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Re: [slightly OT] vehicle mass, tread width, and hydroplaning

To: Nolan Penney <npenney@mde.state.md.us>
Subject: Re: [slightly OT] vehicle mass, tread width, and hydroplaning
From: Eric Murray <ericm@lne.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 11:48:04 -0800
On Wed, Jan 16, 2002 at 07:49:04AM -0500, Nolan Penney wrote:
> 
> More then the width, the tire design itself greatly affects your traction.   
>Be that dry pavement, rain and hydroplaning, snow, ice or whatever else you 
>chose.

When I was in college, I had a $50 Audi Fox.  I drove this
car hard, usually wearing out a set of front tires in 5k miles.
(the Fox is a front-drive car).
At one point I put a set of all-weather tires on the back and
had some michilen street tires on the front. This was a great
setup in the dry-- the car would drift very predictably, and I
drifted it a lot (I was working up in the mountains, so I
spent a lot of time driving twisty roads).  The balance of grip
was just right for getting the car to slide through turns.

The problem came when the roads were wet. Then it was
like I had casters on the front.  It did teach me how to
corner a front drive car with the throttle though.

Both sets of tires were the same size, just different
tread and compound.


I'd buy a set of quality all-season tires for your Honda, and be done.
I'll second tire rack, my wife got some good tires for her Miata from them...
stickier in the dry AND in the wet than the stock tires.


Eric

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