Here's what I know. The only 315/35-17 tire you can run on a 17x9 17x9.5(I have 9.5) is a nitto nt555r. I know there's a bunch of people who don't recommend this but there are also a lot who've run this combo for years with no problems for daily driving/1/4 passes. Some say the center of the tire will wear to the narrow wheel some say you just have to run 22-25psi. Some say there's no better traction with the 315 vs 275 on a 9.5 ? That's my question. Will I benefit by running the 315 vs 275 traction wise with the right psi? I've done a lot of research on all brand dr's and decided for my driving habits the nt555r would best suit me. I'm currently running nt05(non dr). I'm full Bolton with yank3600ss that I just installed. I know the 555r isn't the best hooking tire but i mainly drive my car on the street with 1-2 track passes a year. I'm hoping the 315 will give me that little extra traction I need. Again I've search a lot and couldn't seem to find that specific answer. Plz no assumption answers. Need actual experience as I'm going to be ordering soon. I have bmr lower control arms/pan head bar/C.E. Drag shocks(50/50) subframe connectors/removed front sway bar. thx

 

I would not recommend it, imo I think it looks like trash and I would have to imagine it handles like crap with body roll. Why not go with the Nt05r 275/17/40 ?

 

What do you me look like trash? To wide? From pics I've seen they don't seem to buldge hardly at all. I'm talking about the nt555r only. I've seen other 315 that buldge quite a bit and I to don't care for that look. From what I've read the nt05r are 3-5k tires / handle worse in the rain(I do get caught in the rain here and there) from what I've read people are getting 10-15k out of the 555r. I plan on going to the track to test my yank out but that's it. 95% driving will be on the street. I put approx 3-4K on a summer. I want a better gripping tire then the nt05 that's semi pratical like the 555r. The nt05's spin alot when I had the stock stall.

 

A 315 on a 9.5? Whoa there killer...NT05r's aren't 3k either. NT05'S would be just fine.

 

Wider tire does not get you more traction. Even though there is a wider footprint, you still have the same amount of grip because the weight is just distributed out further, which equals less traction per square inch because of the reduced weight per square inch. If you put a 225 on it, it would have the same amount of forward traction as a 315. Smaller footprint, but way more traction per sqaure inch beacuase of the same amount of weight on a smaller area. Get it? This is a common misunderstanding. Wider does not equal more traction. What it does do is create more wind drag, which slows us down, not to mention more weight which does the same. Softer rubber compound will get you more traction, not wider tires.

 

i looked into it too , but the tire bulges too much and doesn't give you a good contact patch. Go with a sticky 275 40 17

 

Thx for all the replies! When u say you checked into it did you just read peoples theories or have first hand feedback from someone has tried the 315 vs 275 back to back(same tire/pressure/ect) camaro whoopass yes it does make sense to me to a certain extent. What doesnt make sense to me is why there are different classes for different width tires/slicks. In theory if i had two of the same tires but one was say half the width of the other it would get the same traction? I know the compound of a tire plays a huge part in traction but id think the width / profile would affect traction a little bit? I am no expert on this subject and not trying upset anybody so plz explain further? I just want the best traction i can get for the tire im looking at. I would like to hear some feed back from people who have gone from a 275 to a 315 vice versa on a 9.5 wheel and either lost or gained or stayed the same traction wise. And im talking using the same tire/outside temp ect. Thx

 

Yes softer rubber will provide more traction but you can't honestly think that the same tire in 225 will provide the same traction as a tire in 315?

 

A 315 will ultimately provide more traction than a 275 or 225. The reasoning is this- tires have a coefficient of grip. They'll have grip until there is enough torque (either rotational like doing a burnout, or sideways/sliding like taking a corner too fast) to break free. Once you start to slip, you're past that limit. More rubber touching the pavement means you have more surface area that does in a way reduce the weight carried per square inch. But when you load up only 2 wheels (drag race start, or hard cornering) your want that extra rubber to spread out the load. Instead of 4 wheels handling 900lbs each at rest or steady driving, you put 1800+ lbs of force into 2 tires while launching or cornering. At some G load, they break free. But if you had tires 2x wider than this example, each tire could handle 1800lbs at rest or 3600lbs of force before they lost grip.
So sorry this is a little vague but that's why wider = better, for handling.

