I was wondering if the test course featured more cornering and less heavy braking (long straights or high speed to corner areas)? Is it possible, that on courses with more braking demands, would favor the 17" setup? The tire footprint might present a slightly longer contact patch that would benefit braking performance/later braking point. Just a thought.
In reply to map2050 :
Good question and I'd guess that, yes, I bet we could find a course that favored the smaller setup for the reasons that you mentioned. In autocross, we call this "course dependent." (See also: too close to call.)
Here's an example that's a little related: Solo Spec Coupe Battle: 2016 vs. 2017 Scion FR-S Compared
We pretty much had a dead heat between the two cars on that day but figured that, one a different layout, one could have an advantage.
the test is INCOMPLETE--
if you ran 40R17 and 45R17 size on 17 inch rims... would the speed ALSO increase the same as running 40R18 ?
Great test article!! Did you happen to take any temperatures and pressures after the laps? Would an increase of 2 PSI on the 17 inch wheel help with sidewall stability? It would be great if tire rack had a sidewall strength testing machine. Mount the wheel/tire on a machine, put 5000lb vertical load at zero camber and see how much lateral force it takes to move the wheel before the tire slips. Come on tire rack!!
You'll need to log in to post.
