It's funny, whenever I've gone on about steelies being so much more economical than 16" alloy'ed cars people always say it's rubbish
General Small wheels, big difference?
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General Small wheels, big difference?
It's funny, whenever I've gone on about steelies being so much more economical than 16" alloy'ed cars people always say it's rubbish
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OP
It's funny, whenever I've gone on about steelies being so much more economical than 16" alloy'ed cars people always say it's rubbish
I can vouch for you then Maxi. I've always thought the 500 was pretty-ish economical. Driven like miss Daisy with the odd fleeting revs the car doesn't really dent your wallet. However it never really seems to hit Fiat's claimed consumption figures.
This car, however, has genuinely surprised me. In fact, if my vanity had been left at the showroom door when I ordered this car I may have just helped out my bank balance that little bit more.
All hail Steelies :worship:
Personally for me the looks and the grip make up for it. Now that the summer rubber is back on the 500 is back to being a much more fun car to drive
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Agreed. Sadly though since I moved closer to work my drive has reduced greatly. Lots of winding country lanes have given way to dual carriageways, roundabouts and traffic lights. So small wheels and S&S seem to be as appealing.
We did go for a lovely drive out to Chatsworth House the other day. Some lovely windy roads through Derbyshire Dales. 14" wheels made the drive very entertaining.
ESP would be advisable, but still fun in the corners: and 55mpg 
He is right sort of.i doubt that...
more like cornering ability
and most important of all, looks
Like I said if I was driving alongside you and I had 175's and you had 195's and we both slammed the brakes on at the same time and put maximum braking force through the wheels then the car with 195's is going to stop sooner on a dry road all other things being equal. Bring in factors like a wet road and so on and of course it gets murkier.
Of course if you're not slamming the brakes on then there's no difference at all.
Narrow tyres in winter
Wider tyres in summer
He is right sort of.
Like I said if I was driving alongside you and I had 175's and you had 195's and we both slammed the brakes on at the same time and put maximum braking force through the wheels then the car with 195's is going to stop sooner on a dry road all other things being equal. Bring in factors like a wet road and so on and of course it gets murkier.
Of course if you're not slamming the brakes on then there's no difference at all.
Narrow tyres in winter
Wider tyres in summer
given an infinitely sharp blade it is possible to split a hair an infinite amount of times
Of course, I was just explaining the science behind what he was saying and saying that in 99% of driving situations that it's irrelevant
Of course, I was just explaining the science behind what he was saying and saying that in 99% of driving situations that it's irrelevant
Depends where you drive. Round here at least once a week i have to hit the brakes hard due to other drivers not realizing the white lines next to them mean its another lane.
But yes, most the time traction is not an issue. When i had narrow tyres the car did start to slide a bit more when i put my foot down round corners. I know its silly, nut its fun on quiet roads.
But the skill of driving is seeing a dipwad like that coming a mile off and anticipating their rubbish driving.
Lol, true, but it can be unpredictable. I dont want to stereotype people but round here i'd have to avoid all BMW's, Merc's, and 4x4's to avoid rubbish driving.
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I realise a lot has been discussed since my earlier post - but in trying to compensate for the look of the bigger wheels how high could one pump the tyres for a full load over the recommended pressures for motorway speeds ?
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=289349
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=72
Realise that the 500s economy gets blunted at higher speeds because of the high roof. Maybe an adjustable suspension on lowest setting is going to far - I used to on an old GS Club with had a 'low' motorway setting which was handy for lowering the drag.
Another aspect of alloy wheels that has been missed is the cooling affect that an alloy wheel can have on the brakes. I did read that when the police order Cossies they ordered steelies to save on cost but found that the brakes over-heated prematurely. I wonder if there's more benefit in this cooling effect with say the 5os instead of the 16 multispokes or would you have to be on a track to see the benefit or going over the alps ?
The pressures for use on the motorway are listed in the handbook.
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Re brake cooling, in my experience there's very little chance of seeing brake fade in any normal car, unless driving like a teenager. The factory brakes will be designed to provide one stop from top speed I would think.
I'd agree that you're unlikely to have any brake fade issues stopping from speed on level ground in a normal road car.
The real issue is descending long steep hills without using engine braking, especially when fully laden. Under those conditions, brake fade becomes a real possibility. Just look in any of the car parks in Porlock, Devon on a summer's day and you're pretty much certain to see cars with smoking brakes. Another good one for brake fade is the Bealach na Ba in Scotland. You need to make appropriate use of the gearbox coming down these hills.
It's all down to the total amount of energy you're asking the brakes to absorb.
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Godd yes, Poorlock Hill. My parents took us on holiday to Exmoor with a Land Rover towing a caravan and my father would crap himself going up or down.
Caravans & Campervans are the worst, in part because they're both very easy to overload. Towing weight limits are as often as not more down to the performance of the brakes than the performance of the engine.
The only occasion I've had serious brake fade was just before the last bend going down Porlock in a campervan. The onset was frighteningly sudden & I only just made it round the corner - one of the very few times I've had to use the handbrake in anger whilst in motion. I had to rebuild the front brakes after that one & was lucky not to seriously warp the discs.
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Sounds like you were equally lucky not to warp your skull.
it might also be the design of the 14 inch wheels that make a diffrence to the mpg , all them spokes and holes on the bigger alloys must make alot of wind resistance,making the wheels harder to turn, where as the smoother hub cabs dont catch the wind only thought of this as all eco cars polo bluemotion focus econetic etc etc have all flat designed wheels just look at the volvo ones there basicly smooth
only thought of this as all eco cars polo bluemotion focus econetic etc etc have all flat designed wheels just look at the volvo ones there basicly smooth
That will make a tiny difference, but not as much as the tyres being wider......it might also be the design of the 14 inch wheels that make a diffrence to the mpg , all them spokes and holes on the bigger alloys must make alot of wind resistance,making the wheels harder to turn, where as the smoother hub cabs dont catch the wind
