Having applied Hi-Los and some smart 165/60/12 profile tyre shod12 x 5-inch ally rims, discussions get around to a subject that has cropped up a zillion times in the Knowledge, at shows, my e-mail address, etc. - just why does this combination cause the tyre to hit the front arch?

To be more exact - why does the tyre just rub, twang the plastic arch off, or foul the arch to the point of bending it? Even if the genuine, original fitment 'Cooper' alloy 12-inch rims are used with the 165/60/12 tyres? Well, it's all a question of alignment - either subframe to body or suspension to subframe. When trying to source/cure the problem, many folk have discovered that shim plates have been used between the front panel to subframe teardrop mounting and the subframe - and wonder if the car has been in an accident and been 'fudged', so could be causing the problem.

Contemplating the discussions various discussions and lengthy correspondences on the subject of performance preparation, something filtered through to the surface. Tyres.

I've never covered the subject in any detail before, and it appeared that there's a distinct lack of even the most fundamental appreciation of what tyres are all about! In any competition discipline - or in fact any road-going situation as well - the tyres and control parameters used are so important to success, practically all the effort put into the chassis and suspension is to enable those four, relatively small (about the size of your average 'welly' foot-print) contact patches to give of their best. So something was desperately needed to address the situation. As I said, the ultimate goal is get those four small contact patches to give of their very best. Read more