tire recomendations and size?

[John Fitzpatrick]

I'd like to use wider tires all round but I'll need to up the wheel diameter to clear suspension members. How will handling change going to a wider, lower tire while increasing the wheel size to keep the overall diameter the same? How should the offset be adjusted, front and rear?
Thanks

 

[Darrin]

Hi John,

Looks like you are just four hours or so south of me.

In general, a lower profile, wider tire will improve performance both in limit adhesion and turn in but a lot depends on how heavy your wheels are too.

Some will have you think that adhesion does not change with a wider tire due to various laws of physics (larger area with same force..weight...pushing down resulting in the same amount of friction irregardless of tire size, etc) but what they, and the folks that used to race WAY back in the day don't understand, is that the tire's contact with the surface is not on a single plane. It is actually 3D. The rubber hugs the surface. It conforms to it. The the wider the tire, the more this effect takes place. It's all about surface area (a large part of why heavily siped rain tires do not hold as well as slicks).

I'd like to use wider tires all round but I'll need to up the wheel diameter to clear suspension members. How will handling change going to a wider, lower tire while increasing the wheel size to keep the overall diameter the same? How should the offset be adjusted, front and rear?
Thanks