Will skinnies in the front reduce my handling????

and if so how badly?

 

ahh h**** it, just do it, it looks soooo cool

 

I have a lot of friends with skinnies up front, the cars are still very driveable, I mean dont expect awesome handling but you can still drive the car every day. Just got to be carefull.

 

I agree with neil350. I also run on skinnies every so often and the drive is just fine. Don't expect to do sharp turns and get great handling in the rain either. Use common sense.

Vinny

 

os, so in other words ill get ****ty handling...

 

Whatever you do......DONT' SLAM ON YOUR BREAKS! he he I did that in my friends mustang and scared the shiznit out of me....just slid.

Joe

 

Honestly think of what you are thinking about doing, a skinny is 3.5 inches wide, comapred to a stock 8 inch rim. If your putting skinnies on the car it is still going to be driveable but like Fuel said, no sharp turns. Many people who dont drive their car every day have them. For the time they do drive it the cars fine. If its every day usage, I would reconsider it. You can get away with it, but you can get away with doing a lot of things. If you drive it every day just put them on for the track, Skinnies are cheap enough, the tires are like $25 each. I asume you already have wheels now.

 

can still drive around on them regular just dont go fast around turns

 

I drive my car with Moroso DS-2 26x4.5's to the track, maybe 7 miles each way. Definitely does NOT handle like the car did when it was running 275/40-17's in the front. Can not take corners fast.... can not expect to brake hard. And that is in dry weather. I can't imagine how slippery they would be in the wet.

I suspect you are talking about running some "165" radials, and they might be a little better than the "front runner" type tires, but probably not by much. There is also a chance they will not meet the load rating required for the heavy front end of the 4th Gen. Most of those tires were designed for rear engine VW Bugs.... .

Also, considere the liability if you do have an accident... my Welds, and the tires are clearly marked "not for street use"... a lawyer is going to have a field day with that info if you get in an accident and hurt someone seriously.

Not trying to say "yes" or "no"... just giving you a few personal thoughts. Been there, done that... now it goes to the track on a trailer.

 

I have driven my car from Maine to Ohio the past two years with narrow tires. Not true skinnies, but with a whopping 4" of tread...

Coupled with 90/10 shocks, drag springs, no sway bar, and no bumper it makes for an interesting ride.

Basically I drive no more than 55 on a damp surface and much slower in rain. Off ramps are typically a speed limit on;y type pf experience. I don't tailgate.

You need to drive according to the limitations of the vehicle or you can hurt someone else and/or yourself. I have been very fortunate.

 

I went with 15X5 Weld XPs yes you have to be more careful and use common sense but I have not had any probs yet. If you get them, go 15X5 that is the smallest width that Weld will warranty on the street. True frontrunners (15X3.5) are not street legal and when they break Weld will not fix the wheel or your car if you run them on the street.

 

I didn't know they made front struts for 4th gens. Where did you get them? I'm looking for some 70/30's.

Joe

 

IMO you can do it but you're seriously comprimising not only the handling but the braking performance. Sure you can take turns nice and slow but on the other hand there isn't a whole lot you can do if some soccer-mom in an Excursion cuts you off.