However, having different-shaped contact patches front and rear doesn't lend itself to predictability. Long narrow contact patches have a marginal advantage in wet traction (like a bicycle tire, which is less prone to hydroplaning) compared to the wide short contact patch of a go-kart tire (which is good for dry traction). It's not that big a deal for dry Southern California streets, but can play havoc for those who drive in changing weather or surface conditions, as different ends of the car will break away differently. Even in the dry, the behavior from different contact patch profiles will vary over different surfaces.
We've also changed the dynamic feel of Project Z with this choice of tire sizes, and not for the better. Putting so much sidewall up front inevitably takes away from the instant steering feel of the old set-up. More sidewall means more flex, so less steering precision, but more ultimate grip. No one else on staff has seemed to notice except for me. Maybe it's the placebo effect. The 255 fronts are also more square and the perfect fit for the front nine-inch-wide wheel, with proper sidewall angles and a symmetrical contact patch. The rears, on the other hand, are slightly puffed out and have little sidewall compliance, so they pick up more high-speed suspension nuances.
So did we make it better than Coleman? Probably not in terms of the small sacrifices. But the big picture is a much stickier and more forgiving car, mostly on account of the Neovas. Driving stupidity in the Z has definitely escalated among the staff. If we had the option, would we choose this set-up again? Definitely not. We just got lucky that the tire made up for all the things we were willing to compromise. Next time, we'd stick with the Neova, but beg and plead for Yokohama to make a 275/40R18 size (hint, hint) and solve all our problems.
Why did I waste two pages talking about the wrong set of tires? To shine some light on how much tire selection matters and convince people to put some thought and money into their tire selection, something we've been preaching all along. Picking the penny-pincher deal at Wal-Mart is tantamount to shooting yourself in the foot. Nothing says more than rolling up with a brand new set of forged Volks alloys mounted with Nangkang grocery-getter tires.Jay ChenEngineering Editor