Shinkaze

315's do not fit stock WS6 and SS rims.

I have only been following this section for a couple of weeks, and I've seen half a dozen threads on this subject so I want to post this to make sure everyone is clear.

1.) 315's do not fit stock WS6 and SS rims
2.) Stock WS6 and SS rims are 9" (not 9.5") The minimum recommended size is 10.5"
3.) The Nitto 315 is NOT RECOMENDED for fitments below 10.5" per the Nitto website

Q: I have seen (or have) 315s mounted on a stock WS6/SS 9" rim, how can you say they don't fit?
A: A 315 will physically hold air on a 9" rim, however it is not "fitting" your rim properly. I wear size 11 shoes, I can physically fit my foot into a size 13, but I will run half as fast down a track wearing the wrong size shoes. Your tires are the same!

Q: What are the POSITIVE effects of upgrading from a 275 to a 315 on a stock WS6/SS rim?
A: None. It's purely cosmetic. Since the Tire is not maintaining proper shape it cannot effectively do it's job, thus a 275 will outperform a 315 on a 9" stock WS6/SS rim. In my opinion this is the domestic equivalent of "ricing a car out" since you are degrading the real performance in order to try and make your car look like its faster, much as the drag and weight of a huge body and wing kit slow down a Honda civic at speed, so too does putting the wrong size tire on your car degrade performance.


Q: What are the NEGATIVE effects of upgrading from a 275 to a 315 on a stock WS6/SS rim?
A:The following are possible negative affects
Blow out: You vastly increase the likelihood of blowing the tire off the rim under aggressive driving by performing this modification. The bead of the tire cannot maintain accurate alignment inside of the rim and is thusly destabilized.
Heat: Since the tire is deformed on the rim you increase the chance of belt separation, plus added he4at of improper belt alignment will drastically impact tread life and blistering.
Traction: The contact patch no longer equally applies weight across the entire surface, uneven patch pressure creates a destabilized ride situation degrading both handling and cornering. A Stable 275 contact patch affords more traction than an unstable 315 contact patch.
Tread Life: Due to belt separation, inefficient heat dissipation/build up and an uneven contact patch, tire life is severely compromised.

Q: But I (or my buddy, or someone I read about) upgrade from a 275 to a 315 and saw shorter 60' times at track plus had greater traction
A: If he upgraded from a stock GSC/Eagle F1 to a sticky Max performance tire or drag radial those gains are 99% because of a stickier tire compound. Had they upgraded from a GSC/Eagle F1 to a Drag radial of a 275 size they would have seen greater gains. Additionally it's hard to compare given that 60' times can vary on the same day at the same track just due to lane choice, heat as the day progresses, who may or may not put down traction compound etc. People are very susceptible to the "Emperor’s New Clothes” syndrome when it comes to modifications to their car.

Q: But I REALLY want 315s and it's cheaper for me to just get that tire and not upgrade the rims to match.
A:In the end you're going to do what you're going to do. When a person shows up with 315's barely hanging onto a 9" WS6/SS rim it says that either

You don't have the money to do it right, or
You don't have the knowledge to know you're doing it wrong.
If you did do it knowing you were doing it wrong it says you're endangering yourself, those that ride with you and those you race against.

If you do decide you want a 315, here are the correct ways of doing it.
Either buy a set of wheels that are 17x11" rear (ZR1 wheels are CHEAP and look great on a Firebird/TA). Or you can have your 17x9" WS6 rims widened at a cost of around $300-$400 each.

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Further information, here is the actual information posted on the Nitto tire website.

From:http://www.nittotire.com/popup_555r_sizes.asp


P275/40 R17 93V -- 6.3 - 25.63 -- 10.91 - 9.0-(9.5)-11.0 -- 1433@44 -- 811
315/35 R17 102V -- 6.3-- 25.79 -- 12.13 -- (10.5)-12.0 -- 1874@44 -- 806


PS The ONLY 315 tire I've ever seen mountable on a 9" rim is this one


-Adam

SUX2BU

iTrader: (14)

if i ever get 17x9 rims again i will put NITTO 315 DR on them just like my last set. it looks bad ***! i've seen 315 NITTO DR on an 11" rim and it looks like ***! besides i don't ***** foot and take DR to the track, i got ET drags for that.

Shinkaze

again with the looks.

315s on an 11" rim looks correct.

SUX2BU

iTrader: (14)

actually the Nitto 315 aren't really 315 they are more like 295-305. if you wanna see some REAL 315's look at the BFG's now those belong on an 11 inch rim. the NITTO 315 look perfect on a 10 inch rim, but on an 11 inch rim they look like 245's on a 9 inch rim.

joeformula

iTrader: (11)

I'be been running 315's for a while and they hook up real good. I've also had a set of Nitto D/R's and they look pretty much the same to me as my Comp T/A's.

LS1Bird

That was the worst surprise when I went with Nitto 275's on the rear of my 17 x 9.5 Z06 rims. They look like ***! I took a set of Yokohamas that were really 275 wide, and looked great. The Nittos look to be about a 255. Despite Adam's advice, I'm ordering up some 315's for my Z06 rims. They have to look better than the 275. Perhaps the boys at Nitto need to calibrate their measuring sticks....

Mike M

Shinkaze

Hey it's your car, your decision, but you'll have to conceed that you are sacrificing performance going from a 275 to a 315 on even a 9.5" rim and you're only doing it for cosmetic reasons.

