Re: Ultra low profile tyres for sedate drivers only?

#41

Clive George wrote:

Quote:

"Ret." <xxx> wrote in message
news:M6ednUlynMMvY3PXnZ2dnUVZ8madnZ2d (AT) pipex (DOT) net...

The 3-position memory driver's seat is a definite bonus when you pick your
car up after its MOT and the tester has cocked up your carefully derived
seat positioning - although I could just about live without that.

Life is so very hard for you isn't it :-)

My son has that memory function on his XKR, not

only does it do the seat but remembers loads of
other settings as well, like steering wheel
height/wing mirrors etc. It's a boon when he and
his wife swops the driving.

Bod

#42

Bod <bodron57 (AT) tiscali (DOT) co.uk> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

Quote:

My son has that memory function on his XKR

I guess those pictures just aren't helping it sell, eh?

#43

Adrian wrote:

Quote:

"Ret." <xxx> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Interesting that you pick the Elite spec, since the next one down in
the range - SE - offers 17" rims as standard with 18" as an
alternative at No Extra Cost. I guess nobody ever ticks that box,
eh? And even fewer people would pay the £460 extra to go to 19".

If people do tick that box - I would suggest that it would be in
ignorance of the implications (like my friend who put the ULP tyres
on his 5 series).

We've already established that your friend is utterly fucking
clueless. Still, if all your friends are of such limited intellect,
it does explain quite a bit about your posts and your view of others.

You know Adrian - you're getting as bad as Steve Filth with your gratuitous
insults. What is it about certain posters that they just feel they've got to
keep hurling the insults about?

Quote:

Makes you wonder why Vauxhall bother offer 'em, doesn't it?

No it doesn't - there are certainly mugs out there who are prepared
to pay good money because they think the bigger wheels 'look better'.

And yet so few people seem to ask Vauxhall for smaller wheels...

Because probably 95% of drivers don't have a clue about the size of wheels
fitted to their cars, and what difference different sizes will make.

Quote:

Hmm. Go down to the S or Exclusiv spec, and I wonder why the low-CO2
tree- hug ecoFlex diesel estate has 17" rims instead of the 16" of
the rest of the range...? Oh, yes. It's the heaviest and most
powerful body/engine combination at that spec level. I guess the
16" 60-profiles just can't quite cope with a ton and three quarters
and 160bhp...

silence

I'm not disputing the fact that some cars will require different
wheels/tyres for different jobs - just arguing that most family cars are
seriously 'over-shod' for what is expected of them. An 'H' rated tyre would
be perfectly adequate for the vast majority of everyday drivers - so why
sell them cars with big wheels and 'W' rated tyres?

Quote:

But surely the REALLY important spec change between Insignia trim
levels has to be "Visible exhaust tip" on SE-spec... But not if you
go for the pikey-spec engine. This is important when you're
choosing your new company car, y'know. Got to be seen to be better
than Smithers from the Southern region sales team. People have died
for less.

Indeed. There are upgrades and there are upgrades. I wouldn't want
to go down from my climate control to simple air-con. I like my
heated seats in Winter, and I also like my self-dimming mirror and
automatic wipers. The 3-position memory driver's seat is a definite
bonus when you pick your car up after its MOT and the tester has
cocked up your carefully derived seat positioning - although I could
just about live without that.

I wonder how many people disagree with you on any of those. Still, it
doesn't matter, because you're _right_ and they're _wrong_. I'm so
very happy for you.

I'm quite prepared to accept that there may be people who prefer to manually
operate a lever on their rear view mirror in order to obtain a distorted
view of the traffic behind - rather than have a mirror that automatically
shades green to give a dimmed - but still perfect - view of the traffic
behind.

I'm also prepared to accept that there may be people who prefer to be
constantly fiddling with their intermittent wipe to adjust it for changing
rain-fall - rather than have the wipers just switch on on their own and wipe
when necessary according to the degree of rain-fall.

I'm certain that there will be drivers who would prefer to have a frozen
backside in the winter - and have to spend several minutes adjusting their
seat after a mechanic has cocked up their careful settings. I mean, after
all, there are *certainly* strange people about who actually want to change
gear manually when there are auto boxes that will do that for them... !

Kev

#44

"Ret." <xxx> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Quote:

If people do tick that box - I would suggest that it would be in
ignorance of the implications (like my friend who put the ULP tyres on
his 5 series).

We've already established that your friend is utterly fucking clueless.
Still, if all your friends are of such limited intellect, it does
explain quite a bit about your posts and your view of others.

You know Adrian - you're getting as bad as Steve Filth with your
gratuitous insults. What is it about certain posters that they just feel
they've got to keep hurling the insults about?

What is it about some people that invites it?

Seriously - somebody buys a BMW (not exactly renowned for ride quality)
then lobs thick-coat-of-black-paint tyres at it - and is surprised it
rides like a bag of shite. Hello...?

Quote:

I'm not disputing the fact that some cars will require different
wheels/tyres for different jobs - just arguing that most family cars are
seriously 'over-shod' for what is expected of them. An 'H' rated tyre
would be perfectly adequate for the vast majority of everyday drivers -

H-rated tyres would be inadequate for the performance of most modern cars
bigger than mid-range Astra/Focus. As such, they'd actively be illegal in
some countries.

Quote:

so why sell them cars with big wheels and 'W' rated tyres?

<shakes head> Again - you seek to apply _your_ standards to everybody.

Do you have the faintest clue as to the purpose of "load ratings" on
tyres? Or the basic physics involved in cornering loads? Clearly, you
don't understand the interactions between the various design factors in a
modern tyre.

Have a brief think about what's happened to car weights and performance
over the last decade.

#45

Adrian wrote:

Quote:

"Ret." <xxx> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

If people do tick that box - I would suggest that it would be in
ignorance of the implications (like my friend who put the ULP
tyres on his 5 series).

We've already established that your friend is utterly fucking
clueless. Still, if all your friends are of such limited intellect,
it does explain quite a bit about your posts and your view of
others.

You know Adrian - you're getting as bad as Steve Filth with your
gratuitous insults. What is it about certain posters that they just
feel they've got to keep hurling the insults about?

What is it about some people that invites it?

Seriously - somebody buys a BMW (not exactly renowned for ride
quality) then lobs thick-coat-of-black-paint tyres at it - and is
surprised it rides like a bag of shite. Hello...?

I'm not disputing that he's an idiot - but why have a go at me over it?!

Quote:

I'm not disputing the fact that some cars will require different
wheels/tyres for different jobs - just arguing that most family cars
are seriously 'over-shod' for what is expected of them. An 'H' rated
tyre would be perfectly adequate for the vast majority of everyday
drivers -

H-rated tyres would be inadequate for the performance of most modern
cars bigger than mid-range Astra/Focus. As such, they'd actively be
illegal in some countries.

so why sell them cars with big wheels and 'W' rated tyres?

shakes head> Again - you seek to apply _your_ standards to everybody.

The 'letter' ratings are speed ratings. 'H' rated tyres are good for 130 mph
and W rated tyres are good for 168 mph. What relevance do you think that
those different speeds have for even a boy racer in the UK?

Quote:

Do you have the faintest clue as to the purpose of "load ratings" on
tyres? Or the basic physics involved in cornering loads? Clearly, you
don't understand the interactions between the various design factors
in a modern tyre.

Have a brief think about what's happened to car weights and
performance over the last decade.

'H' rated tyres are good for 130 mph - how many family cars will ever be
driven at that speed? The quoted top speed of my car is 118 mph - but the
recommended tyres are 'V' rated (149 mph). Whilst I haven't tried to match
up load ratings with the actual weight and carrying capacity of different
cars, I suspect that, as with speed ratings, there is serious over speccing.

Kev

#46

In article <0qydneLOlMYpkXLXnZ2dnUVZ8tWdnZ2d (AT) pipex (DOT) net>, "Ret." <xxx>
says...

Quote:

An 'H' rated tyre would
be perfectly adequate for the vast majority of everyday drivers - so why
sell them cars with big wheels and 'W' rated tyres?

Maybe for the drivers, and maybe for the UK speedlimits, but not for the

capabilities of the vehicle.

If you fit lower rated tyres than the manufacturer specs, just because
you don't ever drive on anything faster than a single carriageway NSL
road and stick to the limit, even though the car is capable of 140mph,
and you have an accident that involves losing control of the vehicle,
the insurance company will disown you, the courts will crucify you, and
you may get involved in a jail house marriage involving the showers and
a bar of soap.

Tyres are rated for speed and load, because a car is capable of going
faster, loads on the tyres increase, so the tyres are rated higher.

And don't say why do we have in the UK capable of going faster than the
speed limit. I would expect that of Bod.
--
Carl Robson
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#47

In article <7l8fa0F3ab3djU1 (AT) mid (DOT) individual.net>, bodron57 (AT) tiscali (DOT) co.uk
says...

Quote:

My son has that memory function on his XKR, not
only does it do the seat but remembers loads of
other settings as well, like steering wheel
height/wing mirrors etc. It's a boon when he and
his wife swops the driving.

Yeah, had them in the old Celsior I had.

If I loaned the car to some one, just got in, pushed the button,
everything moved. It even raised the wheel out of the way when you
switched the engine off, to make it easier to get your legs out.
--
Carl Robson
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#48

In article <1j8jvtd.17zf4111vz2x60N%%steve%@malloc.co.uk>, %steve%
@malloc.co.uk says...

Quote:

Anyone who has tyres other than 65 profile is a fashion victim. And
inevitably driving on British roads which are now among the worst in
Europe, alloy wheels will suffer rim damage from being kerbed and from
potholes.

Unfortunatley Lexus chose to fit 17" wheels with 55 profile tyres to my

current car, 10 years ago.

10 years on, it still has the original alloys (one replaced for a
corrosion replacement which was a recall early on). Car has so much
paperwork it is like reading War and Peace to try and work out what has
and hasn't been done, as it missed a dealer service being in the trade
for a long time before I bought it.
--
Carl Robson
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#49

In article <7l8050F3cioquU1 (AT) mid (DOT) individual.net>, bodron57 (AT) tiscali (DOT) co.uk
says...

Quote:

True, there's not many a day goes by, that I don't
see a sack of anvils or an upright piano in the road.

Yeah, I've lived in areas like that.

Get the stuff out of the house, then remember they only came to rob it
on a mountain bike.
--
Carl Robson
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#50

Elder wrote:

Quote:

In article <7l8fa0F3ab3djU1 (AT) mid (DOT) individual.net>, bodron57 (AT) tiscali (DOT) co.uk
says...
My son has that memory function on his XKR, not
only does it do the seat but remembers loads of
other settings as well, like steering wheel
height/wing mirrors etc. It's a boon when he and
his wife swops the driving.

Yeah, had them in the old Celsior I had.

If I loaned the car to some one, just got in, pushed the button,
everything moved. It even raised the wheel out of the way when you
switched the engine off, to make it easier to get your legs out.

I first thought it was an OTT facility, but soon
changed my mind after seeing how useful it was for
my son and his wife.

Bod