TTII's w/ 315x35's and 275x40's review
03-26-2005, 06:28 PM
#1
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
TTII's w/ 315x35's and 275x40's review Greetings,
Occasionally I write up a review for new products that I have purchased so people can read someone's experience and hopefully make a more educated choice about possibly purcashing the same product, if they wish.
So here is my experience with American Racing TTII's, 17x11 in back and 17x9.5 in front coated with Good Year Eagle F1 GS-D3's 315/35 and 275/40.
Disclaimer***: I am not a professional with cars. I am pretty familiar with them, but I wouldn't consider myself a pro. This is just merely my experience with my car.
Rims were purchased through a wholesale buyer I found through ebay. I payed aproximately 975 for the TTII's and just over 1,000 for GS-D3's all the way around. PM me if you want his contact. Also, PM me if you would like to know where I bought the tires.
When I was about to put these wheels onto the car, I could not even imagine how they were going to fit on the car. The back wheels are insanely wide (just looking at them sitting off of the car). When I took off the left side rear wheel, I compared the two wheels and couldn't believe how much wider the new wheels and tires were. My car doesn't have a lowering kit on it, so I knew that was going to work for me with these wheels fitting (I am told it is more difficult to put these on if you have lowered your car).
My first mistake was jacking the car by the door panel frame (where you are supposed to jack the rear end, so says the manual). This makes it impossible to get the new rear wheel on without the tire/wheel hitting the suspension linkage and making it impossible to lower the jack without destroying a part of the wheel and tire. So I had to replace the old rear wheel and let the car back down. At this point I was able to jack just behind the actual wheel (behind the brake area). This enabled the suspension to be compressed how it normally is when the car is just sitting. Which in turn allowed me to get the fat 17x11's on the back. There is aproximately an inch's worth of room on the backside of the tire from the wheel well. At some points there is only half an inch, which makes me nervous when cornering fast (rightfully so, I did end up getting a little rubbing).
On the right rear, I jacked off of the suspension bracket. I was worried I might bend the bracket, but it worked out well. Again, there was an inch clearence on the backside of the wheel and a half inch in some spots after the installation.
The front wheels went on without a hitch. I jacked in the normal jack spot for the front of the car (according to the manual). One thing I did notice was that a cotter pin on the suspension bolt was sharp and aiming right for the sidewall of the tire. It didn't take much intelligence to see that this COULD pose a problem, if you know what I mean. So I pounded it with a metal mallet and took a file and smoothed it out as best as I could so that it wasn't a hazard to the tire.
After all that, I pulled it out of storage and took it for a nice 200 mile drive (I live in western michigan, so this is the first time I have driven it all winter).
The steering is quite a bit different. I expected it to be different, but I really wasn't sure what to expect. It seems like it is a bit more touchy, but along with it, it is stiffer than it was. Which is expected, going from a 225 to a 275 width tire. She still handles well though.
The rear tires are a bit harder to break loose. With the other back wheels, you could break them loose with a little clutch work, but now she needs just a bit more gas to get the tail going. Which, obviously, is to be expected. Nothing out of the ordinary there. I definately get a noticable better launch with these tires, compared to the original WS6 wheels and average run-of-the-mill tires.
It took me an hour or two to get used to the steering. Reading all of the reviews on the wheels and tires, most people only refer to how awesome they look. Which they were right, the looks of the rims and tires are HELLA cool. But nobody ever mentioned the difference in steering. So after that eye opener, I am quite happy.
Along with all of this, most people said they didn't have to pound the wheel well to get rid of rubbing. In a straight line situation, I don't have any rubbing. But taking corners a little quick, I definately get a little rubbing. I am not sure if it is on the front or back (was listening to music, sorry
), but I would definately assume it was the back. As I had double the clearance in the front compared to the back.
If you plan on turning aggressively, I suggest doing a little work on the rear wheel well's with a rubber mallet (the rubbing I experienced was with a mildly agressive turn).
