Discussion
Daily Telegraph said:
Then there was another change. Fashion dictates the lowest profile tyres imaginable and once a set of 18-inch wheels and tyres with the depth of a rubber band made it to the options list, everybody wanted them. Trouble is, they have virtually no compliance, which might be ideal for the race track, but undoes all the suspension engineers' careful work in making a fast car easy to live with.
The car's steering response, already sharp, becomes hyper-sensitive and you find yourself gripping the wheel fairly tightly along bumpy stretches of B-road. Added to which, even though the rear springs are tougher than they were, the wheel once again needs careful handling lest you make the rear end roll about.
Reverting to the original 16-inch tyres is the answer, because it keeps most of that authority while introducing a touch of relaxation - but 18-inch wheels are, it seems, what people want.
Wheeler shrugs. "I know," he says. "We spend a lot of time making the car how we want and then people pay us a lot of money to spoil it.
The car's steering response, already sharp, becomes hyper-sensitive and you find yourself gripping the wheel fairly tightly along bumpy stretches of B-road. Added to which, even though the rear springs are tougher than they were, the wheel once again needs careful handling lest you make the rear end roll about.
Reverting to the original 16-inch tyres is the answer, because it keeps most of that authority while introducing a touch of relaxation - but 18-inch wheels are, it seems, what people want.
Wheeler shrugs. "I know," he says. "We spend a lot of time making the car how we want and then people pay us a lot of money to spoil it.
A most insightful assessment that took the words right out of my mouth based on my experiences with am '03 3.6 on 18s - seems PW knew all along, then.
The soft rear suspension for traction & tractability vs. lack of control on the road, especially when laden and wheels occasionally fouling bodywork issue was a balancing act that had plagued TVR from the Griffith onwards...
Edited by 900T-R on Friday 20th February 11:47
When I bought mine I test drove a number of cars that had 18s and I have to say although I much prefer the look of the 18s I found the ride so much better on 16s. I now have Nitrons so was wondering whether I could now live with 18s and a bit of tweaking to the setup to compensate....
Also, the 16s give you plenty of tyre to absorb those "minor offs"....
Having hit a kerb in a petrol station in France at a fair old whack (enough to rip off the cheese grater) I have to say that I like the fact that Drivestyle told me without a doubt had they been 18s they would have been smashed.
Also, the 16s give you plenty of tyre to absorb those "minor offs"....
Having hit a kerb in a petrol station in France at a fair old whack (enough to rip off the cheese grater) I have to say that I like the fact that Drivestyle told me without a doubt had they been 18s they would have been smashed.Gassing Station | Tuscan | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff