Change in steering feel and feedback when running wider aftermarket wheels.

[IS2000]

I have had my TE37 Ultras installed with OE Michelins for about a couple of months now. Since then I have noticed a drastic change in steering feel. The road feedback is much more noticable now. On stock wheels, everything was pretty smooth, maybe even a little numb. Now the bumps and waves on the road surface can be felt through the steering wheel at any speed. When I was doing 120mph and went over wavy concrete surface, the feedback was strong enough that I could see the steering wheel shaking. The wheels were road force balanced and there is no vibration issue on a smooth road at any speed. The Ultras are also hubcentric so there is no need for those hubcentric rings.
So do you guys think that this is normal when running wider rims (9.5") on stock 255 tires? The front wheels are also sticking out nearly 15mm more than stock with the TE37s' offsets. Could this contributed to a change in suspension geometry hence affecting the steering feedback? I usually run 40psi on all 4 tires with stock wheels. Maybe I'm going to lower the tire pressure a bit to see if there's any changes.

Sponsored

 

[kona61]

I have had my TE37 Ultras installed with OE Michelins for about a couple of months now. Since then I have noticed a drastic change in steering feel. The road feedback is much more noticable now. On stock wheels, everything was pretty smooth, maybe even a little numb. Now the bumps and waves on the road surface can be felt through the steering wheel at any speed. When I was doing 120mph and went over wavy concrete surface, the feedback was strong enough that I could see the steering wheel shaking. The wheels were road force balanced and there is no vibration issue on a smooth road at any speed. The Ultras are also hubcentric so there is no need for those hubcentric rings.
So do you guys think that this is normal when running wider rims (9.5") on stock 255 tires? The front wheels are also sticking out nearly 15mm more than stock with the TE37s' offsets. Could this contributed to a change in suspension geometry hence affecting the steering feedback? I usually run 40psi on all 4 tires with stock wheels. Maybe I'm going to lower the tire pressure a bit to see if there's any changes.

I assume you changed the offset of the wheel. If you went with a lower ET like I am guessing, you changed the scrub radius. I am fairly certain extending the center line of the wheel farther outside the stock scrub radius would increase leverage and therefore increase the force transmitted through the suspension (this part is speculative).

 

[s219]

I think you have proved the answer to your own questions.

 

[IS2000]

I think you have proved the answer to your own questions.

I’ve had many cars with aftermarket wheels setups before. The changes in steering feedback weren’t as drastic as the A90 Supra. So, I was wondering if this is quite normal on these cars.

 

[chrisnew78]

Hey Mark, was the turn in and general steering feel better than stock besides feeling more bumps on the road?
David's video caught my attention, and he took it one step further by going 20" and wider.
Though there isn't much details on what was improved, so I am wondering what you felt had improved.

 

[IS2000]

Hey Mark, was the turn in and general steering feel better than stock besides feeling more bumps on the road?
David's video caught my attention, and he took it one step further by going 20" and wider.
Though there isn't much details on what was improved, so I am wondering what you felt had improved.

I do feel a slight improvement in steering feedback maybe because the tires sidewalls are stiffer. The wider front track also helped with the turn-in but it also changed the front to rear balance. I think the rearend is less predictable than with stock setup.

Sponsored