jpr884

Well I'm due for tires and have a question for anyone who might have experience with this. I have a set of OE C6 Z06 18x9.5" rims on my '01 trans am. Slightly lower then stock as I have Koni yellows (lower perch in front) and heater hose mod in the rear. I'm currently running Nittos staggered, 275/35/18 in the front and 285/35/18 in the rear. I love the look but the ride is a bit harsh for me. I thinking a taller sidewall might help? Would I benefit from running 275/40/18 fronts and 285/40/18's in the rear or will there not be much of a difference? Also, will I rub with the taller sidewall height?

silverWS.6

iTrader: (1)

What springs are you running? Stock? Miles? What psi on your tires? How old are your tires? These are all things to consider on a harsh ride. Increasing your sidewall from 35 to 40 will most likely not make a difference. You won't rub with those sidewalls though.

jpr884

thanks for the quick response. I'm running Koni yellow sport shocks, front and rear - adjusted to near max for softness. The springs are stock with 86,000. I usually keep around 32 psi front and rear. The tires are Nitto NT555. They're 3.5 years old with about 20,000mi on them. The issue being they're getting dry rot as I don't drive the car everyday.

If the sidewall height wouldn't make a difference would a more practical tire help? I was looking at Continental ExtremeContact DWS06.

Thanks again.

JD_AMG

Couple things first. Lower the tire pressure. Try 28psi rear, 30psi front, the NT05s have a pretty stiff sidewall so a couple the PSI makes quite the difference.
Next, being at "full soft" doesn't mean softest ride, the Koni SAs are rebound adjustable only. For the front I would be at least halfway between full soft and full hard, closer to full hard for sure but thats me. For the rear full soft is good.

jpr884

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll definitely try lowering the tire pressure and adjusting the front shocks a bit past medium rather than full soft.

Any suggestions on sidewall height? I'm debating between 35 and 40 but if there is no difference in ride quality maybe I'll stick with the lower profile. Thanks