[DeTomaso] 265/50-15 tires

[Dennis Sanford]

Mike,

 

This information wasn’t my opinion it came from the tire company that sold
me the tires.  And the problem wasn’t that the tire compound wasn’t sticky
enough, it was that the tire stuck to the ground but because the sidewall
was very soft it would allow the wheel to sort of roll over itself from side
to side.  If you envision a balloon on a rim, it would stick to the ground
but at the same time be very sloppy.  So even though the tire stuck to the
pavement, because the side wall would give more in the back than in the
front, the car would go into a curve, the back would want to continue into
the curve and then spring back.  It was incredibly hard to keep the car on
track and remain in my lane.  P.S. the tire dealer took the tires back and I
got full credit. 

 

From: MikeLDrew at aol.com [mailto:MikeLDrew at aol.com] 
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2012 3:58 PM
To: dennis617 at aol.com; JDeRyke at aol.com
Cc: detomaso at realbig.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso]   265/50-15 tires

 


In a message dated 7/26/12 11 00 0, dennis617 at aol.com writes:





The speed ratings on tires has to do with the stiffness of the sidewall of
the tire.  That's why when I mixed high speed rated front tires with "S"
speed rated rears I nearly got myself killed in normal highway driving at
normal highway speeds.  The car was almost undriveable, you could not go
into any kind of a curve in the road without the back trying to slide out
past the turn. 



>>>That doesn't really have anything to do with speed ratings.  It probably
had more to do with different tire compounds and/or inflation issues.

Most low-speed tires are fairly squishy, it's true.  They can also feature
tire compounds that are biased more towards long life than traction.  So
while your experience is true, the conclusion that it's solely down to the
speed rating isn't.  You can get really sticky S-rated tires, and you can
get high-speed-rated tires that are like hockey pucks....

Mike