.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff