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27 inch tires seems close to best compromise?


pyromanic
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for streetability and mild off road?

 

I've been digging through all tire posts, stickys and such, and am getting the impression that 27" tires seems to be a fairly common tire height for those who wish to compromise.

 

'85 GL, EA82, de-emissioned Hitache breather opened up to breath better, hopefully weber later with custom exhaust (soon to be PK lifted/3x3, ) 5p DR.

 

Streetability is actually a "little" more important for this rig than off-road capability.

 

Am currently running at 24.5". First gear (hi) is a little doggy, but not bad.

 

When running 27"s or taller, what make these EA82's streetable? The Weber? (and whatever combination of mods creates that extra HP?)

 

In other words, I want to know if I am getting it. The impression I am under so far, is that without that extra HP, (which I understand how to get, just not quite there yet) run taller tires, your running a dog. Is this correct?

 

Thanks for comments

Pyro

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I'd go with 28" AT tires if I had to compromise. Honestly you shouldnt have much trouble with 28"s if your engine is solid. I can easily go 70-80 mph on the freeways with 29"s. Taking off isnt that bad either, just more gas and less clutch :) This is with an '88 EA82 SPFI so yeah, more compression is nice too ;)

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also, keep in mind, morganm has no speedo. and the tother nite on the way to university, he was speeding alot... yes alot.

morganms lifted 4x takes off almost just as fast as my 2x hatch with stock engine, and tires.

27 should be cool tho, just dont do anything crazy... like going smaller than 27s.

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the SPFI makes a huge difference, you get higher comp. pistons and a better fuel system. carb ea82s are really really gutless to begin with, as I'm sure you've noticed. SPFI is just gutless. Instead of a weber conversion I would consider an SPFI swap. It will probably end up cheaper if you go to the right junkyard for parts, but it will be more work. In the end though, you will get preformance comparable to the weber, but with better power off-road because efi is not affected by angles like a carberator.

 

There are more factors than tire height that determine street performance. The tread pattern, width, and tire weight also impact. My gearing turns out so that when I run 31" tires my ratios should make my car feel like its running 28s. Let me tell you, I can still tell the difference between the 31s on modded gearing and the 28s on stock gearing. This is because of the tire/rim weight, and the high rolling resistance of my tires. I have to really ride the clutch to get the thing moving on a hill in 1st high/high.

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You guys crack me up and I know you all speed down the freeway now after meeting you. lol

 

I'm running 29's on my carbed wagon. Haven't had it mudding but it seems to go down the road ok. I was running the 14" pugs with 24" tires before and really didnt notice allot of differance. On a hill I start out in low range thou and run it thru second before I shift back to 2wheel drive. Kinda like having another gear. :)

 

Oh and yeah, I dont speed either. I do just whay my speedo says lol

 

Oh and here, this will help MorganM not get a ticket. :)

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

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You guys crack me up and I know you all speed down the freeway now after meeting you. lol

 

I'm running 29's on my carbed wagon. Haven't had it mudding but it seems to go down the road ok. I was running the 14" pugs with 24" tires before and really didnt notice allot of differance. On a hill I start out in low range thou and run it thru second before I shift back to 2wheel drive. Kinda like having another gear. :)

 

Oh and yeah, I dont speed either. I do just whay my speedo says lol

 

Oh and here, this will help MorganM not get a ticket. :)

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

Please note he his driving a Carb'd EA82 with 29"s :drunk:

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that was my main reason with going to 28s. i want to be able to bury my speedo in my hatch, on the highway.

 

the spfi can make a huge difference, but carbs can be fast too. it all depends on the subaru. i've had mpfi that beats the crap out of a carb , but also had a carb, that would walk all over my spfi... so who knows. just floor it! =]

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I'm running 225/70R14 (26.4" I think) on a 3" lifted 87 wagon with a hydro lifter ea81 and weber carb.

 

carb tuning is very important with the lift and bigger tires...

 

with the fresh rebuild of the carb, I was easily hitting 75 on my non-adjusted speedo, which would have been around 85 (roughly).

 

of course now that I have the Yakima rack and fairings up top, the wind kills me :)

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I'm running 225/70R14 (26.4" I think) on a 3" lifted 87 wagon with a hydro lifter ea81 and weber carb.

 

carb tuning is very important with the lift and bigger tires...

 

with the fresh rebuild of the carb, I was easily hitting 75 on my non-adjusted speedo, which would have been around 85 (roughly).

 

of course now that I have the Yakima rack and fairings up top, the wind kills me :)

oohhhh the wind :( It's rough on the lifted Subarus!

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I drove my 29"s with a carb'd EA82 up to the mountains yesterday and it drove like a gutless POS. Now don't get me wrong, I like my wagon lots, but trying to get up a long grade is painful. I was wide open going about 30 mph getting passed by a steady stream of SUVs going 70 (like I do when I drive my truck up there.) Going up I70 in Colorado towards the ski slopes isn't even all that steep, not like I40 up Old Fort Mt in NC, or any given mountain two-lane. I guess the thin air doesn't help, but I don't think the gears on the 5sp-4WD button tranny are all that bad for hills.

 

Hopefully this summer I can drop a rebuilt turbo motor in there and maybe almost keep up with traffic on dry pavement. But hey, on the plus side - with the studded snows - it is still about the fastest thing on the ice.

 

- James B

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