RE: Civic Type R vs Focus RS Mountune: PH Video
Discussion
Simon Owen said:
Given the 'engineered' approach by Honda it's a shame they don't seem to offer a wheel & tyre size option ?
The suspension settings available and efforts made to make to car work on road really appeal but why such huge dia rims and silly low profile rubber :-(. Surely 18' rims and a 40 profile would work a treat ?!? Appreciate there are reasons for the width but blimey how long would those alloys last on Blighty black top.
I have 18's on my 275 Trophy and really don't see why they would ever need to be bigger ??
Aesthetics presumably. I take it its on 19sThe suspension settings available and efforts made to make to car work on road really appeal but why such huge dia rims and silly low profile rubber :-(. Surely 18' rims and a 40 profile would work a treat ?!? Appreciate there are reasons for the width but blimey how long would those alloys last on Blighty black top.
I have 18's on my 275 Trophy and really don't see why they would ever need to be bigger ??
We've 19s on our A45 (although it was an upgrade not standard fit) and its been fine so far (just had the 10,000 mile service there on Friday).
oobster said:
It'll be because cars are getting bigger all the time, partly due to passenger comfort and safety.
I remember when I first started driving & getting interested in cars, 22 years ago, 17" alloys were seen as being very rare.
And wheel arches are getting bigger. I remember my brother had a 1996 D Turbo and he'd it lowered on to 16s and they looked huge compared to the standard 14s at the time.I remember when I first started driving & getting interested in cars, 22 years ago, 17" alloys were seen as being very rare.
Not absolutely sure but think they are 20" rims and 30 profile tyres, 245 wide.
Mahoosive for a hatch !!
It sounds like the engineers at Honda have got this to work very well indeed ... but (other than aesthetics - subjective !!) why wouldn't a smaller diameter rim with a deeper profile (assuming the same width) work just as well ??
We run our Megane on 18's and it hardly lacks grip or turn in, I just don't get it.
Mahoosive for a hatch !!
It sounds like the engineers at Honda have got this to work very well indeed ... but (other than aesthetics - subjective !!) why wouldn't a smaller diameter rim with a deeper profile (assuming the same width) work just as well ??
We run our Megane on 18's and it hardly lacks grip or turn in, I just don't get it.
Simon Owen said:
Given the 'engineered' approach by Honda it's a shame they don't seem to offer a wheel & tyre size option ?
The suspension settings available and efforts made to make to car work on road really appeal but why such huge dia rims and silly low profile rubber :-(. Surely 18' rims and a 40 profile would work a treat ?!? Appreciate there are reasons for the width but blimey how long would those alloys last on Blighty black top.
I have 18's on my 275 Trophy and really don't see why they would ever need to be bigger ??
I do wonder about the size of the wheels and if there's any real net gain from them. It seems a bit bonkers for a hatch. The suspension settings available and efforts made to make to car work on road really appeal but why such huge dia rims and silly low profile rubber :-(. Surely 18' rims and a 40 profile would work a treat ?!? Appreciate there are reasons for the width but blimey how long would those alloys last on Blighty black top.
I have 18's on my 275 Trophy and really don't see why they would ever need to be bigger ??
Rawwr said:
I do wonder about the size of the wheels and if there's any real net gain from them. It seems a bit bonkers for a hatch.
Indeed. The only technical rationale I can think of is enough space to clear the calipers. I don't know if that's the case that the Ford's/Honda's calipers simply wouldn't clear 18's wheels ?I am really happy with 18' on (relatively) high profile (40). Cheaper tyres / better traction and feels better over kerbs but perhaps at the detriment of ultimate control compared to 35 series on 19 ?
nickfrog said:
Rawwr said:
I do wonder about the size of the wheels and if there's any real net gain from them. It seems a bit bonkers for a hatch.
Indeed. The only technical rationale I can think of is enough space to clear the calipers. I don't know if that's the case that the Ford's/Honda's calipers simply wouldn't clear 18's wheels ?I am really happy with 18' on (relatively) high profile (40). Cheaper tyres / better traction and feels better over kerbs but perhaps at the detriment of ultimate control compared to 35 series on 19 ?
nickfrog said:
I am really happy with 18' on (relatively) high profile (40). Cheaper tyres / better traction and feels better over kerbs but perhaps at the detriment of ultimate control compared to 35 series on 19 ?
Agreed, they work a treat.I suspect the 40 profile is actually technically better in the majority of situations on the road, certainly easier to live with.
For such a high performance model it's a shame Honda don't give you a choice like most other manufacturers do ?
