Dougal Cawley
Active Member
I must say i am suprised by your experience of Pirelli. It certainly is contrary to everybodies experience of the current production of the CN36
60 series 14-inch tire options
- Thread starter KF6TRG
- Start date
gwittman
Well-Known Member
That was back in the 80s. I don't remember the model of the Pirelli tires, but I think it was something new Pirelli was trying and was not successful. I by no means am implying all Pirelli tires are bad.
gwittman
Well-Known Member
In my 32 years of racing with SCCA, I have never experienced a perfectly smooth racetrack. Sometimes they are worse than roads.
I am very familiar with how changes in suspension affects handling. I would not want to drive a race car on the street as a road car. That would be very uncomfortable. I have not made many modifications to my Coupe. Replacing the front sway bar with a Bavaria sway bar was an improvement without compromise. I could feel bumps on one side a little more but pretty much insignificant. It made the car less tail happy without causing understeer. I did install Bilstein shocks and that was only an improvement with zero compromise. From there I have tried different tires over he 45 years of driving my Coupe.
I have had good and bad tires. Now, I use basically what I can find in 215-14". The Riken tires are not what I prefer but they have good road manners for the way I drive now.
I am very familiar with how changes in suspension affects handling. I would not want to drive a race car on the street as a road car. That would be very uncomfortable. I have not made many modifications to my Coupe. Replacing the front sway bar with a Bavaria sway bar was an improvement without compromise. I could feel bumps on one side a little more but pretty much insignificant. It made the car less tail happy without causing understeer. I did install Bilstein shocks and that was only an improvement with zero compromise. From there I have tried different tires over he 45 years of driving my Coupe.
I have had good and bad tires. Now, I use basically what I can find in 215-14". The Riken tires are not what I prefer but they have good road manners for the way I drive now.
Dougal Cawley
Active Member
Hmm well they were a really famous tread pattern, from 1968 in the early 1970s they were the business tyre on cars like the RS 911, Ford Mexico, etc. then i suppose their thunder got stollen buy the P7 in the later '70s. However, they arent suited to your car. You are better off on the CN36. it better suits your chassis 9or the Michelin XWX if they made the right size.)
Dougal Cawley
Active Member
1/ Im glad i don't race in the States. Race tracks should be smooth.
2/ a stiffer Sway bar and race dampers just does effect your ride - or what is the point.
3/ As a road car, fitting a the proper period 195/70R14 CN36 will make the car a nicer road tyre, specially compared to a 215/60R14 modern tyre. The steering will be lighter, faster and more presice. The car will be more progressive and balanced and tramline less on rutted roads.
Running 215/60-14 BFG Tires on our E9. They look and work well. That size is too wide as a spare.
not all race tracks in the USA are rough - most of the big tracks are pretty smooth. the smaller tracks don't have the budget to keep the tracks super smooth.
what somebody does with the suspension does affect the ride - softer suspension and taller profile tires do make a softer ride, but with that comes body roll ... while it might not be as bad as a 60s / 70s Cadillac, i don't endeavor to have my car resemble that kind of ride. progressive springs and bigger anti-roll / sway bars make a measurable increase in the ride style that i prefer. that being said, i don't want race car spring rates or dampening in the suspension. i also don't want 30, 35 or even 40 series profile tires on my coupe - like the look, not the ride. my daily driver has 30 profile tires, they transmit a lot of bumps ... but the suspension on the TTS is set up for it. i am a fan of 50, 55 + 60 series tires ... but i like them even more with progressive springs. with the same given shocks (bilstein regular duty) to get the same ride comfort of progressive springs + 50 to 60 series tires compared to cars with uniform springs, you need 70 series tires for the same ride comfort ... but the handling will be somewhat different.
Dougal Cawley
Active Member
Thats right. as a road car, your car will give a better ride and the handling will be different. it will be better on the 195/70R14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36.
215/60R14 will not ride as well and the steering will not be as nice. it is a compromise, which you might choose to make because of price or because you like the look.
your tyres will give better straightline braking and less wheel spin, if that is what you are after, (but not handling).
215/60R14 will not ride as well and the steering will not be as nice. it is a compromise, which you might choose to make because of price or because you like the look.
your tyres will give better straightline braking and less wheel spin, if that is what you are after, (but not handling).
not for me ... i prefer 215/60-15 or the 16" wheels with different suspension - i simply prefer the ride of progressive springs - comfortable until you need more stiffness in corners.
gwittman
Well-Known Member
I have a 215/60-14 tire as a spare. It does lift the cover (trunk floor) a little, but it is higher less than 1/4 inch compared to the rest of the trunk floor and not difficult to live with.
one option might be to put spacers under all of your floor boards if it is only 1/4" just raise the height of the entire trunk floor