Almost four years on, this review by Chris Harris of a Mercedes Benz C63 AMG on space saver tires is still the only review of modern performance cars worth watching.
The review critically distances the concepts of ‘speed’ with ‘fun.’
Speed requires certain things, certain sacrifices. Among other things, you need big tires for big traction. At high speed, the car will be right at the limit. At low speed, however, the car will be leaden, disengaged, bored.
Harris makes the point with the help of 125-section space saver tires. They give him an equivalent of 1,200 horsepower if he was running on the standard 255-section rears.
Space savers aren’t a practical or sensible choice for a car, particularly at 60PSI, but they make the car dance and come alive, well within the limits of sanity, self-preservation, and legality.
Chris Harris made this video at the very start of 2012. It could be made today and be just as true.
Contact the author at raphael@jalopnik.com.