Feel like a moron on this one
02-16-2005, 12:10 PM
#1
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Feel like a moron on this one Hey guys, I just got some 17x9.5 and 18x9.5 Z06 rims and want to finally get some performance tires that I can still use for daily driving... the problem is that tire jargon is totally alien to me, I dont understand crap pretty much. Can someone explain this to me and help guide me on what I will need and where to get them for a decent price. Thanks so much guys for helping the retards. 
-JOSH
-JOSH
02-16-2005, 12:27 PM
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315/35-R17
315 is the width of the tire in milimeters, 35 is the sidewall height as a percentage of the width. So in this case the sidewall is 35% of 315. The R17 means it is on a 17" diameter rim. I don't exactly know what the R means, but if it is a Y or Z rated tire the company can put ZR17 instead of just R17.
315 is the width of the tire in milimeters, 35 is the sidewall height as a percentage of the width. So in this case the sidewall is 35% of 315. The R17 means it is on a 17" diameter rim. I don't exactly know what the R means, but if it is a Y or Z rated tire the company can put ZR17 instead of just R17.
02-16-2005, 01:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Poik
315/35-R17
315 is the width of the tire in milimeters, 35 is the sidewall height as a percentage of the width. So in this case the sidewall is 35% of 315. The R17 means it is on a 17" diameter rim. I don't exactly know what the R means, but if it is a Y or Z rated tire the company can put ZR17 instead of just R17.
315 is the width of the tire in milimeters, 35 is the sidewall height as a percentage of the width. So in this case the sidewall is 35% of 315. The R17 means it is on a 17" diameter rim. I don't exactly know what the R means, but if it is a Y or Z rated tire the company can put ZR17 instead of just R17.
the "R" stands for Radial
but do you need to know what kind/sizes to put on your new rims? 
02-16-2005, 03:00 PM
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This link was given to me recently to calculate tire sizes/percentages: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
TireRack.com has good prices on tires. They had the best deal on the Eagle F1's that I just received today.
You can convert between inches and mm by multiplying/dividing by 25.4. You want a little bit of hangover on the sides to help protect the rim. Generally speaking, if you have an 9.5" rim, add an inch for the lips of the rim, so 10.5". That equates to roughly 266.7mm. So, minimum, I would probably go with a 275mm section width. You can use the above calculator to make certain you get the series number correct
(keeping the OD roughly the same size as stock so the speedometer will remain accurate).
ie, 285/40R17 for the front + 285/35R18 for the rear --- whatever you decide to do -(this specific selection would keep the speedometer within .5% accuracy, with both tires being roughly 26" tall and 11.2" wide). You could decrease the front tire's width to 275, or increase the rear wheel width to 295 or 305 perhaps, but the wider you go, the more the sidewalls will have to pull in to fit the rim, and the more you'll have to adjust the series number (sidewall height) to maintain overall tire diameter...
Make sense?
TireRack.com has good prices on tires. They had the best deal on the Eagle F1's that I just received today.
You can convert between inches and mm by multiplying/dividing by 25.4. You want a little bit of hangover on the sides to help protect the rim. Generally speaking, if you have an 9.5" rim, add an inch for the lips of the rim, so 10.5". That equates to roughly 266.7mm. So, minimum, I would probably go with a 275mm section width. You can use the above calculator to make certain you get the series number correct
(keeping the OD roughly the same size as stock so the speedometer will remain accurate).
ie, 285/40R17 for the front + 285/35R18 for the rear --- whatever you decide to do -(this specific selection would keep the speedometer within .5% accuracy, with both tires being roughly 26" tall and 11.2" wide). You could decrease the front tire's width to 275, or increase the rear wheel width to 295 or 305 perhaps, but the wider you go, the more the sidewalls will have to pull in to fit the rim, and the more you'll have to adjust the series number (sidewall height) to maintain overall tire diameter...
Make sense?
Last edited by Alex94TAGT; 02-16-2005 at 03:09 PM.
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02-16-2005, 07:17 PM
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No you do not put drag radials on the front too. For the rear you should get a 285/35-R18 Nitto 555R if you go the drag radial route. For the front the 275/40ZR17 will be good. I would suggest an Eagle F1 tire, but there are other great tires out there as well.
02-17-2005, 09:09 AM
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yeah the DR's arent going to last nearly as long as a normal z-rated tire. for the fronts i say go with a 275/40/17, look up the falken 451's. thats what i switched to, and really like them. they look good, and treadwear is better than most others for the money. if you do them on the rears go with 285/35/18, they fit nice. check my website for pics of them on the wheels you have