Again I think the engineers at Nitto know what they are talking about when it comes to their own tires, and they do not recomend a 315 on even a 9.5" rim. Since you're running Z06 style rims and want the look (moreso than performance) of a larger tire my recomendation is to mount a 305 on a Z06 18" rim.

http://www.nittotire.com/popup_555r_sizes.asp

275/40 R17 93V -- 6.3 - 25.63 -- 10.91 - 9.0-(9.5)-11.0 -- 1433@44 -- 811
315/35 R17 102V -- 6.3-- 25.79 -- 12.13 -- (10.5)-12.0 -- 1874@44 -- 806
285/35 ZR18 97Y -- 5.0 - 25.91 -- 11.22 - 9.5-(10.0)-11.0 -1609@44 - 802
305/45 R18 110V -- 6.3 - 28.78 -- 12.05 - 9.5-(10.0)-11.5 - 2337@44 - 722
305/35 ZR18 101Y - 5.0 - 26.42 -- 12.40 - 10.0-(11.0)-12.0 - 1819@44 - 786

Additionally there are other tire choices in race compound rubber beyond the Nitto that are matched for a 9.5" wide 17" rim. I have some experience with Nitto 315s on a ZR1 wheel (which looked fine to me BTW) and they really don't seam to have any more straight line acceleration than a Kuhmo Autocross tire, which I found to be very comfortable on the street.

Kuhmo V700 Victoracer $179 in a 275/40 - 17


I have no experience with the Hoosiers at the strip but I have run them at the autocross, and they are much Gummier than a Nitto as well. (though I wouldn't want them on a street car)

Hoosier A3S03/R3S03


Do yourself a favor though, and if you really want a larger tire, get a larger matching rim so the car will perform as well as it looks.

-Adam

SUX2BU

iTrader: (14)

ha ha thats funny a 315 NITTO on a 12" rim. that would look like complete ***!

1QUIKWS6

iTrader: (61)

It doesn't matter how many times the issue of NOT running 315 size tires on a 9.5 rims is brought up. Fact of the matter is, there will always be people out there that simply will not listen or don't want/have the $$ to spend to get the CORRECT size wheels for these tires.

Anyone that says a 315 tire on an 11" rim looks like *** ought to pull their head out of their own *** for a few minutes. I have 315 Goodyear F1's on my 17x11 TT2 wheels and it is most definitely the best appearance mod I have done to my TA to date.

A 17x11 wheel with the correct BS to yield a deeper dish on the outside (viewable side) of the wheel and the tire only slightly bulged out from rim surface will ALWAYS look better than a smaller width wheel with near non-existant front dish and too large of a tire bulged out like some fat ladies belly from the rim.

Damian

iTrader: (89)

I've seen several people run 315's on a 9.5 rim with zero problems.

NOBR8KSS

iTrader: (12)

The point is that when people do this, they are doing it for appearance and are not getting the benefit that a correct tire and wheel combo will provide.

Just because someone does it, doesn't mean it is the correct way to do it. There are a lot of people who are a lot smarter than us when it comes to engineering tires and wheels...they say that tires need a certain width rim to maintain the ideal contact patch, consumers should listen.

Go find someone who is knowledgable about tires and wheels, like an engineer or road racer like Lou Giliotti, and ask them if they would race a 315 on a 9" rim.

Shinkaze

Q: I have seen (or have) 315s mounted on a stock WS6/SS 9" rim, how can you say they don't fit?
A: A 315 will physically hold air on a 9" rim, however it is not "fitting" your rim properly. I wear size 11 shoes, I can physically fit my foot into a size 13, but I will run half as fast down a track wearing the wrong size shoes. Your tires are the same!

SSpray

They do fit.
They just do not fit properly.

SUX2BU

iTrader: (14)

i'm sure your Goodyear 315 look great on your 11" rim. if you would read carefully you would notice that my point is that a NITTO 315 DRAG RADIAL is not nearly as wide as other 315 tires out there. that is why i think they don't look as good on an 11" rim. i bet you a Nitto 315 on a 10" rim looks very nice, like your goodyear on an 11" rim, but it just doesn't look right on an 11"rim.

1QUIKWS6

iTrader: (61)

Sorry man - nothing personal - just didn't read close enough

The Guy in MY 99TA

I would agree with him! Nitto 315's on 11's even look like *** b/c the wheel is TOO LARGE.



Its funny that you mention the 315's not peforming well on a 9' wheel. My car cuts the same 60' times on my 315's as it does on my 26x10.5x15 ET STREETS. SO far I have YET to get a better 60' on the Et Streets than the Nitto's.

Give it up...... they work and they obbiously work quiet well!

Josh S.

The Guy in MY 99TA

but obviously you are a MORON for carrying this subject on.

Shinkaze

SUX2BU,
looks are all you care about then? You didn't mentioned performance once. If you hate how a Nitto Drag Radial looks on a proper size rim why not get a better looking tire? Being so sensitive to looks though you should be aware that putting a 315 on a 9" rim makes you Look like a ricer that cares more about looking fast than being fast.

-Adam

Shinkaze

Josh, so you know more than the engineers at Nitto then?

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From:http://www.nittotire.com/popup_555r_sizes.asp


P275/40 R17 93V -- 6.3 - 25.63 -- 10.91 - 9.0-(9.5)-11.0 -- 1433@44 -- 811
315/35 R17 102V -- 6.3-- 25.79 -- 12.13 -- (10.5)-12.0 -- 1874@44 -- 806

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If you got such great rseults on your Nitto 315s on a 9" rim, imagine how much better you would run on a rim that actually matchd the tire allowing it lay it's full tread to the ground.

But hey, obviously you're doing something wrong if you can't cut a better 60' times on Slicks than on warmed over street tires so this is probably lost on you anyway.

-Adam

Shinkaze

PS a BFG Drag Radial is only 0.27" wider on an 11" rim than a Nitto 315. Hardly a visible difference worth all this fuss, so put it on a proper size rim.

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/asset...rag_radial.pdf