Actually, tread widths vary quite a bit from
tire to tire. Compare the tread width from a
Bridgestone S-02 Pole Position with that from
a Yokohama AVS Sport or Bridgestone RE730 for
example. You will see a notable variation.
The reason for the varying answers, IMHO, is
the variable quality control, fit and finish,
and factory tolerances/clearances on our Ford
vehicles. The same wheel and tire fits a bit
different on different Contours. Hell, I have
heard of some people with rubbing right from
the factory. Due to the fact that our cars do
not have a ton of clearance under the fenders
any variations there can mean the difference
between rubbing and not rubbing.
My question... do we really need 225s on our
cars? Fat rubber looks hot and all, but best
handling comes from a well-chosen tire width.
BMW has been catching a lot of flak from the
automotive press lately for the optional 255s
on their 330Ci/330i cars; they fit them to a
lot of the cars they give out for road tests,
and the verdict seems to be that they're just
too much. Wider tires are also heavier...
T.
[This message has been edited by timd (edited March 27, 2001).]
