Acer2428

SNow and wet, yep. So mom is 1/2 right.

Lazr: Your mom is right too. For your car, 87 is just fine. Guys, these are mustangs, not lambos!

Hahaha, guys, keep in mind that Ford "techs" are just minimal knowledge kids. And dealer****s have to know information about LOTS of cars. I bet he could rattle off more than you would ever want to know about a taurus or an explorer...stangs just don't sell as well.

It's all relative.

newb2000GT

That, and most Mustang owners wouldn't be caught dead in a dealership other than for warranty repairs.

Your average Taurus and Explorer owners are probably more likely to visit the dealership for repairs.

That's my stereotyping for the day.

MikeHawke

1) Agreed. The wider tires tend to trap mor water under them and will hydroplane easier in wet conditions. They do have better grip when it's dry though.

2) I am constantly amazed by the number of people who put premium fuel in a stock or untuned car because they think it's "cleaner" LOL. The higher octane fuel is more resistant to combustion which means that you are probably not even burning all the fuel which will ruin your cats and fugger up the computer's reading at the o2 sensors which will then adjust your A/F ratio so you actually could end up running lean.

angcobra

the balance on traction is weight per sqaure inch of tread contact and friction coefficient between tire and surface.

The reason for less traction on water with wider tires is due to increasing tread contact area with the same weight car, this gives less weight per area contact, making the tire not as effective in pushing the water out from underneath.

2000GT4.6

Wider tires provide more traction on a dry paved surface, but less traction when the surface is wet.

Tall skinny tires "cut" thru the water (or mud etc) while a wider tire will float across the surface and slide.

If you upgrade to wider rims and tires you will definatly notice a diff. Hell, I can notice a slight diff between running 245s and 275s on the same rim.

Fallstar01

Uh, regular isn't dirtier. Infact, getting higher octane ratings relies on additives. The only reason that they promote the higher octane fuel as being "cleaner" is they want you to spend more money. They justify this statement by sometimes sticking detergents or additives in it.

Regular, on a car that doesn't NEED octane to prevent pinging, ignites a little easier and will give you every pony of power that higher octane fuels offer. Buying race gas or premium without upping compression or boost is a waste of $.

As far as tires are concerned, Wider is certainly better in dry conditions. Since it puts less weight per square inch (larger contact patch), it might be more prone to hydroplaning in the rain or riding on top of the snow (instead of through it) but this can be compensated for with specialized tread. Look at a Formula 1 car. It's wet tires are still huge, they're just treaded for the weather. In anycase, tires play the biggest role in the equation. You may want to keep your old rims for the winter and your bigger rims for the summer. As other people have noted, larger stickier tires will follow ruts and grooves in the road more. Also heavier rimes (with all that extra weight on the outer lip) have a higher moment of inertia which robs an hp or two and may make braking a little more difficult. Tires become much more expensive as well and you tend to feel more of the bumps in the road.

Dan04COBRA

Also, wider tires will grab every rut and every dip in the road and have your car tugging and pulling in every direction.

Your mommy knows more than you think, homeslice!!!

Plus she was right about the gas too.....

Car_Ramrod

premium in a stock mustang = pretty much a waste of money.

04BlueGT

Well, looks like the jury has returned.

And the verdict is...





...Mom is guilty on all counts of being very smart.

Of course, none of us older guys realized just how smart ma and pa were until we were about 25. Learning it sooner will save much pain down the road.

redass02gt

LOL, I wanna see the video of mom telling him, "I told you!"