RE: Wide tires on Spider

["Ian Lomax" <sfalfisto@domain.elided>]

Howard,

I'd second joes' last thoughts below.  The closer to stock I've taken my
spider, the more fun it's been to drive.  After 200k miles my spider's
chassis is a bit flexible, and the stock suspension with stock sized tires
works much better IMHO.

It could be more than tierods that are worn on your spider.  The steering
boxes and idler arms also wear our, causing sloppiness.  Tie rods are
easier, so I'd do those first and see if it improves.  If it's still sloppy,
look at the bos and idler arm.

Have fun!
Ian Lomax
71 spider (209k miles young)
SF, CA

PS We were heading up through Marin county with the top down yesterday when
I got caught in a downpour.  We rolled the windows up, sped up a bit and
stayed reasonably dry.  What a blast!  Got lots of stranges looks from the
SUV crowd. :-)

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-alfa@domain.elided [mailto:owner-alfa@domain.elided]On Behalf Of
Joe Martin Cantrell
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 10:06 AM
To: alfa-digest@domain.elided
Cc: warrenwood@domain.elided
Subject: Wide tires on Spider


From: "Howard and Pat Warren" <warrenwood@domain.elided>
Subject: Oversized tires for Spider
As I'm putting my Spider back into reliable running condition, the time has
come to look at my baby's shoes. The PO put Continental 205/60 tires on
her. Nothing is rubbing, and I've already calibrated my head for the speedo
difference. However, steering is sloppy, both at slow speed and highway.
I've tentatively put that down to old tie rod ends and plan to replace them.
My question to the experts: could this wider tire be part of the problem?

I've been thinking about this, too, although the moving parts of my
steering are nearly new, and my steering is good.  The 205/55 15" Kumhos
I'm running with continuing delight are very heavy in parking maneuvers,
plus adding noticeably to the jounciness on rough roads.  It's all (Rugh
springs, Sachs Sporting Gas shocks, AlfaBill bushings) wonderful, most
places, but when a wheel goes over a bump the impact has to go SOMEPLACE,
always through the joints.  I'm beginning to sense that 30 Alfa years are
about equivalent to 56 man years, and this old bod don't take a hit like it
used to.

My current inclination is that I'd like a set of 185/70 tires for
winter-around-town driving.  Wouldn't take me 30 minutes to do a pit stop,
apparently unlike the legion of road grinders around here who run studs
every legal second, cutting Oregon Trail-like ruts in every freeway, in
case they happen to be outside when Portland gets its 2 hours/year of ice.

Something like a 185/70 is a lot closer to what the 105 cars were designed
around, and as various Eldergesti have observed, they got a lot more right
than wrong.  Matter of fact, a stock suspension, perhaps with Bilsteins,
has a certain attraction.  If I were you, Howard, that's where I'd go.

Cheers,
Joe

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