Are our cars under- tyred on the rear?

[rotorheadcase]

Hi all,

I'm looking for opinions on whether the 3200 and perhaps the 4200/GS needs more rubber on the road. When cornering in the dry I can spin up the rear wheels with little effort and unless i'm in sport mode which allow some slipping, the ASR kicks in and all progress comes to a halt.

My 911 only has 300hp and yet has 10" wide rears which give good grip and allow for progressive throttle application through a fast corner. Does the 3200 need say, another inch or so of rear rubber...a 285 on 10"/11" wheels perhaps?

I recognize that these are GT cars but really, I struggle to get the power down onto the road far more than I believe is necessary. Has anyone gone significantly wider with rubber on the rears?

Any thoughts?

Neil

 

[nigw]

I'm not sure that slightly wider tyres would make much difference to the grip to be honest - I think it's just the nature of the 3200 power delivery. Like you, I always drove in sport mode!

 

[mjheathcote]

When you are up at around 400 BHP, to avoid wheel spin at wide throttle openings at slower speeds/cornering, 4 wheel drive is the solution!

 

[Danny]

IMO it's not a matter of rubber but how the power is put on the road. First of all, there is weight distribution. In a 911, all the weight is on the reartires, therefore they will seldomly spin. Secondly it is the explosive nature of the power build-up in a turbo engined car. This will cause more frequent wheelspin compared to a normally aspirated car. Thirdly, I have the feeling that the Masers are doing poorly in terms of roadholding compared to most other cars, which can only be the effect of too little development time in the set-up of springs, shock absorbers and stabilizers because the hardware itself is pretty OK in my opinion. Masers are GT's, so you would expect a magic carpet ride on roads with a poor surface, but it is quite the opposite. My 3200 is going everywhere on a bad road, where a 911 handles much and much better on the very same stretch of road.

 

[rotorheadcase]

Thanks for the input Danny... My 911 is 4 wheel drive and has the benefit of KW Variant 3 suspension, which unfortunately make the Mas feel like Fred Flinstones car. I do see that KW do a kit for the 3200 so funds allowing, I am contemplating this as the next upgrade. Regardless, I can't help but feel that a bit more ribbon the road would benefit.

Neil

 

[Alecci]

I put 10" rims with 285 tires on my 3200GT, and while it made some difference it didn't do very much. Some of it could, however, surely depend on the tire brand.

Compared to my 500+ hp R34 GTR (which is, of course, also 4WD and 4WS) that has had all sorts of suspension upgrades done - adjustable arms, adjustable coilovers, thicker strut braces and anti-sway bars, bushings, etc - the 3200GT handles somewhat like a toad, while the Skyline is a flat iron.

Assetto Corsa or custom manufactured anti-sway bars and coilover suspension are two of my most prioritzed future improvements on the car.

 

[drellis]

the 3200, even the assetto corsa is not great in the handling really, i had a 1994 lotus esprit and it was leagues ahead of my 3200ac, i kept the ac for the sense of occasion and sound (larini), just turn the asr off in the dry and have fun at 30-40mph with the back end.

 

[Rex B]

I don't think the 3200 is a patch on a 911 in this depertment but when it was new the reports from road tests were generally impressed with the roadholding and the critism was of the steering not giving enough feedback. As all 3200's are now over 10 years old now its important that the suspension geometry has been checked and set up properly and that you have a good set of tyres if you are to get the best from the car. A lot of cars with low mileage have tyres that might not be worn out but are passed thier useful life which I think is generally 6 years after the manufacture date stated on the sidewall. I fitted a new set of Michelins last year and the difference was considerable.
I do however think that 3200's and 4200's are slightly undertyred but only slightly as the Trofeo cars increased the width by half and inch.

Rex B
Manaul 3200

 

[2b1ask1]

I'm not too hung up on spining up or getting the power down out of corners but I'd like a lot less understeer going in! I find mine very stittish under heavy braking into roundabouts etc. and rellishes a good boot of go to cancel out the understeer and get it launched in the right direction...

It would no doubt benifit from a proper geometory setup but I wouldn't want anything much stiffer on a public road. I have known a lot of people who have 'upgraded' suspension on their Porkers, scoobies and evo's etc only to make them virtually undrivable!