86_951_

Ok, I'm in the market to get new tires for my 86 951. Everything is stock, but I do have the gold BBS wheels that were an option back then (I think). Currently the car is shod with

225/50 ZR16 Fronts (on the tire after the size it says "92W". Huh?)
245/45 ZR16 Rears (and after the size on the back it says "94Y")

When I went to Tire Rack and used the calculator, it said that stock tire size was:

Front: 205/55-16
Rear: 225/50-16


So, clearly that's not what I'm running. It's pretty hard to find the 245/45s for the rear, and impossible to find them for less than $220 each. I like having the wider tires. I'd really just like to get a wide tire in a popular size so the price is reasonable ($100-$150 a tire maybe?) I'm not concerned with comfort or road noise, but I'd like them to be grippy.

Oh, and they need to fit the BBS wheels. See pic below

What will fit, what should I get?

Please don't tell me search is my friend. Search is not my friend. Search is that ******* in my neighborhood who drones on and on about how much better tires X are than tires Y, and how could you possible think tire Y is better than tire X, are you a freaking idiot, and what was your question again?

hp18racer

Try this link:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes....Eagle+F1+GS-D3

I'd go with the 245/50ZR16 and 225/50ZR16 The backs will be a little taller, but will work if the 245/45's work.

M758

the 225/50 and 245/45 are stock 944 Turbo S sizes. I got my last set of tires Yoko ES100's for about $90 to $100 each about 2 years ago.

Here is a list of tire rack tires in that size.

225/50 R16
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...e=UHP&x=14&y=7

245/45 R16
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...=All&x=93&y=11

Based on the above list I would look at the Fuzion or Hankook. Seems the ES100 is not avaible in 225/50 R16 any more.

fortysixandtwo

I've got a set of Hankook Ventus R-S2 on my 86 with stock phone dial rims. They're available in the sizes you have listed and are reletively inexpensive. The only drawback I see, is the low treadwear rating.
I only have a few hundred miles on them, but don't have any complaints other than needing wider rims and tires for my car.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes....el=Ventus+R-S2

CurtP

You can use the >Tire Size Calculator< to see what the diameter of the stock size tires are and compare them to other sizes that you're considering. If the tire isn't available in the size you want, you can use the calculator to check on the sizes that are available - most of the time you can go a little wider with a different aspect ratio and get exactly what you need.

As for tires - well, that is going to be a personal preference. For inexpensive, sticky tires, I'd recommend the Falken Azenis RT-615. Great tire for the price - I just ordered a set from www.vulcantire.com

I'm running 17" turbo twists and ended up with 225/45-17 for the front and 255/40-17 for the rear. I used the calculator to figure out what size I could run since the 205/50-17 that is on the rim now isn't available in the Azenis.

Darwantae951

17 inch wheels seem to have good tire prices. Usually around 120 a tire.

Matt Sheppard

16's are getting harder and harder to find good rubber for - especially in 245's. Tire companies seem to be retiring many of the 16" models of their performance rubber.

I'm going up to cup 2's when my current rubber wears out (. . . ala Darwin). There is a good selection of 17" tires available!

<edit: it looks like @ Tire Rack you have a whopping 4 models of 245/45's to choose from that are not R compounds! I rest my case.>

LFA951

Impossible for less than $220 each? Not true at all!! I paid $400 for my four Hankook Ventus RS2 Z212, 225 and 245s.....superior to the common Fuzions and equally priced...

superloaf

you can also run 225/50-16's on all 4 wheels. you'll still have a slight rear bias as the rear wheels are an inch wider (just make sure the tire mounter puts the wider wheels on the rear.) and the 225's are available in many more tire models than the 245's and at a much better price. many people run the same tire front & rear for a more neutral car with a little more front end bite and not the normal understeer that most cars come OEM with.

LFA951

Wouldn't the ride feel be weird with the 1" difference front to back?

86_951_

Ridiculously stupid question, but you can't put R17 inch tires on 16 inch wheels, right?

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'm going to pick something up today I think. I'll post back when I make a decision.

86_951_

Does everyone agree that going taller (50% vs. 45%) is ok, and can be done? I really don't understand why the "stock" tire size is not on my car. Someone went wider and taller before I bought my car?

M758

Don't go witha 245/50 when you can get a 245/45.

And...

You do have the stock tire size on the car. It is just stock for the Turbo S.

86-88 944 Turbo's came with
205/55 R16 front 225/50 R16 Rears

88-89 Turbo S came with
225/50 R16 Front and 245/45 R16 Rears. (these happend to be same stock size on the 928 S4 as well)

So you have a stock size that will fit quite well. 7" wheels in front and on 8" or 9" wheels in the back.

For track use using the same size tire front and rear is nice because it is a better balance for the car. Most of the time 245/45 are the prefered size for that. As such you can also run 225/50 front and rear on 7" and 8". Still just get the Hankook 245/45 R16 tire rear and 225/50 R16 fronts. Cheap and effective.

I can't understand why this is so hard?

Spidey944

Love the wheels, u are the 2nd person (includeing myself) that I have seen with the true 3 piece BBS wheels. Take care of them!! Go with the 225/50/16 front and 245/45/16 rears. Great balance and they look nice and wide from the rear. Any wider on the rear and you will affect steering characteristics.

And no, you cant put a 17" tire on a 16" wheel. You can get 4 Fuzions shipped to your door from www.tirerack.com for $380 are are a great street/spirited driving tire.

86_951_

I priced the Hankooks RS-2s at www.TireRack.com. They were going to end up being a total of $489 out the door. Then the cheapest I could get my old tires off and new tires on was from Tires Plus for $120. Put 'em together and it was $610.

I called Butler Tire. They had some Toyo T1Rs. When they realized I was competitively shopping, they said they could get me to walk out the door for $720.

I went to Kaufman Tire. They offered the Continental Sport Contact for $691.

Told the guy at Butler Tire about the Kauffman Tire deal. He said that they could only offer that deal because the Sport Contacts were being discontinued. Rob Kidd, District Manager of Kauffman Tire called Continental to confirm that they were not discontinued, but regardless, he'd sell me the Toyo T1Rs for the same price.

So I'm getting 4 Toyo T1Rs for $691, or about $80 more than Hankooks. Assuming that the T1Rs really are better tires, it seems to be $80 well spent.

Of course, I might have been able to get the Hankooks for less than the $489 walk out the door price.

Thanks for your help. I definitely learned a lot, and I was a very well educated consumer which helped in my negotiating.

Bill