Thread: Low profile tyres

Yeah my 50/50 coment stands.

The thing is that yes it's stupid to just ban these dumb rediculas wheels in just the country areas so they should be banned in all places other than a race track where they run in most cases (such as F1 and V8 supercars) 50% profile.

Who here can ohnestly say that they can drive their car (series landrover not included) to it's performance limit.

There are a quite a few guys on here that could ohnestly answer yes to that question and I can ohnestly say that im not one of them.

This is the reason that there are speed limits and road rules that we should all follow.

I know it is a pipe dream but if people followed the rules just a little more then it would probably save a heap of lives and injuries on the road.

You can put protection in cars such as ABS, airbags, traction control or active stability control but this in a lot of cases just means that people are more likely to drive beyond their ability rather than making the car safer.

That picture is a prime expample and you said it yourself, speed experience may have made a difference..........I would say if he had slowed down for the corner then he wouldnt have hit the tree.

In the case of an animal strike, I regularly drive the Melba Hwy at night and between Dixons Crk and Yea there seems to be more wombats than any where else in Australia some night and knowing that I slow down and keep a sharp eye on the road even though I could straddle them, you dont want to then get flipped when the back wheel hits it and so I chose to be able to stop rather than risk straddling them but traveling at 120kmh, you would be on top of it before you even noticed it was there, I know I have done it and there is nothing worse than the feeling of total loss of control while heading toward a tree, thankfully I missed.

It may be that I have learned these thing from my own stupidity but if someone reads this and says......well I might try and do that, it may just possibly save them from having an unplanned event like an car accident.

The fact is still true though, the faster your going the harder you hit so if you make cars that can corner faster and sharper then people will use this and will hit things harder.

I know plenty of people will debate most of this but that fact will always ring true.

Regardless of weather the bloke who's on the wrong side of the road or it's a tree, if he's doing 100 and your doing 60 when you hit, thats an impact of 160kmh, (probably no survivors) butif you both hit at 60kmh (120kmh impact) then there is a possibility of surviving and slower again, then more and more chance of surviving.

Yes ABS etc will improve stopping distances but the initial speed your traveling at is your first port of call in the control stakes, control that and then the rest well may possibly wont matter anymore due to you havnt lost control and youve been able to avoid the idiot on the other side of the road as well as the kangaroo that hopped out in front of you.

What a bees nest!

Low profile is for sports and performance cars on bituman. No question.

They profide a bigger footprint hence better roadholding, braking and less roll hence better cornering ability. Should the driver be able to drive in a manner demanded at the time.

Lets not forget the speed limit.

Off road there is no room for Jokers on low profile or 22inch rims.
That's just poser stuff.

The RRS is great on road and yes it can go off the bituman but who would take it over rocks or something remotely challenging.

Give the low profile a rest.

There is not a single bushy out there with them nor will there ever be.

Imagine pulling up at some remote location and asking for a spare.
as soon as one opens their mouth and says 245/40/19 or similar they will be on the ground laughing with their legs in the air.

Be fun to see though.

I agree but they used to say that about 16" tyres too.

Originally Posted by Slunnie

Horses for courses.

I'd run low profile on the country roads. Actually, if you look at the cars around here, so many of them do. The low profile tyres halp plant them to the road with extra traction and stability.

I would go so far as to say thankfully cars are not on high profile tyres anymore. I've got no doubt that good tyres have saved a lot of accidents, especially when you throw a swerve into the equation.

I think you are over rating the advantage of low profile tyres. Certainly they sharpen up the handling a little, but most drivers rarely if ever get that close to an accident due to reaching handling limits anyway. They are usually either well inside the limits or way outside them. There are a few drivers who habitually drive right on the limit, but they usually use all of the extra handling given by the better tyres so as to keep the margin at nearly nothing - and usually have a strained relation with their insurer.

Just to put it in perspective, in over fifty years of having a licence, and doing a lot more than the Australian average mileage in most of those years, with a good mix of city, country and offroad driving over the years, I have had precisely three accidents - none of which were related to tyres - One was my fault - not paying enough attention and ran into the car in front, one the bloke behind was not paying enough attention ..... both in bumper to bumper stop start traffic, one in Brisbane, the other in Melbourne, and the third, a woman drove through a stop sign into the side of me - tyres irrelevant there - she didn't even try to stop or dodge, and I had stopped. And up to about 1970, mostly on crossplies. And almost all of it on high profile tyres.

I have no problem with people who want to run low profile tyres - they have the advantages of better brake cooling, a slight advantage in handling, but at the cost of a rougher ride in most cases, and an increased susceptibility to damage on rough roads. Which is the most important factor is up to the individual, but I thought it worth pointing out the drawbacks of low profile tyres for what is, after all, a forum largely for those interested in offroad vehicles.

I would also comment on the attitude of taking every small advantage in reducing the accident risk. With the road death rate now way below the suicide rate - perhaps the emphasis is being placed in the wrong area. And the data in any case does not really support any vehicle equipment or type as being significant risk factors compared to alcohol (and possibly drugs, but there is not much data) and road conditions.


John

"With the road death rate now way below the suicide rate - perhaps the emphasis is being placed in the wrong area."

Hear hear John...... hear hear.

S