Sharing my experiences and adding some data to the conversation. This year I went to a coil-over setup from Silvers. I wanted to be able to try out some tire options. I have 16” lightweight wheels for autocross (RFP1) so that was my hard point. I wanted to go as wide as I could, so I went with a 225/50-16 RE71r.
I chose this because it was ½ the price of the Yokohama and I like the Bridgestones. With -3 degrees camber up front and some adjustments to the coil-overs, I made them fit, but it looked like a monster truck. Under hard cornering, they actually rub at the back corner of the wheel arch opening. Right on the extra piece of plastic that is added for the ST, DOH!
Look at the gap under the sills! That is as low as it will go on a 25" diameter tire. Transitional response was pretty poor and the ultimate grip wasn’t really improved. The sidewall was just too tall. They are on Craigslist now.
So I went to the other extreme, a 205/40-16 Falken RT660. Compared to the 215, the section width is the same so I went with the smaller width because it was less $. This is a 22.5" diameter tire, which allowed me to lower the car a lot. Turn in response is hugely improved, and the lower CG is helpful. Grip is great and the Falkens drive similar to the Bridgestones.
So I think the lesson here is buy the 215/45-16 Yokos LOL. Or stay in HS and focus on driving not adjusting suspension!
That said, the car seems to be working great. With the increased torque and smaller wheels, 1st gear is almost useless. With the LSD and 2-point bar, it just rips out of corners. I took 1st in STH against some fully built WRXs on my first outing, hopefully I can repeat that again. I am as low as I can go without negatively affecting my roll center, and the fender gap is good with my 17" street tires. (Ill change wheel for the autocross, but not coil-over settings!)
I chose this because it was ½ the price of the Yokohama and I like the Bridgestones. With -3 degrees camber up front and some adjustments to the coil-overs, I made them fit, but it looked like a monster truck. Under hard cornering, they actually rub at the back corner of the wheel arch opening. Right on the extra piece of plastic that is added for the ST, DOH!
Look at the gap under the sills! That is as low as it will go on a 25" diameter tire. Transitional response was pretty poor and the ultimate grip wasn’t really improved. The sidewall was just too tall. They are on Craigslist now.
So I went to the other extreme, a 205/40-16 Falken RT660. Compared to the 215, the section width is the same so I went with the smaller width because it was less $. This is a 22.5" diameter tire, which allowed me to lower the car a lot. Turn in response is hugely improved, and the lower CG is helpful. Grip is great and the Falkens drive similar to the Bridgestones.
So I think the lesson here is buy the 215/45-16 Yokos LOL. Or stay in HS and focus on driving not adjusting suspension!
That said, the car seems to be working great. With the increased torque and smaller wheels, 1st gear is almost useless. With the LSD and 2-point bar, it just rips out of corners. I took 1st in STH against some fully built WRXs on my first outing, hopefully I can repeat that again. I am as low as I can go without negatively affecting my roll center, and the fender gap is good with my 17" street tires. (Ill change wheel for the autocross, but not coil-over settings!)
Attachments
-
2.8 MB Views: 16
Last edited: