[manopeace]

This question has been around for a while. I lean towards saying yes, only part that touches the road and all that. I'm interested in what the forum thinks about this...have at it.



P.S.- I know someone will say the "driver" is, but I'm talking about non-human parts of the car.



Robert

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[flash]

lol - that's michelin's philosophy for sure



i tend to agree though - it makes such a difference in ride quality, handling, and braking, and after seeing how much of a difference getting lighter tires this time around, it also helped in acceleration

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[craigawoodman]

Tyres (English spelling version), are only part of the whole car handling package. To little tyre and too stiff the suspension, lots of slip and slide, too big a tyre and too soft the suspension lots of roll and bounce.



The tyres need to match the car's set-up and intended purpose. Same goes for the suspension. This is why you will not see GT3 suspension across the entire Porsche range and now we have multi-mode shocks.



Tyres are important, but I went for suspension and brakes first, then tyres.



However, all of the above being equal, better tyres are always a better bet, it is what connects you to the ground and makes the engine and brakes actually do something. But then you get into the whole grip versus milage conundrum. I recently went through this with my Q7 - it does 60,000km a year, mainly on highways in a straight line (it is now 20 months old and is going in for its 90,000km service tomorrow and the brake pads are only 30% worn). In this case, I chose a better wearing tyre.



Horses for courses.



On a track, the right tyres can give you around 4 seconds a lap going from street tyres to R-Spec to twin groove then slicks.



They all might be black and round but they are all not equal.

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[benspeeder]

I say:



1. Tires

2. Suspension

3. Brakes

4. Motor



For a dedicated track car #1 is safety equipment.

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[rhudeboye]

I say the Engine.



The power of the engine can get you home even if you have 4 flat tires.

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[ds968]

I have to agree on the tire factor. Perhaps on some cheap, uninspiring, crappy old car it does not make much of a difference what tires you use, but on our cars, or anything else of a higher caliber for that matter, I believe

tires have the single greatest impact to the overall feel and capabilities of the vehicle, with suspension , brakes, power train, etc..in a secondary role. IMO..

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[Cloud9...68]

This is a tough one, as ultimately all the pieces need to work in harmony. Whenever I look at a comparison test of comparable performance cars, however, there is alway one factor that determines the one that gives the fastest lap time - horsepower. There are a lot of factors that determine how a car "feels" and how much fun it may be to drive, but when the ultimate judge is the stopwatch, horsepower seems to be the over-riding factor.

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[94SilverCab]

Car need to have very strong P***y magnet <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Jay

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[manopeace]

[quote name='rhudeboye' timestamp='1292859047' post='102636']

I say the Engine.



The power of the engine can get you home even if you have 4 flat tires.

[/quote]





Unless you factor in that you are STILL on tires (flat as they may be). Take them completely off and see how far you get.



Robert

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[banditsc]

OK, then air.. Without air, your tires are useless... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/icon_lol1.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[rhudeboye]

[quote name='manopeace' timestamp='1292881704' post='102655']

Unless you factor in that you are STILL on tires (flat as they may be). Take them completely off and see how far you get.



Robert

[/quote]



Take your engine completely out and see how far you get. Well I guess if your on a hill...

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[manopeace]

Touche rhudeboye, touche.



Lets stipulate that all components are there and working correctly.

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[rhudeboye]

Touche? Me? Not at all. I simply flipped your question back at you. I actually added a check in your column as the car can move w/o an engine if its parked on a hill. But w/o wheels its just sitting on a frame.



I still feel its the engine. The engine is what gives a car its soul. Nothing defines a car more then the engine resting under the hood. Many manufactures even use the displacement in identifying the model. BMW, Ferrari, Benz etc. From the sound of the Mustang V8 to the Vettes LS1. The Lambos V12 and the Supras TT I6 The engines make these cars special, the wheels can +/- some performance but that's an after thought. Whats under the hood will always be of much greater note then whats on your rims.

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[manopeace]

I can't say I disagree with you rhude on the idea that the engine gives the car it's "soul", I think most people on this forum would agree with you. I would often turn off the radio and roll down the windows on my 928S4 and listen to the exhaust note as I drive a winding road...the sound of that V8 was awesome.



My intent, however, in starting the post was a technical, dry, unemotional survey of what is most vital to getting the car down the road, around corners and performing at it's max potential.



Again I lean towards the tires, but understand there may be no "right " answer.



Robert

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[flash]

ok - i'll weigh in a bit more esoterically



the most important feature or aspect of a car is that it inspires you, whether it be to drive fast, or go for a cruise and enjoy the day, or merely to stand back and look at it and admire it

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[lbpesq]

The most important part of a car? The pink slip! Whether my name is on it or not makes the biggest difference of all! lol



Bill

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