Re: [DML] Tires

[William T Wilson <fluffy@xxxx>]

On Wed, 8 Nov 2000, Mike Substelny wrote:

> Understeer in a rear-engine car? Under what circumstances did you
> experience this?

One person's understeer is another person's uncontrollable spin. It
depends on driving style and experience. If you even look at the initial
DeLorean car magazine reviews, some reviewers said the DeLorean was stable
with just a touch of understeer at the limit; others said they were afraid
to push it for fear of losing control.

> > Has anyone considered/tried putting softer tires
> > in the front than in the back - ie
> > Yoko A520 in front/Yoko AVS intermediate in the rear?
> 
> As we have heard frequently in the news lately, if you run your tires
> at any pressure other than that specified by the automobile's
> manufacturer you might create a safety hazard. Perhaps it is possible

I don't think he was referring to changing tire pressure, but tire
compound. "Softer" tires have more grip, with the expense of shorter
treadlife and (usually) worse bad-weather performance.

Although running different compound front/rear might allow you to change
the oversteer/understeer balance, I've never heard of anyone doing
that. The best way of changing this balance is with sway bar adjustments
- IMO the DeLorean needs a weak rear bar (vs. no rear bar) and a much
stiffer front bar.

Usually, running different tire compound front/rear causes unpleasant
vibrations and potential loss of control. If the tires "break away" -
lose grip at the limit - at different rates, you will not be able to
predict what the car is going to do. This is probably why it isn't
commonly done.