problems since 17s were put on.

[nev16v]

right since i put my new wheels on, when i brake from a high speed the steerign wheel moves from left to right, and also gets very light and twicthy if i acclerate quickly. damn im so sh*t at describing things.

is this something to do with the tracking on somethign along those lines.

 

[Benj]

My clio is a lot more edgy since i put 17s on it too - when braking at high speed it tries to more around more - i think dropping it a few mil should sort it out, im just deciding how low to go though now - i dont want too much rubbing!

 

[KTR-CLIO]

Mines the same. I think this happens to everyone.
rik

 

[ClioJohn]

if your cars pulling when your braking I would go to a garage. Sounds like your tracking. pretty dangerous

 

[Tom]

mine does that and it only has 15s on!! from 14s but the width changed from 175 to 195

get your tracking done and the wheels balanced again also check tyre pressures

i have thought that i may need to adjust my camber settings but i dunno how so i will leave it

 

[Scott Wood]

Ive got 17"s as well got all my tracking and everything done when they were fitted, get that checked but it might also be to do with the road surface, because the wheels are so wide they will tramline, and pull the car about on the road.

 

[nev16v]

well i think i will get the tracking done, its not really to bad just annoying. see what happens from there. cheers people.

 

[Fred@BTM]

Ive got 17s on, when the tracking was done last it had the 15s on, no problems with braking at all no steering movement either with the 17s

 

[Tom]

fred clear your pms!!

 

[matt_arundale]

they the same rims you had on when i saw u at gford nev?

Matt

 

[nev16v]

matt, yeah there the ones.

 

[Flying Scotsman]

In my past experience, going for larger rims than standard does this to most cars and is not just unique to Clios. To retain the same overall rolling wheel diameter (gearing/speedo calibration) the alloy rim size increases, profile reduces and tyre section increases. Whether FWD, RWD or AWD the effects on steering and braking are the same. Acceleration effects are obviously not so noticeable on AWD and RWD cars as you dont feel it through the steering. The lower profiles on these have more noticable effect on traction break points.

When the profile of the tyre is reduced there is much less compliance in the tyre sidewalls and the wider section usually has more bracing to keep the tread section as flat as possible. Therefore when you brake/accelerate the wheel tends to ride over the variations in the road surface rather than absorb them. We are talking small changes in road surface .... yep white line markings is all it takes!

Imagine using a paint roller with a metal hub and very thin foam covering on an uneven wall compared to a normal thick foam version of the roller? The thick roller will run smoothly over the bumps and paint the peaks and troughs. The hard roller will jump over the peaks leaving parts of the surface unpainted. The analogy of how well the surface is painted equates to the traction ... ie the lower profile tyre generally has less contact on the road over uneven surfaces. However, handling is generally improved due to the stiffer sidewalls, stopping the tyre from distorting and trying to "bend" under the rim during cornering. The lower profile also improves steering response which is fed back through the streering wheel. Hence the squirmy feeling!

So in conclusion, I reckon the effects are not really due to the larger alloy rims but the tyres that have to fitted to them to keep the rolling diameter the same. There may be a slight weight increase in the rim, but this will only really effect the suspension dynamics (shock/spring rates).

Personaly, I prefer lower profile tyres. Gives the car steering much more feedback and improves cornering no end. Main drawback is you get less warning when the tyres are about to let go in a corner .....but as the other guys say .... hang on to that s/wheel when accelerating or braking hard!!

 

[DAVE77]

My cars on 17"s with a 60mm(frnt)/70mm(rear) drop, and Ive never had any probs like that.