Originally posted by gonzoY5
The biggest benefit of the 16/19 pulley setup isn't the even tire wear in the sense of "saving" tires. The biggest benefit is that the car keeps the same OD ratio during a run. When your rears wear down faster than the front, If you start with even tire diameter you have a 1.00 OD ratio, by the end of a main, say if your rears have worn 3mm more than the front(or more depending on how long the main is), you have a 1.05 OD ratio. You car will be driving different and actually slower than if it had stayed even. The car will push on sweeping turns, and hook when coming out of a turn unless you're careful. For a new driver this can be difficult, and for a more experienced driver this can make the difference of winning and losing a tight race at the end because your car isn't handling as well as it was in the beginning. Remember, at 1.05 your fronts are now trying to pull the car, and "dragging" the slower spinning rears. Some people say the car drives easier with smaller rears. I say it's because the car is actually driving slower. Slower definitely feels easier. If there was a way to keep the tire wear reasonably even with the stock setup this would be ideal because of less internal drag, but the even wear is key
Now from my experience, with the 16/19 setup and the split, the tires wear at nearly the same rate. Now that 3.5mm spilt isn't just some magic number that someone pulled out of the air. With the 16/19 and a 3.5mm split, you get a 1.00 OD ratio, which means the fronts and rears will spin at the same rate. If the tires wear at the same rate, that means you'll keep your 1.00 ratio, which gives a more CONSISTANT driving car. Which for a beginner is an easier driving car, and for an expert, gives him a sweet handling car to beat the guy who's car changed towards the end of the race.
PHEW...just had to give my two cents. Any thoughts?
It must also be understood that overdriving the front is only of benefit if you start with the fronts smaller than the rears. It changes the front geometry slightly and also the smaller tyre will act harder.
I have seen many trashed belts on Vonerrs because guys didn't run their fronts small enough.