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      04-05-2021, 06:31 AM   #51
Obioban
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Drives: M3, M3, M5, M5
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: West Chester, PA

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coastali8 View Post
I don’t quite understand your statement about wider tires decreasing feel.

I would equate “feel” with a better connection of the car to the road regardless of the EPS. The tires still transfer a different feel to the driver when width is increased.

Vehicles generally benefit from an increase in tire width. Using a wider size while maintaining the same overall diameter is known as “plus-zero” sizing. It results in a wider contact patch which provides better lateral grip, more grip on hard braking, and less vehicle roll in corners.
Wider tires don’t have more grip inherently. Wider tires let you run lower tire pressures without overheating your tires, and lower tire pressures give you more grip. A wider tire run at the same tire pressure has the same contact patch as a narrower tire (just wider instead of longer), and no grip increase.

Please explain how wider tires result in less vehicle roll in corners— never heard that one before...

Quote:
Originally Posted by stressdoc View Post
Skinny narrow tires chosen for Eco do not -> feel.
Michelin PS4s are better rubber. The steering is a tad 'heavier' with wider sizes, but 'feel' is improved as long as unsprung weight is not increased.

Part of the steering and handling feel of the i8 stems from the superb stiff chassis.
It is not a Lotus super-7 nor even a Cayman S, but the steering is very precise for AWD.

IMO the LCI is much improved from earlier versions, particularly in sport mode.

Weight reduction helps.
Tire variety can improve feel (stiffer sidewalls in particular), but holding everything constant other than width, going wider decreases feel. That said, the PS4Ss are a huge step better— I don’t doubt you increased feel going to them, even if you increased width at the same time.

The i8 steering is absolutely precise and accurate, no argument there. It’s only feel where it sucks.

Weight reduction is the best mod for every car
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