Post by unocvin on Mar 29, 2011 14:50:53 GMT 8
I swap out the 16" for a set of 15" fitted with Michelin XM1. If it had been available,
the Kumho KU31 would be my choice as I have become familiar with its
characteristics, and that would be a great way to compare the difference with
only the wheels being different.
On the other hand, I really like the Slipstream and have been looking out for
them since 2009! Rota got some bad press as a clone/replica/fake/copy
manufacturer of marque names' orginal wheel design.
Based on what I read of netizens' opinions of the Slipstream, I made a few
presumption. The manufacture of this particular design dates back about 10 yrs,
and that would allow them to fine tune their process and design, refined by
experience to make it better. Afterall, in those early days, their export to the
USA were besieged with reports of breakage and cracks heavily publicised via the
WWW. They took the step to replace broken wheels, a sign of their intent to make
themselves a trusted manufacturer.
I trust they put that experience to good use and feel the Slipstream of today is a safe product.
I am really happy to find this (maybe the only?) set of 15x6.5 et40 in our
4x114.3 PCD and a perfect 67.1mm centrebore size (no need for hub rings!). The
+40 offset just touches the Cerato btake calipers, adding 2mm thick washers on
the studs solved that and still allow the wheel to be centered on the axle hub (diameter 67.1mm).
I was told that a custom order of this particular specs was made for track use
and this is the very last set from that batch kept as a backup. Rota are not exactly low-priced,
so I am surprised to see the more common flat black Slipstream 15x6.5 in 4x100
PCD priced very attractively by one particular shop, but useless for our Cerato.
There is only one small bug for me : Bronze is not my choice of colour! I really
like silvery/grey (there is a polished silver in the factory catalogue!), this
colour contrast against my black-coloured Cerato is a little racy for my taste.
I don't know if I can get use to the colour.
Comparing this setup with my 16" wheels : steering is lighter, moving off is
easier, need not use as much throttle going up MSCP, steering response feels
quicker but this could be attributed to tyre section width and/or rubber
composition (wished I had the KU31 to compare). The suspension is also coping
better with less unsprung weight.
Hopefully, I'll start to see my fuel economy improving and the XM1 lasting
longer than the KU31 which starts to feel different at about 25,000km (wet
driving is no longer what it was). My mechanic highly recommends the XM1, his
set is about 50000km old and claims its performance stayed consistently the same
throughout.
And if I can just hope for one more thing : a polished silver Slipstream ....some day.
*not advertising, nor endorsing, just celebrating