Re: Help wanted with wheel woes (long)

["Naresh H. Singh" <nhs1681@is4.nyu.edu>]

Hey Bruce,

I feel your pain. Running 215-40-16's you have about a 1.3% speedo error. 
(205-45-16 is the generally accepted +1 size) 

I too am running 40 series tires (205-40-16 on OZ Monte Carlos, got them
with the rims) on a stock GL suspension. While the handling has improved
markedly, they are taking a beating on NYC streets. I'm in constant fear
of bending them and my cd changer is skipping rather often. 

I wonder if the OZ wheels are soft and are prone to bending, anyone know? 
(I hope not)

A Sport Suspension may make matters worse. A shorter stiffer spring while
not allowing the car to bottom out as much will not give much and the
wheel and tire will absorb more of the impact of a pothole. Coilovers
should be better in this respect.

If I don't manage to bend the 16's I'll go 205-45-16 next time for a bit
more of a cushion or ditch them in favor of 205-50-15's.

Let me know what you find out,
-Naresh

'95 Jetta GL- Black


ps:  http://mr2.com/FORMS/tire.html is the calculator that I use.



On Mon, 4 Oct 1999, Bruce Stapley wrote:

> I've been meaning to ask the list for input on my wheel problems for
> some time, and a recent posting from Anthony Noel finally prompted me to
> it:
> >
> > ...I'm in the process of searching for new wheels, and am thinking of 17 or 18
> > inch wheels...
> >
> So here's my story of grief, and my questions to the list, for Anthony's
> benefit as well as my own:
> 
> I have a 98 GLX with only 9k miles, and from day one, I was as fed up as
> the next guy with the stock God-Awfuls, and disappointed with the
> appearance (and cleanability) of the stock 15" rims. When a minor
> pothole took out one of each at the same time (Monday AM commute in a
> suit in the rain) I took the opportunity to replace both, intending to
> step up to 16" rims with 50-series tires to better fill the wheel wells.
> But I let a Tire Rack guy talk me outta changing my overall diameter,
> since I feared dealer/aftermarket warranty problems due to odometer
> misrepresentation. The Tire Rack guy convinced me that 215/40's on 16"
> rims wouldn't be appreciably more susceptible to pothole damage on
> Chicago's fine road system than would be the stock setup, and since that
> would look sweeter (and cost less) than 15s and 50s, I bit. Within about
> four months of putting on the new setup (215/40ZR16 Pirelli P7000 on OZ
> Racing Cygnus 3-spoke; MUCH improved handling), I had lost four rims and
> one tire. All of the losses have been from MINOR potholes at speeds
> under 30mph, except the one where I was probably doing 45 (the one where
> I lost the tire AND the rim was when creeping through a construction
> zone -- I knew the bumps were there, I was creeping along due to Wheel
> Loss Fear, and I still lost 'em both!). It seems clear to me that the
> cause of all this wheel/tire damage is the stock suspension; since I
> took delivery, I've been appalled at the bottoming-out over minor bumps
> (like speed bumps) at low speeds. Right now I've replaced two of the
> rims, have one slightly bent one on one rear, and a stock wheel/tire on
> the other rear (same overall diameter as the Pirellis), because I
> haven't been able to bring myself to re-buy the other two wheels and
> tire until I figger out how to make it all stop.
> 
> So my questions to the list are:
> 1) Is every 98's stock suspension as bad as mine, or am I blessed?
> 2) If mine is especially bad, do I have any hope in hell of recourse
> from VW? I've always assumed that if mine was an exception case, there'd
> be no measurement I could use to prove the extent of badness, and that
> the dealer/VW wouldn't do anything about it. Since it's still under
> dealer warranty...
> 3) If I replace the stock suspension, will the aftermarket ride better
> protect my rims, or is it likely to be harsher? (Open-ended question, I
> know.) I'm thinking about H&R (or is that HoR?) coil-overs, as those
> seem to be highly favored among listers. (Of course, I don't have an
> extra grand or two lying around; what I do have is for my Harley down
> payment.)
> 4) Are 40s just too damn short no matter what suspension you're riding,
> and should I chuck the rubber and pick up 50s or 60s and damn the
> odometer? Lots of you guys are riding on 40s; how many are on the stock
> suspension?
> 5) Finally, if I do toss the 40s in favor of 50s and want to compensate
> for the diameter difference, does Garrett have accommodation for tire
> diameter in his chip? How about Nospeed?
> 
> TIA,
> Bruce Stapley
> 98 GLX "Oddball stock wheel" Edition
>