Lik

Don't need to think la. If money is not an issue, go with Continential DWS la. This tire is getting rave reviews from everywhere. The only "problem" I have with it is that the tread pattern looks wimpy and ugly. But whatever you do, make sure you buy from Tire Rack, Discount Tire Direct, or whichever other US-based online tire stores. Just have your tires shipped to Point Roberts and you're good to go. It won't even be that expensive la.

Eagle GT is pretty good (for an all season tire) when they are new, but I don't have any experience with them when they are half worn. But I really like their aggressive-looking tread pattern. It's rare for all season tires to have shoulder blocks as meaty and aggressive as the Eagle GT la.

Nokian WRG2 is a good tire too, but then it's more expensive and harder to get.

At the end of the day, you're driving a Bimmer, so she is hopeless in any sort of snowy conditions with all season tires anyway. Why don't you just go with a set of summer tires and slap some winter rubber on from November to February?

-Lik

Lik

Aiya... I just looked at some prices, and it is really a no brainer la. The Continental DWS is literally only a few dollars more expensive than the Eagle GT. So if you don't care about looks and want the best performance, you can't go wrong with the Continental DWS. If looks are important, then go for the Eagle GT la.

Toyos Proxes4 are pretty decent too, but it seems to me that fewer places carry them law.

-Lik

Lik

If you purchase tires locally, don't forget to include the provincial tire recycling levy. I can't remember if it was $5/tire or $10/tire. If you buy from TR, then obviously you skip that la. (I don't think CBSA charges you that.)

BBS are very nice wheels, but they are pretty pricy too. I personally prefer Enkei and OZ because they are a lot more affordable than BBS, and their specs are as good as BBS.

-Lik

Lik

DTD is charging $116 each for the DWS, but shipping is already included. So:

$464 tires
$55.68 HST
$27.90 duty
mail depot fee ~$20
installation ~ $80

total ~$650

so ~$110 cheaper la?

Last time when I picked up tires from Pt. Roberts, CBSA didn't charge me duty nor tire levy. I can't say whether charge you for that. But for me, it was just PST/GST (or maybe it was already HST).

-Lik

Lik

You can still mount 225/50/16 on 16x7 wheels, but the tire will bulge out a bit, and sidewall support will be a bit lacking, so steering feel, reaction time will suffer a bit as the car's reaction feels a little more rubbery. For a street car, I wouldn't bother la. Just stick with 205/50/16 bah la.

If you want to use 225/50/16, 16x8 is the size you want, although 16x7.5 would be acceptable as well. But the problem is, 16" is not a popular wheel size. Selection is a lot better with both 15" and 17".

-Lik

Lik

so mr. lik i think you are correct, the distortion of the tires basically cancels the positive effect of the increased footprint from the wider tires, resulting in no increase in cornering ability....
celeron_266 發表於 2011-7-11 23:55

Minor correction here:

When you go with a wider tire on the same car, the contact patch doesn't necessarily increase in size. However, the shape of the contact patch will change. The thing to keep in mind is that the contact patch is dependent on both the tire size and just as importantly, the weight of the vehicle. In Celeron's case, the vehicle weight change is, for all practical purposes, negligible regardless of whether a 205/55/16 or 225/50/16 tire is used. Since the vehicle weight is the same, the pressure on the tire is the same. With a narrower tire, the contact patch is gonna be longer and skinner (narrower). With a wider tire, the contact patch is gonna be shorter but fatter (wider). So the shape of the contact patch changes, but it is not clear which contact patch has a larger overall area. What would happen though is, the narrower tire should actually have a better longitudinal acceleration (accelerating in a straight line) but poorer lateral acceleration (turning). The reverse would be true with a fatter tire.

Essentially, it's a tradeoff between longitudinal acceleration vs lateral acceleration.

-Lik

Lik

If you pay attention to how your car responses when you are behind the wheels, then yes, you will notice a difference. If you enjoy spirited drives, then yes, you will notice them. If you track your gas milage, then you will also notice a few percents' worth of differences. Heck, whenever my car gets an oil change done, I notice the minute difference in my car's throttle response and smoothness too.

But if you are a typical Richmond C9, then ha, you probably won't notice it la~

-Lik

Lik

Stock class autox-ers regularly run the widest possible tire they can find on their stock-sized wheels, and these guys are the ones who care the most about lateral grip. So you can expect the 225 tire to have more ultimate lateral grip than the 205 even though the sidewall support is poorer. On the other hand, you should also expect poorer steering response (more vague, greater delay as there is more sidewall flex in the tires) from the wider tire.

Either will be fine for street use, but I wouldn't bother with the 225 tire since the 205 tire will be cheaper. But seriously, on the street, I'd rather have sharper steering response since you would rarely need the slightly higher grip levels of the wider tire anyway.

-Lik