Quote:
Originally Posted by mfurse
I can't help but think this growth in tyre width between generations is compensation for needing to carry more weight and therefore manage understeer.
It is no doubt going to be a faster car than previous M3/4's on track but is it going to be so at the expense of being an enjoyable road car? I.e. tram lining, aqua planing, being more difficult to park with poor steering feedback?
Lotus Elise has 175/55/R16 fronts and 225/45/R17 rears and carries unbelievable corner speed on a track as well as giving great steering feel, a result of its low weight and being mid-engined.
Mclaren 720S too has a relatively narrow 245/35/R19 on the front and 305/30/R20 rear and is known for good steering feel as well as having crazy power. Both cars have a philosophy of managing their weight carefully and are on bespoke platforms that enable this goal.
By contrast the Camaro ZL1 1LE is a monster with 305 front sections tyres and owners talk about the difficulties as a road car that brings (admittedly its a track car not on a bespoke platform).
Big, wide front tyres don't always make a great road car and can bring their own compromises that need to be engineered around.
I am looking forward to reviews on the G8x to understand what these trade offs are in the real world as a road car.
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You are right about the weight, heavier cars needs wider tires to distribute the heat across the tread.
The lotus and McLaren are mid engined cars and carry a greater proportion of their weight on the rear axle, hence why they can afford skinnier front tires. Their nimbleness is also the result of that rear weight bias.
The Camaro has a front weight bias and therefore needs those wide front tires to deal with the weight.