As for my opinion of the tires, I haven't driven in rain yet, so I am not sure about that. I haven't really tested them to the extreme, but they do hook well and corner well. I am starting to feel what they mean when they say "it corners on rails". Furthermore on the tires hook, I warmed them up a little bit but nothing to extreme (I was driving through small towns). Luckily, not 10 seconds after letting them loose on a side road, I turn onto a main road and I see a 96-97 (guessing on the year) LT1. To my surprise, the road turned into two lanes just outside of town. Last red light before you get out into the country, he pulls up beside me. The "pontiac eye contact" was initiated and we ran them from a dig to about 80 mph. I am pretty sure he was stock. After he caught up with me (wink wink), he gave a wave and kept on going. What a good way to start the spring.
I think that is about it. Feel free to ask any questions about my experiences with them so far.
I will post some pictures as soon as I clean them up. The 250 miles today made them a little dirty.
Thanks!
Josh
Occasionally I write up a review for new products that I have purchased so people can read someone's experience and hopefully make a more educated choice about possibly purcashing the same product, if they wish.
So here is my experience with American Racing TTII's, 17x11 in back and 17x9.5 in front coated with Good Year Eagle F1 GS-D3's 315/35 and 275/40.
Disclaimer***: I am not a professional with cars. I am pretty familiar with them, but I wouldn't consider myself a pro. This is just merely my experience with my car.
Rims were purchased through a wholesale buyer I found through ebay. I payed aproximately 975 for the TTII's and just over 1,000 for GS-D3's all the way around. PM me if you want his contact. Also, PM me if you would like to know where I bought the tires.
When I was about to put these wheels onto the car, I could not even imagine how they were going to fit on the car. The back wheels are insanely wide (just looking at them sitting off of the car). When I took off the left side rear wheel, I compared the two wheels and couldn't believe how much wider the new wheels and tires were. My car doesn't have a lowering kit on it, so I knew that was going to work for me with these wheels fitting (I am told it is more difficult to put these on if you have lowered your car).
My first mistake was jacking the car by the door panel frame (where you are supposed to jack the rear end, so says the manual). This makes it impossible to get the new rear wheel on without the tire/wheel hitting the suspension linkage and making it impossible to lower the jack without destroying a part of the wheel and tire. So I had to replace the old rear wheel and let the car back down. At this point I was able to jack just behind the actual wheel (behind the brake area). This enabled the suspension to be compressed how it normally is when the car is just sitting. Which in turn allowed me to get the fat 17x11's on the back. There is aproximately an inch's worth of room on the backside of the tire from the wheel well. At some points there is only half an inch, which makes me nervous when cornering fast (rightfully so, I did end up getting a little rubbing).
On the right rear, I jacked off of the suspension bracket. I was worried I might bend the bracket, but it worked out well. Again, there was an inch clearence on the backside of the wheel and a half inch in some spots after the installation.
The front wheels went on without a hitch. I jacked in the normal jack spot for the front of the car (according to the manual). One thing I did notice was that a cotter pin on the suspension bolt was sharp and aiming right for the sidewall of the tire. It didn't take much intelligence to see that this COULD pose a problem, if you know what I mean. So I pounded it with a metal mallet and took a file and smoothed it out as best as I could so that it wasn't a hazard to the tire.
After all that, I pulled it out of storage and took it for a nice 200 mile drive (I live in western michigan, so this is the first time I have driven it all winter).
The steering is quite a bit different. I expected it to be different, but I really wasn't sure what to expect. It seems like it is a bit more touchy, but along with it, it is stiffer than it was. Which is expected, going from a 225 to a 275 width tire. She still handles well though.
The rear tires are a bit harder to break loose. With the other back wheels, you could break them loose with a little clutch work, but now she needs just a bit more gas to get the tail going. Which, obviously, is to be expected. Nothing out of the ordinary there. I definately get a noticable better launch with these tires, compared to the original WS6 wheels and average run-of-the-mill tires.
It took me an hour or two to get used to the steering. Reading all of the reviews on the wheels and tires, most people only refer to how awesome they look. Which they were right, the looks of the rims and tires are HELLA cool. But nobody ever mentioned the difference in steering. So after that eye opener, I am quite happy.
