What's the point of alloys on the average car?

[quisquose]

The French do as well sometimes, like part of the time in the control software for that Arriane V rocket

 

Snigger.

 

[oldprune]

I'm intrigued by the simultaneous claim of increased grip AND mpg.

 

Surely a wider footprint providing increased grip is bound to reduce mpg significantly more than any corresponding increase due to lighter materials?

 

 

Wouldn't increased grip mean you didn't need to slow down so much for the corners and therefore didn't need to accelerate so hard once you hit the straight again?

[quisquose]

Wouldn't increased grip mean you didn't need to slow down so much for the corners and therefore didn't need to accelerate so hard once you hit the straight again?

 

Useful on a racetrack perhaps, but not really at Hunters Bar roundabout or on the M18.

 

I did specifically mention the average car in the thread title.

[truman]

I'm intrigued by the simultaneous claim of increased grip AND mpg.

 

Surely a wider footprint providing increased grip is bound to reduce mpg significantly more than any corresponding increase due to lighter materials?

 

In addition, when we had the heavy snow last year we only had two cars in the work car-park and they were a Citroen 2CV and an old Golf. Neither had alloy wheels.

 

The owner of the Citroen is a car nut who keeps that car specifically for snowy conditions, and he claims it is the best car he has ever used in the snow because of its narrow tyres.

 

Grip in the dry and grip in slippery conditions are two different things I think..otherwise why would F1 cars not use 2CV wheels..?

[Cyclone]

I'm intrigued by the simultaneous claim of increased grip AND mpg.

Increased grip doesn't necessarily mean increased rolling resistance (it will, but I doubt that it's directly proportional).

 

Surely a wider footprint providing increased grip is bound to reduce mpg significantly more than any corresponding increase due to lighter materials?

I wouldn't have thought so.

 

In addition, when we had the heavy snow last year we only had two cars in the work car-park and they were a Citroen 2CV and an old Golf. Neither had alloy wheels.

Narrower wheels can be more effective in snow.

 

The owner of the Citroen is a car nut who keeps that car specifically for snowy conditions, and he claims it is the best car he has ever used in the snow because of its narrow tyres.

Might well be true.

 

---------- Post added 18-12-2012 at 14:30 ----------

 

Useful on a racetrack perhaps, but not really at Hunters Bar roundabout or on the M18.

 

I did specifically mention the average car in the thread title.

 

There are corners on average roads :-)

[oldprune]

Useful on a racetrack perhaps, but not really at Hunters Bar roundabout or on the M18.

 

I did specifically mention the average car in the thread title.

 

But if the average car has more grip it will still feel more stable and thus be capable of taking more speed through the corners. The 2CV that you refered to had wheels about 3 inches wide and cornered like a jelly.

[sedith]

I agree that alloys usually come in larger sizes and what comes with that are higher tyre prices. My present car is on 18in alloys and the tyres are over £200 each.

[quisquose]

There are corners on average roads :-)

 

Yes, but only idiots attempt average corners in average cars at speed and so I suspect alloy wheels make naff all difference.

 

---------- Post added 18-12-2012 at 14:44 ----------

 

Grip in the dry and grip in slippery conditions are two different things I think..otherwise why would F1 cars not use 2CV wheels..?

 

I suspect less than 1% of drivers are smart enough to change their tyres to accommodate different road conditions.

 

The average car needs to be best suited to the widest variety of road conditions.

 

We have gone from less 95% of cars with steelies, to 95% of cars with alloys in a generation and I doubt it because alloys are best suited to average conditions. More likely marketing imho.

[barleycorn]

Yes, but only idiots attempt average corners in average cars at speed and so I suspect alloy wheels make naff all difference...

 

There are plenty of idiots driving average cars who attempt corners far faster than they should. Many of them end up crashing. If fitting alloys reduces the crash rate of idiots then perhaps it's a good thing (or maybe not, depending on your viewpoint).

 

jb

[Cyclone]

Yes, but only idiots attempt average corners in average cars at speed and so I suspect alloy wheels make naff all difference

Different cars can corner at different speeds, and the width of the contact patch is one of the things that determines what speed.

My car will (and does) go around corners safely at a significantly higher speed than my wifes Fiesta. The great big fat tyres are a large part of that

 

I suspect less than 1% of drivers are smart enough to change their tyres to accommodate different road conditions.

I don't think smarts has much to do with it, most people simply don't have the option.

 

The average car needs to be best suited to the widest variety of road conditions.

 

We have gone from less 95% of cars with steelies, to 95% of cars with alloys in a generation and I doubt it because alloys are best suited to average conditions. More likely marketing imho.

Yeah, it's completely about looks. But the reduced weight will help to increase mpg, and the increased width (possible due to reduced weight) will increase grip.

 

Edit - Almost lost my point there. Which means that a car with increased grip will indeed need to slow down less and accelerate less on the entry/exit to a corner, thus gaining efficiency.