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Been reading lots but haven't found the info I want.
Wanting to put tires on these wheels. They are 17", 9" wide. Not sure on backspacing yet but it's reasonable.
Looking for stock ride quality for a daily driver and road trip car. Think stock for 17's is 275-40-17 but I don't know if 40 series will be smooth enough. Does 275-45-17 work well here? Speedo gonna be slightly off?
Well, 275/40/17 was in fact the stock size for SS, WS6 and Firehawk, so if you are looking for "stock" ride quality, then this would still qualify.
It's true that the 245/50/16 tires on the base V8 models (Z28/Formula/Trans Am) did provide for a smoother ride with the taller sidewall, but the trade-off is less crisp tire response (and dry traction, as they were narrower, assuming comparable tread compound.)
275/45/17 would be over 1" taller than the stock size (26.74" vs. 25.66" for the 275/40), so yes you're speedometer will be off without a retune. I'd be worried about front fitment of that height with such a wide tire and the more aggressive offset of the wheels pictured (looks like TTMs, which have a 45mm offset vs. 50mm stock). I would expect some tire scrub on the wheel well liners during hard turns.
The Eagle F1 GS-D3 - 285 / 40 / 17 fit on my Speedlines and only required an ever so slight tapping in two tiny locations on the inner wheel well with a 5 lb sledge.
Having said that, I do have an adjustable pan rod bar to center my rear end...
The Eagle F1 GS-D3 - 285 / 40 / 17 fit on my Speedlines and only required an ever so slight tapping in two tiny locations on the inner wheel well with a 5 lb sledge.
Having said that, I do have an adjustable pan rod bar to center my rear end...
I had these exact same tires (Eagle F1 GS-D3, 285/40/17) on the rear as well (with a 46mm offset, 17x9.5" wheel). But they did not fit at all up front on that same wheel, thankfully I tested lock-to-lock steering before ever taking them on the road and the tire caught the bumper cover lip badly. I had to step back down to a 275/40/17 up front, which still rubbed the inner wheel well liner at full steering lock.
I would be very wary of a this 285/40 up front, especially on a 9 or 9.5" wheel that has a more aggressive offset than the stock 50mm. F1 D3 tires also tend to be more robust than other brands of the same size.
Lastly, 285/40 only increases tire height by 0.32" (little more than 1/8" per sidewall), so ride quality wouldn't be changed much either way.
I wonder what the offset is of these wheels. Going to work on the car Saturday and look. Hoping I can just get a nice set of 275-40-17 tires and not have too much rubbing at the steering locks.
Posted to trade these wheels on CL for stockers, and had a lot of interested people wanting to buy straight up. But the wheels are really growing on me. I think I'm just going to get the right tires for them and see how they ride.
275/45/17 would be over 1" taller than the stock size (26.74" vs. 25.66" for the 275/40), so yes you're speedometer will be off without a retune. I'd be worried about front fitment of that height with such a wide tire and the more aggressive offset of the wheels pictured (looks like TTMs, which have a 45mm offset vs. 50mm stock). I would expect some tire scrub on the wheel well liners during hard turns.
I can pretty much guarantee they would rub. My 275/40/17's on TTM's rub slightly at full lock. If your car rides ruff its because these cars came with pretty crappy shocks when new and being 12-16 years old isn't helping them.
The factory spare is a space-saver unit and would not accept any of the wider stock tire sizes, nor would the designated storage area for the spare ever accommodate a 17x9" wheel and tire combo. If you wanted a full-sized spare, it would have to ride around in the trunk and take up much of the rear storage space.
I am running 275/40/17s in front with 285/40/17's in the rear, Nitto 555's All the way around....love the stance... the Nittos run narrow on the 285 not really any bulge, and the car hooks way better then it did with 275's...
The factory spare is a space-saver unit and would not accept any of the wider stock tire sizes, nor would the designated storage area for the spare ever accommodate a 17x9" wheel and tire combo. If you wanted a full-sized spare, it would have to ride around in the trunk and take up much of the rear storage space.
Thanks a lot
Originally Posted by baalic
I am running 275/40/17s in front with 285/40/17's in the rear, Nitto 555's All the way around....love the stance... the Nittos run narrow on the 285 not really any bulge, and the car hooks way better then it did with 275's...
I wanna see pics of the stance LOL I pulled off a couple wheels today and they are 17x9". Those Nitto 555's are getting lots of good reviews online. I might go that way. Thanks for the info
Fry, I'm with you. Thinking tires first then get some new shocks. These wheels have small tires for 17's. 215 55 17 and 225 50 17 LOL
Those tires should have never been put on those wheels, they're meant for 6-8" wide wheels.
FYI, I have 275/40/17 Cooper RS3-S tires all of the way around and i'm very happy with them. They're nearly identical to Mickey Thompson Street Comps (Cooper owns M/T) only cheaper, are a good compromise between tread life and traction, and have an asymmetrical tread pattern so you can properly rotate them unlike Nitto 555's.
I wanna see pics of the stance LOL I pulled off a couple wheels today and they are 17x9". Those Nitto 555's are getting lots of good reviews online. I might go that way. Thanks for the info
I have pictures of my Z28 with a 275/285 front/rear combo (on 17x9.5" TTIIs) if you want to see this, but they are Goodyear F1-D3s which run wider than Nittos of the same size.
Originally Posted by Fry_
Those tires should have never been put on those wheels, they're meant for 6-8" wide wheels.
I agree completely. 215/225mm has no business on on a 9" wide wheel.
Originally Posted by Fry_
FYI, I have 275/40/17 Cooper RS3-S tires all of the way around and i'm very happy with them. They're nearly identical to Mickey Thompson Street Comps (Cooper owns M/T) only cheaper, are a good compromise between tread life and traction, and have an asymmetrical tread pattern so you can properly rotate them unlike Nitto 555's.
I have considered these tires as well, next time I need new ones. It's likely going to fall between these and BFG Sport Comp 2. I don't suppose you have any comparison experience with the Sport Comps? Also wondering how those Coopers look on the car/wheel....if you happen to have any pictures.
I've never driven anything with those tires. My friends '00 WS6 has BFG's but I think there the older Sport Comps not the Comp 2's, maybe this would be a good excuse for me to test drive his car when spring comes. I do have some pics I can share though.
First wash of the year, almost brand new wheels and tires.
Close up showing new wheel tire, and chrome vent inserts.
Fresh off the shipping pallet from the Tread Depot.
My Friend Asher standing in front of his car. He lets his dad drive it sometimes.
This is what they do if you nail it at full lock in 2nd gear at 10 mph.
Yea these skinny tires suck. No traction and they don't ride smooth. I pulled the front wheels yesterday, they are 17x9' with 45mm offset. Gonna get new tires soon. Will look into those rs3-s. Hoping I can get $100 for these tires after I pull em off. Decent meat on there.
Thanks for the pictures, I wanted to see how the 275 Coopers fit a 9" wheel since some brands run a bit narrower than others and I haven't yet seen the RS3-S in person. Looks like they are a great fit. I don't need new ones just yet, but in planning ahead it will either be these RS3-S or the BFG Sport Comp 2.
12-02-2014, 09:44 AM
Tire size for 17's on TA 
