Wheel and tire combo question

[jcrimboli]

So summer is here and it's time for new tires on the summer wheels. I'm running a 17x7 with a +44 offset and 205/45/17's right now. Would it be advantageous to run a wider tire? I was looking into a 215 or potentially 225, but was concerned with the additional weight (1-3 lbs per tire) and the additional stress on the sidewall. Is it worth the extra weight and 10-20mm gained? I've searched around and found pros and cons for both and was hoping for some insight from those with similar experience.

 

[losermakesgood]

I am not trying to be mean. But unless you are driving a race car does the 2lbs per tire really matter? I think it's more about what fits properly and looks good to you.

 

[fuel]

on 7" wide rims I would stick with the 205/45 or change to 215/40.

It all comes down to quality tyre compounds, you aren't going to instantly gain grip moving to a 215 or even a 225 if the quality of tyre is poorer than the 205. Wet weather performance is typically degraded going to wider tyres too as they are more prone to aquaplaning. Remember the contact patch of a tyre still remains the same, so when you're increasing the width of the tyre you're decreasing the length of the tyre that is making contact.

 

[turbowop]

Phillip, I still don't understand why you argue that contact patch doesn't increase with tire width. If that were true, everybody including race teams would still be on wagon wheel width rubber. While I do agree that wider tires can lead to easier hydroplaning, if looking for more dry weather performance, wider is always better. So long as tire quality stays the same.

 

[coyotes]

Wider is better! Weight is negilible compared to performance increase. On a 7" tire I would go with a 225 series tire. On my evolution 8 wheels I have a 235.

 

[EHmotorsports]

And to add. His 235's are as wide as 245's

 

[iceman69510]

I always recommend looking a the tire manufacture's website for the tire you want to see the recommended wheel width. You can see how the 225 size fits the 7" wheel width. Also look at the overall tire diameter vs. the stock tire for speedometer matching to see if you really want to go with 40 or 45 profile.

I have 225/45s on 17 x 8 wheels on one car, and 215/45s on 6.5" wheels on the other car.

If you get too wide for the wheel (even though Mark says more tire is always better... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif) you can get sidewall roll which actually lessens cornering performance.

 

[jcrimboli]

From what I've read it seems the widest recommended tire for a 7" wheel is 215 (if I maintain a sidewall height of 45). It looks like overall tire diameter for stockies is somewhere around 24.2" and the 215/45-17 would be 24.6", while the 215/40-17 is approximately 23.7" so going with the 45 profile seems to be the better choice since there's less of a difference, correct?

Also, what tires are you guys running? I had Falken Azenis RT615K's and loved them, but may be looking for something with a bit higher treadwear rating for a longer life.

Thanks for the info!

 

[turbowop]

Quoting iceman69510:
(even though Mark says more tire is always better... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif) you can get sidewall roll which actually lessens cornering performance.



I mean within reason on the wheel they're being mounted. C'mon, maaaan! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I run 235/40 on my 8" wide wheels. I used to run 245's which I feel we're too much. I love the 235 Star Specs though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[manikbastrd]

Be careful going too wide, as tire manufacturers design sidewalls for specific wheel widths...just because you can fit a 255 on a 7" wheel doesn't mean you will actually gain anything out of it. A nicer narrower tire will do a lot more for you than a wider tire with a crap compound, or a tire that is too wide and your sidewall does not fit properly.

 

[coyotes]

Agreed, luckily there are plenty of hardcore track and autocross guys who have done the research for you, you can do some searching around and find what size of a particular type of tire works well on what size wheel.

 

[1dvsdsm]

drop to 16s, rpf1, run 8" wide and get some fat rubber, problems solved. 16" tires are cheaper then 17s all day long too

 

[jcrimboli]

Yeah it seems I'll be doing a bit more research before I make a final decision. And 1dvsdsm, I'm kinda partial to my Volks. The difference in price isn't really that much of a concern to me.

I'm finding the spec sheets from the manufacturers on Tire Rack are quite helpful (as well as the info here).

 

[jcrimboli]

This may be the best bang for the buck I've found: click

 

[tektic]

I have 225/50/16 on 2gb eclipse wheels... They rub the inner fender wall.
I didn't pick the tire size i got set like this. like said above 225 is definitely too wide for this rim.

 

[transparentdsm]

Quoting jcrimboli:
This may be the best bang for the buck I've found: click



i think this is what Thomas(coyotes) is running on his car. we had a conversation about this not to long ago.

i got these: click
haven't put them on my rims yet though.

 

[coyotes]

Both I and Evan (EHmotorsports) have that same tire in 235/45/17. I haven't drove on them yet but I think Evan says they are pretty badass. They are pretty much the cheapest DOT legal racing tire. They have a good treadwear and wet rating though. They are just a super sticky summer tire. I think you can expect to get 15-20k out of them. Not bad for less than $100 a tire.

 

[jcrimboli]

Yeah transparent, I found another thread discussing tire selection and noticed Thomas had found these (good find, thank you). I really only plan on running the Volks in the summer so 15-20k is plenty and it's pretty dry here in the high desert so I'm not too worried about how they'll perform in the rain /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Oh and any word on that 2g manifold??

 

[manikbastrd]

If you want the very stickiest street tire I have ever owned, I would highly recommend the R888's by toyo...pricey, but you can't do any better IMHO