Kevin Swinden Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 1988 pre lit 1700cc x flow, twin 40s. Lovely engine a bit tappet'y. clearly sweetens up at 3500 revs and loves to rev through to 6500revs. But the car must firstly be safe, fun and stop considerably better than it goes (without using a wall or on coming car as its means of breaks), my westy will be used 90% on the roads. Hopefully that should set a bit of a scene. Now’s the crunch, its shod with Goodyear G “Sports” rubber (185x 70 x 13). !!! (must be originals) Non vented discs the front I think cortina hubs and live axle’d drums to the rear. In the dry the handling is very neutral (a little understeer) but the road holding is ok, if the road conditions are damp or wet, the road holding is ... well .... Crap, to the point of being dangerous. The brakes are clearly biased to the front (which is understandable) but over biased and the car pulls up nicely in a straight line. I have played around with Tyre pressures and found 13- 15 psi about right, if I get in the 20,s the cars far too nervous for my liking. Question Time: At the moment I want to concentrate making the cars road holding better without compromising the neutrality of the handling (Spax shocks can ultimately be changed).in damp to wet conditions (someone’s bound to say leave it in the garage) I have had a look around and would like some advise on the best wheel size and tyre type based on the type of use. I get the impression that 185 is regarded as the best tread width based on the power and engine size, however is it better to go for a 14" or 15" or stay with the 13" rim size. I appreciate I have to be mindful of the circumference change effecting speedo etc. I dont have a limitless budget but I have always loved cars with really good brakes so I am prepared to spend a bit on them. Remember the car is for fast (depending on the speed cameras) road use Can any of you advise please Thanks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stanton Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 Throw away your tyres Keep 13" rims and get yourself some new rubber - there'll be loads of opinions on what tyre - for an all round road tyre try Yokohama 539 or Supersport (IMHO) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Swinden Posted March 12, 2003 Author Share Posted March 12, 2003 Supersport I assume are Yokos, On the subject of rims and wheel size, Im not 100% sure I like the rims I have on the motor, so....... If I were changing the rims and tyres, is it still the opinion to stay with 13" an 70 series tyres ? . Or Go up a size ? On the subject of brakes, can you point me in the right direction please. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil P Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 Kevin, I second Marks comments about getting some new tyres. When I first got my Westfield (88sei) about 2 yrs ago it came with the original tyres still on it. Good from a history point of view in that it was clear that the indicated mileage was believable but they were ROCK hard and just awful in the wet! Mine were 185 60 13 & I changed to yoko a539 which were a vast improvement both in ride quality & grip. Regarding rim size, 13" are reckoned to be good size for a seven as they're much lighter than the larger rim sizes, the tyres are much cheaper and theres a larger choice of specialist tyres available. I would also recommend you look at Yoko A021R. In 185 70 13 they are £40 from George Polley Motorsport. They are a softer more race orientated tyre and arguably more suited to a westfield that the a539s which were designed to run on a much heavier car. If I could buy my tyres again, I would probably have got the 21Rs. George Polley can also supply the wheels and does 13" Minator (minilite lookalike) for a reasonable price delivered. Hope this helps Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjyboots Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 brakes Check out the above thread, loads of info about various peoples brake setups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Swinden Posted March 12, 2003 Author Share Posted March 12, 2003 Thanks for the info, on the subject of tyres, as the car doesnt do that many miles I am prepared to accept higher wear and better grip to a sensible level. I will have a look at the brake stuff in a sec. thanks for the info, it is appreciated. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 Keep the 13's. Look for Yokohama AO21's. You'll be amazed.......... Swap the Spax for some AVO's, and see another quantum leap in the feel of the car........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Swinden Posted March 14, 2003 Author Share Posted March 14, 2003 Thanks Um, I shall go forth and ,,,,,,,, play Thanks for the comments Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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