Its time for me to get new tires. Right now I have 275's on my 9.5" rims and I was wondering if I could put 295's on them? Also does anyone have any pictures of 295's on 9.5" rims? Do they buldge? Or do they look good?

 

No pics but I have Michelin Pilot Sports 295/35/18s on the rears on Y2K C5 wheels 18x9.5. No bulging at all. I almost feel I could go to a 305. My car is on a Prokit. I've beat the fender wells in and have a 1/4" spacer on the rears with no rubbing except very hard right turns that upset the chassis.

 

havent you guys felt more sway w/ an over sized tire due to the fact that there's less side wall support?

 

Manufacturer does not recommend it . . .

 

Well I havent noticed any sway, but then I dont drive like im on a road course, but it hooks alot better then it did, less spin in 2nd for me.

 

We did a test fit of my 295/30/18 on my friend 18x9.5 rims and they fit with just enough buldge to protect the rim from curb damage. You can see a pic on Torque Central. Member ID is XCHAOS. I helped him install an LS1 in his '93 RX7. 2800lbs and 400+rwhp.

 

Maybe I don't understand your question. There should be, with almost any brand tire, MORE sidewall support with a low profile tire versus a stock size which should decrease sway. It usually means a harsher ride as well.

The tires inherently are stiffer because of less rubber to flex and or roll under. Plus I'm sure most manufacturers design more stiffness into them to protect wheels. Most tires at certain profiles have rim protectors molded into them.

 

WEASEL, I'll try to explain, if you have a 9.5" rim and put on a 275/35 and a 295/35, the 295 isnt going to fit the rim as well and you'll get tire sway, although the sidewall is the same one has more tread and if you have too much tread on a rim that isnt wide enough you get a ballooning type of effect and the rim will want to sway around on the tire during cornering, do you know what I mean yet?

 

Gotcha! My answer is still NO.

I think it really depends on sidewall height more as opposed to width. With a 35% sidewall height, there's not enough material there to get a "ballooning" effect. Maybe if you were talking about a 335/35 or something but you wouldn't have to worry about that anyway because you probably couldn't get them to mount on the rim.

I had worse straightline traction and sway with 275/40's on the rear than with the 295/35's. The 295's fit perfectly. The 275/35's actually look a little small on the rim.

 

I doubt it will effectively increase the contact patch. If it does, that's good. If it doesn't and just bulges, then all your doing is adding more unsprung weight which is VERY bad (read: slower). Go with what the manufacturer recommends.