Hey guys I'm trying to figure out the best wheel/tire combo for my TA. I plan on doing lots of road racing, HPDEs, autox and street driving. I currently have 17x9 and 17x10.5 TTMs on the car with drag radials. Car is going to be mildly cammed with 243 heads and hopefully going to put down around 400-425rwhp. This is my first time doing anything like this. Im trying to figure the right wheel and tire sizes and so far ive gathered I need atleast a 275 up front and about the same size tires all around. I would like to run something from OE wheels but am open to other suggestions. As for tires I was looking into the NT05s but am open to recommendations as well. Keep in mind im on a budget...so no Fikse's or anything like that.

I have thought about just going with 275s all around and keeping it simple but im afraid I may have traction issues with 275s in the rear. I also dont want to go with something huge either. I had 315s before and had some issues with tires rubbing the fender. I also wouldn't mind an 18 inch wheel but I'm not sure how much of a performance difference they make and I know the price difference is pretty big too. Ive had a 275/40/17 on the rear of an fbody and I personally think it looks kinda stupid. It just doesn't look right. you need a taller wheel/tire or else it just looks to small so I would like to avoid that issue as well.

BTW I will be selling the TTMs PM me if interested.

 

nobody has ever gotten wheels and tires to use for road racing with their fbody? hmm

 

There's a guy who road races his Firehawk around the corner from me, and he runs 17x11 ZR1's all the way round. their not O.E. wheels brand, but not factory ZR1's either. He runs 315-35 Hoosier A6 road race tires on all 4 i believe. they look great and seem to fit well. I'm currently running the same setup as you with 275-40's up front (Goodyear Eagle GT's) and 315-35 (M/T ET streets) and it works for me. 17x10 and 17x12 TT2's here! Hope this helps some.

 

first i would try to find a o.e set of rims like z06 rims, 17x9.5 18x10.5 because they are much lighter than aftermarkets. i like having a wider tire in the rear but alot of road racers keep it the same front to back. but i also have my rear more set up for drag racing.... as far as size 17's will always be the cheapest but IMO 18"s look better and have less sidewall flex; however weight more. i run 275's out front and 295's out back and i love the way it feels in the corner. but i havent auto x on this set up yet so i may hate it in the next month haha

 

The NT-05s don't hold up well in road racing because F-bodies are heavier cars. The NT-05s heat up too much and get greasy, losing grip. NT-01s are much better for road racing.

 

If you're going to be doing a lot of racing and plan on using some type of race tire i would go with the same size wheel on all corners so you can rotate them and save yourself some money. A good sticky tire like a Hoosier in a 275/40 would be ideal on a 17x9.5 rim and honestly not worth it IMO to run a larger rear, say 315/35 on a 17x11. The added traction would be minimal and not worth the additional cost of 1) not being able to rotate and 2) paying for the higher priced tire.

 

I set my car up to do the same thing you are looking to do with yours. Just as a suggestion based on trial and error on my part I would say to run a 275/40/17 up front and a 315/35/17 out back. As for tire selection if you want something you can bring to the track as well as run on the street I run the Nitto NT05 and have yet to find a better tire, especially for the price. If you have any more questions for suspension etc PM me.

 

The NT01 sounds like a great tire but how well will it hold up on the street? Sounds like I can get alot more life out of the NT05 but I dont need it getting greasy on the track either. How do these tires compare to other tires like the Kumho XS and V710 or the Hankook Ventus z214?

Will a 275 be able to hold up my power levels?

 

^^^^????

 

Invos for tires?

 

I got some torque thrust m's for T/A 2001 but idk what tire size to go with ? Help plz any suggestions

 

So is it better to run 275 all around or 275 front 295 rear? Or will the difference be so minimal that it doesn't matter a whole lot?

 

For what? For road racing, 315 front and rear is better.

On the street, 275 all around is better for more neutral handling and the ability to rotate tires. A lot want to run bigger tires in the back for looks and for additional traction on the street 275/315 combo. It produces more oversteer, but with the weight of the car, more tire underneath helps.

As to the OP and anyone else looking. I'd run Nitto NT01s, Toyo RA1s, or Yokohama AD48s as a starter tire for road racing. Then step up to Hoosiers then Goodyear slicks.

Wet track tires would be Toyo R888.

 

For road racing/auto x. Say I don't want to run 315s all around and want something a little cheaper and more street friendly (read that 315s really grab at every grove and crack in the road). Would there be a big difference between 275 all around or 275/295? Basically want an aggressive meaty look in the rear without sacrificing too much performance as with the 275/315 combo. Would 275/295 perform well? Or 295 all around?

 

You could run a 295 all around. Is that for 17s or 18s? I don't recall off the top of my head a 295 in 17s that aren't a drag tire.

If you want a good handling car, try to keep the front and rear equal or nearly equal.

I know you can run 285s all around without any issues.

 

Yeah 17s so a 285. Didn't think about how few 295s there are for a 17 inch wheel.