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Originally Posted by cooolone2
I had Bridgestone Portenza's on another vehicle and loved them... But alas, Potato or Potatoes... This discussion could be akin to talking about which OIL is best, lol.
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It doesn't have to be. It is possible to be quite objective about the width of the centre numb spot. Simply turn the wheel a small distance, enough to start a very gentle turn, hold it there for a second, then let go of the wheel. If it stays where you left it instead of returning to centre, you are in the numb spot. When you move it far enough it will return all the way to centre. That is the end of the numb spot. Note that the crown of the road helps the return to centre so typically the numb spot will be narrower on the left side.
My numb spot on the original Pirelli runflats was about 3/4" to the left and 1" to the right. The various tires I experimented with varied that by 50% at most. For comparison, the dead spot on the Blackwing I drove was essentially zero - less than 1/8".
I appreciate that this may seem like a first world problem to some. However, I think it is a symptom of the nearly numb steering feedback at the cornering traction limit. I can feel the reduction in turning force required to hold the steering wheel in place as the front tires start to slide, but it is so weak that it takes a lot of concentration to detect it. I'm not an exceptional driver, so more definite steering feedback would allow that concentration to be better spent on the rear wheels.
Cornering traction feedback is a lot more subjective than the centre numb spot. Although it is the more important issue, I don't think there is much point in asking about it on a car forum since that likely would be more like an oil discussion.