 

Thx for reply ! So you think i should go with 315 over 275? Like i said i want the best traction i can get out of the 555r for my setup (boltons/3600ss) Members that have run these sizes plz chime in

 

I knew this would happen, because most people can't grasp the concept. What the wider tire does, is do a better job at heat dissipation because there is more rubber. Wider is better for cornering because it better distributes the heat being produced from hard cornering, and keeps the tire from becoming mush. Most guys on here run the 315's because they too think wider = more forward grip, which it does not. Wider DOES NOT have a higher coefficient of grip, because they have the same amount of weight on them and just have less weight per square inch. Try to imagine putting one of those big pink erasers on a table with 2lb of weight on top of it, and pull it across the table slowly with an attached string. Now, use the same kind of eraser, but one that is twice as wide still with 2lb of weight on it, and pull it again with an attached string. There will be the same amount of "grip" with the wider one as with the narrower one; you will have the same amount of resistence when pulling the wider one as compared to the narrower one because while it IS wider and therefore has more surface area, the weight is just distributed out further, which causes less weight per square inch so each square inch of that eraser has LESS grip. Since it is a larger surface area but with less weight per square inch, it has the same grip as the smaller one which has LESS surface area, but a much higher weight per square inch, which gives more grip per square inch. It all equals out due to the weight distribution and lbs per square inch. IF you go from say a 275 to a 225 of the same tire, you will get slightly more wheel spin, but not because of loss of grip. A 225 is several pounds lighter than a 275, so you get more wheelspin with the change due to freeing up rotational mass which equals more horsepower to the wheels! Seriously guys, if you try my experiment you will see there is the same amount of "grip" regardless of width. Op, you will run faster times with a 275 vs a 315 because it is lighter and has less wind drag, but the same amount of grip.

 

Here is a video I took to help tire width and traction debate.
This is a video I took at lights out 6 of my buddy. The car makes around 1700 HP....... Do you know what the tire width is ? It's a 275 radial hooking to 1.1 60 ft times

 

Here is a pretty good read on the subject. Not saying you should believe everything you read on the internet but makes sense to me.

http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/211_fall...n/physics.html

 

ironmikektm525 this is my advise. If you do not drive in the rain go with the Nt05r 275. I got 7-10,000 mi.
out of mine with 50+ passes on them and John force burnouts before each pass and that's not including how hard I was on them on the street. You will get more than 3-5,000 mi. out of them. I have 3,000 mi. on my Mt et streets with about 20 track passes and plenty of tread left and they are A LOT softer than Nt05r's.
I also ran the 555r years ago and was not fond of them and that was before my converter. But I don't drive in the rain either.

 

Yeah I don't purposely drive in the rain but seem to get caught in it here and there. From nitto website they rate the nt05r just a little below the 555r when it comes to rain so I'm good with that. I am also good with 7-10k Do you think the nt05r will dead hook with my setup? just don't want my 10 bolt blowing up. Tracks close to 2 hrs away! Right now I'm leaning towards the 275 nt05r

 

I got mine to dead hook, roll into the water pit and let them smoke for a few seconds then roll out. I ran mine at 17 psi at the track. Yank 3600 Lt's 3.73's stock suspension
As far as the nt05r's in the rain ya just have to be careful and imo rain+ Nt05r's on the highway is a no no lol.
But imo anything under 50mph and no heavy throttle in the rain is fine. Just by the tread pattern it's kinda common sense.
I pulled lots of 1.7x 60' times in those tires and on my 10 bolt

 

Thx for reply. That was my next question lol. Psi/water pit or no water pit/ approx burnout time?

 

I get what you're saying, and I won't dispute your main premise. Weight transfer does matter, tire compound does matter too. Tire traction is a complicated topic. But I have to comment.

That's just wrong. Cornering does produce heat, yes. A wider tire may dissipate a given "X" amount of heat applied. But the reason for wider = better for cornering is not heat dissipation. It's got more surface area to contact the road. More surface means less pressure per sq inch as you have said, but the friction coefficient matters. Tires "grip" more as weight is applied vertically but lose traction as horizontal forces are applied. Horizontal forces applied laterally (cornering) and also rotationally (like a straight line burnout).
Friction circle of a tire applies to tires in all directions. You have to stay within the tire's physical properties. This video above shows a car taking off great, but it doesn't appear to pop the clutch either, and it's got drag slicks not DOT tires. Whenever you do a burnout you pop the clutch and apply more rotational force to the tire than in can handle so it immediately passes it's maximum friction level and spins.

Wrong. Of course you're losing traction. You are overpowering the tire. You are applying too much torque and surpassing the tire's maximum adhesion. It's not really because a smaller tire is 'releasing SO much more HP' as you seem to say. 10 or even 20 hp at the wheels because of lighter tire/rim is not that big a perecentage of 300-500hp. For a street car.

Technically you're correct. But the 4? pound weight difference in 275 vs 225 isn't gaining anyone, on street tires, who is just a weekend fun racer, that much HP. Maybe 1/2%? 1%? And less wind resistance sure, but it's so miniscule and immeasureable that only guys running 9 seconds or less would even need to begin to worry.

 

And you are one of those people who can't comprehend! Even the link the other guy posted above backs what I said...

 

Even though specific examples have been given I look at at this way. Whatever shoe size you wear, go up 2 sizes and put them on. Now see how you perform just walking around or during a sprint.