DeTomaso Mailing List: June 99, Message #242

Mike and All,
Thank you all for the info on the tires/sizes.  I'll stick to my guns and 
order what I originally wanted.  Also, the last time I asked the group about 
how to roll the front fender lips, you guys went WILD  with the comments.  
It was a riot!!  What a bunch of comedians!! As Jack DeRyke told me, just 
sit back and take it as an evening comedy show from the boys, and 
inexpensive entertainment.  And it was quite entertaining.  Thanks 
again--Samantha E.


>From: MikeLDrew@aol.com
>To: bigred62@hotmail.com, detomaso@realbig.com
>Subject: Re:  tires
>Date: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 19:28:24 EDT
>
>Samantha wrote:
>
> >I was told that the front ZR rated tires have a much stiffer side wall 
>than
>the rear HR tires and will throw the car out of balance, and make it feel
>like it is "wagging".  It was suggested that both tires be the same HR Euro
>T/A type in the size I requested.  I thought that I would go with the 
>higher
>rated ZR tires on the front since they are available, and also reduce
>understeer even more.  Please tell me what is true, and what size and type 
>I
>should order.
>
> >>>Well, the combo you requested is exactly the same that I'm running on 
>MY
>car, and lots of others are as well.  They raise an interesting point about
>the relative stiffness of the front versus rear sidewalls.  Could be true,
>maybe not.
>
>I think the Tire Rack guy was well-intentioned and his advice would 
>normally
>be correct for a typical car, but for a mid-engined supercar with a vast
>front/rear tire size differential, (and one for which no QUALITY rear tires
>are available), I think he's out to lunch.  Sure, you could put Euros on 
>the
>front, but they don't stick nearly as well as the Comp T/A's you were 
>hoping
>for.  The sticky compound Comp T/A will help offset the wider-than-stock 
>tire
>in the rear.
>
>They're both 50-series, and while the front will have a slightly stiffer
>sidewall, I think you could largely compensate with tire pressure?
>
>You're right on the money with respect to the sizes you're ordering--just
>make sure your front fenderwells are rolled to clear the 245 tire, 
>otherwise
>you'll run into clearance problems when entering driveways, etc.  If that's
>the case, then a 225/50 would be a better bet.
>
>Suggest you go ahead and insist they send you what you want.  If you found
>dramatic problems (which I doubt), you could always get a set of Euro 
>fronts
>later--they're cheep (less than $100 if I recall) and then off the Z-rated
>tires on a late-model Mustang guy or something.
>
>Good luck, and let us know how things turn out!
>
>Mike


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com