Along with all of this, most people said they didn't have to pound the wheel well to get rid of rubbing. In a straight line situation, I don't have any rubbing. But taking corners a little quick, I definately get a little rubbing. I am not sure if it is on the front or back (was listening to music, sorry
), but I would definately assume it was the back. As I had double the clearance in the front compared to the back.If you plan on turning aggressively, I suggest doing a little work on the rear wheel well's with a rubber mallet (the rubbing I experienced was with a mildly agressive turn).
As for my opinion of the tires, I haven't driven in rain yet, so I am not sure about that. I haven't really tested them to the extreme, but they do hook well and corner well. I am starting to feel what they mean when they say "it corners on rails". Furthermore on the tires hook, I warmed them up a little bit but nothing to extreme (I was driving through small towns). Luckily, not 10 seconds after letting them loose on a side road, I turn onto a main road and I see a 96-97 (guessing on the year) LT1. To my surprise, the road turned into two lanes just outside of town. Last red light before you get out into the country, he pulls up beside me. The "pontiac eye contact" was initiated and we ran them from a dig to about 80 mph. I am pretty sure he was stock. After he caught up with me (wink wink), he gave a wave and kept on going. What a good way to start the spring.
I think that is about it. Feel free to ask any questions about my experiences with them so far.
I will post some pictures as soon as I clean them up. The 250 miles today made them a little dirty.
Thanks!
Josh
Last edited by ods32; 03-26-2005 at 06:35 PM.
03-26-2005, 11:39 PM
#2
On The Tree
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Wichita Falls, TX
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by ods32
On the right rear, I jacked off of the suspension bracket. I was worried I might bend the bracket, but it worked out well.
Had to point that out. Good write up though. May save someone some time on installation.
03-27-2005, 08:53 AM
#4
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by RobTheHog
Tell me I'm not the only one who spotted this in paragraph 7!!!! Had to point that out. Good write up though. May save someone some time on installation.
Had to point that out. Good write up though. May save someone some time on installation.
03-27-2005, 09:44 AM
#5
TECH Regular
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Maumelle, Arkansas
Posts: 486
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
that's a long write-up, i got the same set-up. I jacked up the car, pulled the old wheels off, and put the new ones on...that wasn't a long write-up, now was it? 
03-27-2005, 11:04 AM
#6
Good write-up. I'm going with the TTII's eventually but don't know if the 315's are for me. I love the way they look, but there are just too many clearance issues. Especially since I plan on lowering my car. And the idea of pounding on the wheel well of a 30k dollar car with a rubber mallet just doesn't sit well with me. I'll probably just stick with the 9.5" rims all the way around.
Trending Topics
03-27-2005, 02:22 PM
#8
TECH Fanatic
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Friendswood, TX
Posts: 1,310
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by BrntWS6
Good write-up. I'm going with the TTII's eventually but don't know if the 315's are for me. I love the way they look, but there are just too many clearance issues. Especially since I plan on lowering my car. And the idea of pounding on the wheel well of a 30k dollar car with a rubber mallet just doesn't sit well with me. I'll probably just stick with the 9.5" rims all the way around.
The BFH mod is really not that big of a deal. I used a 3lb sledge hammer.
03-30-2005, 01:12 PM
#11
TECH Regular
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Maumelle, Arkansas
Posts: 486
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by BrntWS6
Well, I guess it depends on who you ask. I know you'd never see it with the tire on and some spray paint. But to me it's kinda like putting a picture over a hole in the drywall. There's no way I'd ever take a sledge to any part of my car.
03-30-2005, 04:01 PM
#13
Originally Posted by adamp
Seeing as how you have a Trans Am, you shouldn't have any problems with rubbing. I have a 2001 TA and my 315's on 17x11's and 275's on 17x9.5's dont rub at all anywhere on either side. I didn't have to tap anything in at all, and they fit perfect, I mean, yeah, they may rub when you go up a 45* incline at a 45* angle, but other than that, your fine.
Really? What's different about the wheel well on the T/A? I know the fenders are flared on the T/A but how would that affect clearance on the inner wheel well?
Also, the guy who started this post has a Trans Am, and explained that he will have to do some pounding as there is rubbing during turns.
