new 18" wheels...now what kind of tires?
09-05-2002, 11:38 AM
#1
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
new 18" wheels...now what kind of tires?
Well, after wanting to for awhile, I finally got my 18" hollow spoke turbo wheels. I am way up in the air trying to decide on tires though...I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject. My car is '97 Coupe that I use on the street for cruising and some agressive driving. I may do a track event 2 times a year or so. I want to get more than 5000 miles from the rears, comfort and noise are almost as important as performance. I drive the car about 3000 miles a year, so I will be living with the tires for awhile. I'm currently considering: Pirelli PZero Rosso, Michelin Pilot Sport, and Bridgestone SO3. Thanks for your input!
09-05-2002, 04:50 PM
#2
I've had S03's on for about 5 K miles and like them so far. I've been to a few autoX and one DE event and they still have plenty of tread.
I haven't tried the others, so I can't comment on grip.
Is your car a widebody or narrow? I've got a wide body and have been thinking of running 245/35's in the front instead of the stock 224/40's. It's supposed to greatly improve the balance of the car by taking out understeer. HOwever, afaik, only pirelli makes this size in a street tire.
Jeff
I haven't tried the others, so I can't comment on grip.
Is your car a widebody or narrow? I've got a wide body and have been thinking of running 245/35's in the front instead of the stock 224/40's. It's supposed to greatly improve the balance of the car by taking out understeer. HOwever, afaik, only pirelli makes this size in a street tire.
Jeff
09-05-2002, 05:13 PM
#3
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Mine is a narrowbody. I plan to run 285/30 on the rear and 225/40 on the front. Is there another choice besides the 245/35 on the front that maybe offers more tire choices. I'd kinda like to get more rubber on the front as well...I seem to get a decent amount of push (understeer) when hard cornering, but it could just be the overly-worn front tires lacking grip.
09-05-2002, 06:19 PM
#4
If you are already getting understeer, going to 285/30's on the back is only going to make it worse!
If you have adjustable shocks/sway bars, you can take some of it out though.
Jeff
If you have adjustable shocks/sway bars, you can take some of it out though.
Jeff
09-05-2002, 11:38 PM
#5
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
How do I find out the maximum tire width (for my new 18" wheels) I can put on the front? Is this information in the owner's manual? Is there any negative to putting more rubber up front?
09-06-2002, 12:24 AM
#6
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
I was just looking at Tire rack and they have SO3 in 18" in 245/35 and 235/40. I heard someone say that the 245/35 doesn't fit well (too wide) on the 8" wide twist wheel. If I go from a 225/40 to a 235/40, I get an sidewall increase of .16" and an overall increase in wheel+tire height of .32". The 225/40 maintains just about the exact same wheel+tire height as the stock 205/50x17" I currently have. Do tires usually scrub the wheelwell because the tires are too wide or too tall? What does all this mean? I have no clue...I'm just trying to get the best set-up on tires that I can. <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" />
Trending Topics
09-06-2002, 01:56 AM
#8
245/35 are probably the biggest that you want on a 8" wheel. It's not optimal, but will work, at least from the people that I've talked to on Rennlist about it. 8.5" is a better rim for this tire.
I think that the most important thing is to have the car handling neutrally. Putting larger rubber up front ( or smaller in the rear ) will solve that. Adjustable sway bars will also help. Adjustable shocks ( ie pss-9's ) will help also.
The amount of scrubbing that you may experience depends on the tire size, your suspension travel ( if you have mofidifed shocks/stiffer springs/etc ), your alignment ( negative camber, etc ), and your wheel offset.
It's a lot of variables to deal with, and sometimes it's a bit of trial and error, especially with the tires. Tire manufacturers do not stick exactly to the stated tire sizes.
I'm been running everything stock up to this point, but am probably going to start playing around the next time and going with 245's in the front.
I'd suggest that you just make changes one at a time, so you can see the effect of your changes. Perhaps you should just stick with the stock 225 rubber until you get a baseline of how you feel with the new rims/wheels.
Jeff
ps, I wish that they had 245/35 in the S03's. T guess it's not a very popular size.
I think that the most important thing is to have the car handling neutrally. Putting larger rubber up front ( or smaller in the rear ) will solve that. Adjustable sway bars will also help. Adjustable shocks ( ie pss-9's ) will help also.
The amount of scrubbing that you may experience depends on the tire size, your suspension travel ( if you have mofidifed shocks/stiffer springs/etc ), your alignment ( negative camber, etc ), and your wheel offset.
It's a lot of variables to deal with, and sometimes it's a bit of trial and error, especially with the tires. Tire manufacturers do not stick exactly to the stated tire sizes.
I'm been running everything stock up to this point, but am probably going to start playing around the next time and going with 245's in the front.
I'd suggest that you just make changes one at a time, so you can see the effect of your changes. Perhaps you should just stick with the stock 225 rubber until you get a baseline of how you feel with the new rims/wheels.
Jeff
ps, I wish that they had 245/35 in the S03's. T guess it's not a very popular size.
09-06-2002, 09:57 AM
#9
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Jeff,
Thanks very much for your input. I think that I will probably go with the 285/30 rear and 235/40 front. The 235/40 will give me a bit more rubber up front, there are plenty of brands available, and I'm guessing that it will fit ok...my car has stock suspension. I do think I will post a message on the main 993 board to see if anybody else has used that size with no scrubbing problems. Thanks again for your help!
Thanks very much for your input. I think that I will probably go with the 285/30 rear and 235/40 front. The 235/40 will give me a bit more rubber up front, there are plenty of brands available, and I'm guessing that it will fit ok...my car has stock suspension. I do think I will post a message on the main 993 board to see if anybody else has used that size with no scrubbing problems. Thanks again for your help!