Simon Owen said:
Not absolutely sure but think they are 20" rims and 30 profile tyres, 245 wide.
Mahoosive for a hatch !!
They are indeed SimonMahoosive for a hatch !!
Obviously helps a bit with traction as it managed a 5.7 second time to 60 and then onto a 100 in 7 more seconds. Quicker than the old Seat Leon 280 (5.9 to 60 ) so it's certainly doing something with the extra power.
350mm front discs
Alpinestars said:
macky17 said:
nickfrog said:
Probably but I think the press have been quite loyal to the Megane RS for many years and practically up to it being discontinued, despite many new kids on the block. Maybe that was an exception.
Because it was, and remains, the best hothatch you can buy. IMHO of course...macky17 said:
Alpinestars said:
macky17 said:
nickfrog said:
Probably but I think the press have been quite loyal to the Megane RS for many years and practically up to it being discontinued, despite many new kids on the block. Maybe that was an exception.
Because it was, and remains, the best hothatch you can buy. IMHO of course...macky17 said:
Drive a 275 with ohlins and akrapovic. If it isn't the best fwd car you've ever driven, you're doing something wrong...
I drove one a couple of weeks ago for a couple of hundred miles... very impressive car! I found it better by quite a margin than a Focus RS I recently drove. It just felt a better drive and more special. Although the focus was fast it felt insulated...plus them daft pops got on my nerves! macky17 said:
Alpinestars said:
macky17 said:
nickfrog said:
Probably but I think the press have been quite loyal to the Megane RS for many years and practically up to it being discontinued, despite many new kids on the block. Maybe that was an exception.
Because it was, and remains, the best hothatch you can buy. IMHO of course...SidewaysSi said:
That is quite an expectation. I have driven a 265 Cup but not the 275. Great car but I am not sure it was the best I have ever driven...
There is a very noticeable improvement from a 265 Cup to say a 275 Trophy on Ohlins, typical Renaultsport .... small marginal gains in several areas that add up to a make a significant improvement. Solely as a driver's car it's the most exciting hot hatch I've driven, just feels completely alive in your hands and the way it deals with challenging road surfaces (Ohlins set to soft for me) beggars belief. Turn in and change of direction make me grin every time I go round a corner, sensitive subject I know but 'steering feel' is also more than acceptable.Downsides are it's not as good at the daily stuff as some others in the sector, looks aside the Honda has some attributes that appeal on this front but at the same time being pretty focussed when you want it to be ? In comfort setting for example I suspect it is a dam sight more refined than the Trophy, even with the Ohlins set to bumpy road it's still a firmly set up chassis, ARB's & springs clearly also contributing to this.
Question for me is how close would it be to the Megane in Sport or R+ mode ? ?
( Appreciate the Honda will be quicker but that's not really relevant to me, all the top cars in this sector are plenty quick enough for the road - in fact at times it's easy to argue too fast really )
Alpinestars said:
Haven't owned/driven a Megane after my R26R. Which was competent but relatively dull. In what way is the 275 more interesting to drive than the R?
Much more controlled suspension, slightly sharper engine / response and a more characterful exhaust note.That said if you found the R26R relatively dull I suspect it may not be your cup of tea ?
Simon Owen said:
Alpinestars said:
Haven't owned/driven a Megane after my R26R. Which was competent but relatively dull. In what way is the 275 more interesting to drive than the R?
Much more controlled suspension, slightly sharper engine / response and a more characterful exhaust note.That said if you found the R26R relatively dull I suspect it may not be your cup of tea ?
The damping, cage, etc made it feel special at low speeds, a mini fwd, gt3rs if you will. But paradoxically, it was too competent at higher speeds, and I never felt part of the drive. Just a passenger. I like a more mechanical feel to cars.
Alpinestars said:
I thought the suspension on the R was very good, so a "better" set up is not going to make much gain. The noise wasn't great, I had the titanium and panel filter, but it was still muted. It was just too "safe", too "competent", you knew the diff was always going to work, but it was never that transparent in the way Diffs in Type Rs are.
The damping, cage, etc made it feel special at low speeds, a mini fwd, gt3rs if you will. But paradoxically, it was too competent at higher speeds, and I never felt part of the drive. Just a passenger. I like a more mechanical feel to cars.
My Cup-S is the opposite, it only starts working at 8/10ths, which is track only. The setup is very aggressive for a road going car. The rear end is very mobile, in a good way.The damping, cage, etc made it feel special at low speeds, a mini fwd, gt3rs if you will. But paradoxically, it was too competent at higher speeds, and I never felt part of the drive. Just a passenger. I like a more mechanical feel to cars.
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