General Car Conversation 2024 - part 2
#1906
Lexus Fanatic
Yes, there have been a few vehicles I've sampled with 45s that rode nicely, but, in general, I have not been impressed with them.
And my 2012 Buick Verano, with 45s, was an especially interesting case. It was soft and Buick-like over bumps in hot weather when the tire-rubber (Continental Contipros) was soft and pliant and the shock-fluid was warm, but noticeably stiffer in cold weather with colder tires and shock fluid.
And my 2012 Buick Verano, with 45s, was an especially interesting case. It was soft and Buick-like over bumps in hot weather when the tire-rubber (Continental Contipros) was soft and pliant and the shock-fluid was warm, but noticeably stiffer in cold weather with colder tires and shock fluid.
#1907
Lead Lap
Since poor quality body work was mentioned as a potential source of rust, I will say that my AE86 was pretty clean when I bought it in 1994, but it did have a section on the right rear quarter panel that was repaired poorly and the bondo had rust behind it. This created a star like blemish and it always bothered me. I had the car repainted in 2001 and the guy who repainted it was a car industry connection of my brother’s. We became friends. He is Filipino and I only mention that because many of the enthusiasts and owners of older Toyotas here in SoCal are Filipinos. Joe also happened to really love AE86s, so he put a lot of work into this bondo issue and had me go to his shop to inspect the body work before painting the car. I said it was fine. He ended up cutting the bondo section out completely and welding in a new panel. All these years later, it looks great and I am very grateful for all of the hours he put into it. I plan to get it back on the road soon.
#1908
Lexus Test Driver
despite being a '45 profile' tire there's actually a thicker sidewall than the 60 profile once it becomes wide enough
idk how common a 305/45-20 is lol but yes just saying 45 is worse than 60 alone doesn't tell the full story
#1909
Lexus Test Driver
On cars, you'll generally see 305's on the back of high performance cars that need grip to launch. Much more common width on pickup trucks.
I don't have any complaints about the 245/45/19's on my 540i.
I don't have any complaints about the 245/45/19's on my 540i.
#1910
Lexus Fanatic
#1911
Lexus Fanatic
What year is your 540i? I agree (and I made that statement in a previous posts) that older-generation BMWs had a superb combination of ride/handling, even with low-profile 45s and, in one case, 35s. But not all automakers can design a chassis/suspension like BMW once did.
#1912
Lexus Test Driver
What year is your 540i? I agree (and I made that statement in a previous posts) that older-generation BMWs had a superb combination of ride/handling, even with low-profile 45s and, in one case, 35s. But not all automakers can design a chassis/suspension like BMW once did.
#1913
Lexus Champion
#1914
Lexus Test Driver
#1915
Lexus Champion
Plenty of BMW I6s out there that are smooth as silk also, don't forget.
Honda/Acura had great V6s. So did Nissan at one time. We had an old Mazda 626 V6 that was silky smooth but had no guts.
But fundamentally I agree with you, V8 is what I want and yes they're better.
#1916
Lexus Champion
Now I've moved on to 12s as my "normal" to the point it's thrown me off when I switch down to one of the V8s as to why the engine feels shaky lol!
#1917
I was going to downsize from 245/40R18 to 225/50R17. But finding even used wheels from a junkyard was proving to be way too expensive. Way more than I want to spend.
Plus I’d have to deal with the headache of selling the old wheels.
Plus I’d have to deal with the headache of selling the old wheels.
#1918
Lexus Champion
V8s weren't in virtually everything at one time for nothing.
#1919
Lexus Test Driver
Ive honestly never been impressed, I-6s are about what I can tolerate....but I'm cursed since I had never even once in my life felt a 6/4 cyl as my family never had anything smaller than a 4.7 V8 and most were/are larger than 5.0
Now I've moved on to 12s as my "normal" to the point it's thrown me off when I switch down to one of the V8s as to why the engine feels shaky lol!
Now I've moved on to 12s as my "normal" to the point it's thrown me off when I switch down to one of the V8s as to why the engine feels shaky lol!
#1920
Lexus Fanatic
Your guess is wrong. Of course they can. The 45-number itself is a ratio of sidewall height to tire width....the wider the width, the greater the height. That's why I did not include all 45s in the list of those I wasn't impressed with. But, outside of a couple of Hyundai/Genesis and older BMW models, I have not found very many whose ride quality I liked.