better on 15's than 16's ?

[john lloyd]

last few months on my 182 i have been using my track 15s with barnd new parada spec 2 in a 195/55/15 profile swapped back to my 16 inch alloys which have PE2's on them about 4mm tread and found the drive worse.

ignoring any tramlining it doesnt settle into a fast sweeping corner as well and a few times now on sweeping bends the t/c light flickers and it feels very light and more prone to understeer than i remember it being.

i have double checked bolts and also tyre pressures a few times, even tried dropping the fronts a little as they were my rear tyres, they have all been balanced though before putting them on.

could it be the narrower profile parada with the high aspect ratio sidewalls are better than the std 205/45/16 part worn PE2's or does my car need checking out? the fronts are pe2's the rear and brand new pirelli p zero nero but its not the back thats twitchy.

like i said all have been balanced, tyre pressures are correct and all bolts tight. any ideas?

 

[edde]

15's IMO are always the better choice bigger realy is more for looks

but your 16's will have less grip with worn tyres plus in colder weather there chnace of slip etc with ice

 

[Craig]

i find my f1s in 195 were better than the 205s imo

 

[J03]

15s slammed ftw.. 16s are also expensive for tyres..

 

[john lloyd]

i was still using the 15's during the cold spell and ice, this sudden lack of front end bite is in both wet and dry conditions only since the 16s went on. just feels very light front end and floaty.

i was just surprised that a narrower but brand new cheap parada is showing more grip/feel and consistency than a wider premium brand but slight worn (minimum 4mm nearly 5mm across the width showing on my tread depth guage so still some life left, not low enough for me to have expected a drop in performance in dry conditions).

i was concerned while jacking the car up i may have unsettled geometry, will stick it on a ramp at my brothers garage next week and check things out.

if still no improvement may just stick new tyres on the front to match the brand new rears i put on last week.

the only prob i think is 15s look a little small in the 182 arches.

 

[MarcoB]

i was still using the 15's during the cold spell and ice, this sudden lack of front end bite is in both wet and dry conditions only since the 16s went on. just feels very light front end and floaty.

i was just surprised that a narrower but brand new cheap parada is showing more grip/feel and consistency than a wider premium brand but slight worn (minimum 4mm nearly 5mm across the width showing on my tread depth guage so still some life left, not low enough for me to have expected a drop in performance in dry conditions).

i was concerned while jacking the car up i may have unsettled geometry, will stick it on a ramp at my brothers garage next week and check things out.

if still no improvement may just stick new tyres on the front to match the brand new rears i put on last week.

the only prob i think is 15s look a little small in the 182 arches.

The only reason pe2s are so much more expensive is because they are standard. Michelin have always been robbing b******s...

As for the suspension geometry it should be ok after a quick blast and a settle down for 5 mins.

 

[JCMON]

here in Mexico, Clios RS come standard with 195/50/15 and the car drives great and there is no loss of power due to the high altituted MExico City is located 2.400 above see level. Since I have been reading and learning form all of you I decided to get 16" wheels with 205/45/16 and I saw a littel loss of power and the car became "looser" driving on BF Goodrich KDW!!!

Still I like my car better with 16" for everyday and the 15" for days at the track. My next tires, I am planning on getting semi slick tires!!!

 

[edde]

The only reason pe2s are so much more expensive is because they are standard. Michelin have always been robbing b*****ds....

pe2 weren't standard

 

[Guppy]

love my 15's. alot more fun on them. more flickable and chuckable imo

 

[Guppy]

and half the price on tyres!!!

 

[Tucker]

are PE2's cup pack material?

i noticed my car feels far less twitchy on 205 tyres,

and especially on long sweeping bends as you mentioned

 

[Josh2005]

Have got 185/60/15 Goodyear Tyres atm on my Megane, all of them pretty low tread. If i were to change to 195/50/15 Toyo T1R tyres would i notice much difference when driving? (More grip, less tramlining?) Dont feel overly confident to push the Megane (obviously with it being winter) but in the Summer i would like to be able to push it a fair bit quicker especially with the good roads over here.

 

[MarcoB]

pe2 weren't standard

They were fitted to something oe which makes them all more expensive...

 

[murcod]

I've just swapped my 182 Cup over to 15x7 rims with 205/50R15 Bridgestone RE11 tyres and am VERY happy with the change. Outright cornering grip is better than my PE2's (which were only 1/2 to 2/3 worn). The ride comfort is a lot better (roads are shocking in Australia) with the jarring and thumping from ruts/ potholes noticeably subdued.

Steering response is a bit "duller", but the other gains are more than worth that small sacrifice. It is also a lot more stable on rough bends when pushing- the 205/45R16 PE2's would become unsettled and often feel like they were "skipping" on bumps.

 

[DannoTheGreat]

15's are better, gonna find some f1's soon

 

[DanDennehy]

There's a few factors at play here ... but assuming we have equivalent sized tyres and equivalent tyre types, such that the rolling radius and grip levels are comparable, then 15s can feel better than 16s. It's all down to the amount of tyre between wheel and road.

Bigger sidewall tyres allow more compliance so generally give more progressive handling up to and beyond the limit. This can also increase steering feel, hence you can detect the grip/limits better, so it feels better on poor (i.e. greasy, wet) roads. The (marginally) increased roll angle can also help handling on such roads

The taller sidewalls will also give you better ride comfort as there is more tyre to "squash" vertically

The 15" wheels may have lower mass and rotational intertia compared to 16"s, if so the ride comfort will be better becuase the unsprung mass (wheel + tyre) is reduced compared to 16". And if the unsprung mass is reduced, the gyroscopic effect will be reduced, so steering response will feel better.

And there's more stuff too ... but basically big wheels and tyres doesn't necessarily mean better handling. However it's also down to driver preference, how much you can feel, and what you like to feel

 

[murcod]

I actually read a review on Tire Rack recently comparing lightweight wheels to heavy stockers and they commented that the ride was actually worse.

Most likely because the heavier wheels forced the tyre to flex more and absorb more of the harshness?