New wheels/tires have transformed the car

[Fowvay]

There's an old saying which applies to your scenario.

Oversteer scares the passengers.
Understeer scares the driver.

[randyzimmer]

Originally Posted by Fowvay

There's an old saying which applies to your scenario.

Oversteer scares the passengers.
Understeer scares the driver.

Neither of which you will get much of with the latest stability control.
The wider tire and swaybar mod make the car feel like a go-kart and appears to delay the stability control (does it measure tilt?).
Pretty neutral.

[RussBarnes]

Now that I have well over 1000 miles on my four equal, wider, taller Michelins I can report that I sure can go around corners a lot faster and harder. In that time only twice has the stability control kicked in; once at slow speed on a gravelish area I turned hard on and once on a highly banked ninety degree that I really pushed hard. I wonder if the stability control has say a fluid dampening so it doesn't become a nusiance? Here in middle TN there are a lot of back roads I travel that have tight, flat ninetys and I keep going into them hotter and harder expecting to feel something, but all I get is being pushed harder and harder against the seat bolsters. I feel much more in control with real tires than the stock ones - but that is my opinion and not that of smart.

[Derek Bell]

Originally Posted by Fowvay

There's an old saying which applies to your scenario.

Oversteer scares the passengers.
Understeer scares the driver.

The one I heard:

An old NASCAR driver said, "Well, I don't know much about these fancy terms, but I guess understeer is when you hit the wall. Oversteer is when you hit the wall backwards."

[Derek Bell]

Just ordered 15x6 Rials with the Yokohama S.drive 195/50 all around from Discount Tire. We'll see.

[lunarx]

Originally Posted by Derek Bell

Just ordered 15x6 Rials with the Yokohama S.drive 195/50 all around from Discount Tire. We'll see.

Please keep us posted on that and upload pics once installed.

I'm looking at that setup but with the higher performing newly released Toyo R1R 195-50-15

[Derek Bell]

lunarx,

Those look awesome. I may have ordered the Yokos a bit too early. Any way here are some pix of the TRANSFORMED smart:

[Derek Bell]

And now for some particulars:

Got them at the local Discount Tire on East Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA. (Talk to "Fernando L."). Ordered on Monday, driving on them on Thursday.

Cost was Rials: $135 ea., Yokohama s.Drives: $80 ea., replacement cert, lifetime balancing, TPMS rebuild kits, env fee, installation, S&H and tax= $1,153.45

Cosmetically, this mod puts the car exactly where it should look. Aggressive look, but not over the top. I didn't want a race, AMG, or "blinged" look. Rials have a Mercedes-esque appearance, and the uninitiated probably have no clue that the set up is other than stock.

Everything previously stated in this thread about performance of this combo (15x6 and 195/50 all around) is either spot on or understated. Much more confidence going into the turns. Understeer greatly reduced. Control, confidence and precision in the turns is high.

Ride enhanced a bit. Seems that having a significant increase in rubber footprint acts like have a bit more shock absorber.

Can now rotate tires, and the speedometer is correct.

In short I feel that this is the one "must have" performance upgrade for the smart.

Someday soon I'll have someone paint the front air dam extension, side skirts and rear valence to match, and I'm DONE!

[mnext02]

too small. Should have got 17s

[Derek Bell]

Perhaps you missed the "Rials: $135 each" part.