Coonper 0 Posted February 20, 2008 What size wheels are the best for handling and grip? It currently has 16" on it, but i dont like the look of them. I would like to go standard with it, and put the original 15" speedlines on it, but i dont think they will handle 180bhp. What do you lot suggest? It also has bilstein shocks and has been lowered all round by around 40mm. Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaveW 6 Posted February 20, 2008 Get some decent tyres would be a good start.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coonper 0 Posted February 20, 2008 Get some decent tyres would be a good start.. Its currently running toyo proxes, so they are good tyres, no doubt about it, but not a lot of grip. It understeers big time and in the wet its untameable! It torque steers all over the road and wheel spins constantly. Maybe run some wide tyres, like 225's, or maybe go up to 17"? Not really sure how to cure it to be honest... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jrod 7 Posted February 20, 2008 What suspension setup are you running? You won't get wide tyres on without a lot of work, I had 215/40/16's in the end and that was tight enough. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coonper 0 Posted February 20, 2008 What suspension setup are you running? You won't get wide tyres on without a lot of work, I had 215/40/16's in the end and that was tight enough. Bilstein front andrear shocks, with spax -40 springs in the front. All polybushed. It has also got 20mm spacers on the front, and none on the rear... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kate205gti 4 Posted February 20, 2008 ive always used 15s on mine with goodyear F1s or yoko paradas, as said maybe look at the rest of the setup rather than the wheels/tyres if its unmanageable - mine runs 190bhp with over 150lb ft and stays on the road without too much bother Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jrod 7 Posted February 20, 2008 15's and a LSD should sort it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coonper 0 Posted February 20, 2008 15's and a LSD should sort it. If only... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Miles 331 1 Cars Posted February 20, 2008 Ditch the spacers for a start, What Billies are on there? as if they are the black ones replace the rears ASAP due to them being down rated to the std damper's, Is the back lowered? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stu 18 Posted February 20, 2008 Im on Paradas with standard speedlines, and in the dry i think its awesome. Its a little 'light' in the wet, but certainly not un-manageable, im on black billies on the front with generic -40mm lowering springs, stock 1900 rear beam with gti-6 dampers. Its the braking i have trouble with '6 stoppers are a little too good in the wet.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brianthemagical 1 Posted February 21, 2008 how would a differnt diameter alter the traction? short of the wheel torque being differnt. my car also understeers in the wet, it's on speedlines and F1's, whith a massive 113bhp at the wheels. if you've got 195 proxes on 15"s you'll get the same grip. as stated above, standard offset is the best compromise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coonper 0 Posted February 21, 2008 how would a differnt diameter alter the traction? short of the wheel torque being differnt. my car also understeers in the wet, it's on speedlines and F1's, whith a massive 113bhp at the wheels. if you've got 195 proxes on 15"s you'll get the same grip. as stated above, standard offset is the best compromise. Im not saying that a bigger diameter wheel will create more traction, however normally, the bigger the wheel the wider the wheel. Therefore a wider tyre will give me better traction for sure, but obviously putting it on 19" wheels isnt gonna be good. I am trying to find the best compromise between heavy steering/agility and grip. I suppose the standard spedlines with some good tyres will be best. And the car is running just short of 165bhp at the wheels. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,657 Posted February 21, 2008 (edited) bigger isn't always wider What I find with running the standard size tyres is that there is move give in the sidewall, so the tyre conforms to the shape of the surface better than a lower profile tyre you would find on a larger diameter wheel, my 405 has so much more grip and feel on 55's than 50's (195 15"s) check your tyre pressures and have play about with them see if there's any improvements there, though I haven't tried them myself quite a few friends haven't found the Toyo's that good at all, it seems that they look and sound good and have become the "tuners" choice but may not have the performance to back that up. Edited February 21, 2008 by welshpug Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kate205gti 4 Posted February 21, 2008 can you try borrowing some 15s with different tyres from a mate and see if they show any improvement? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coonper 0 Posted February 21, 2008 can you try borrowing some 15s with different tyres from a mate and see if they show any improvement? Well i have 1.6 gti pepperpot wheels on my saxo at the moment. They have hankook tyres. Do you wreckon they will be better than the 16" with toyo's? Also have a set of 15" O.Z super turismos with yoko tyres, but not sure about the offset... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,657 Posted February 21, 2008 Give it a go, you might like it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coonper 0 Posted February 21, 2008 Give it a go, you might like it I expect that with 14" wheels with crap tyres that are 155 wide its gonna be crazy!! Lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,657 Posted February 21, 2008 wyf?! they should be 185. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bonzai 2 Posted February 21, 2008 195/50/15 yoko paradas if you still complain then you need to change your driving style Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob Thomson 6 Posted February 21, 2008 Whilst in good conditions you might get more grip from wider tyres the difference is going be barely noticeable. You'll get a much greater difference from using decent tyres and the correct alignment and pressures. At this time of year I reckon chances are that you're better off keeping the narrow tyres; they're better in the wet and on s*itty greasy roads. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coonper 0 Posted February 21, 2008 195/50/15 yoko paradas if you still complain then you need to change your driving style They are yoko a355 or something. They were pretty crap on my saxo when compared to falkens. I was disappointed with them, and in the wet they were awfull!! Very good in the dry though, when they are warm! I think i'll give them a go though. They are awesome wheels, and yoko's are renowned for being one of the best so i'll see how they go. I dont think its worth even trying the 14" pepperpots with budget tyres! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Simes 248 2 Cars Posted February 21, 2008 I think you'll find the majority of the people on here run 15" wheels with either GSD3's or some sort of Toyo tyre. It's proven that it works - why go any bigger? A wider tyre will just give you even more torque steer, tram line and cause serious aquaplaning. If I wanted to fork out for tyres I'd actually go back to 185/55's. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
