BeasstZ28

I wanna start running a little wider tire on my 02 z28 ss camaro but also dont wanna grenade my stock rear. Ive got 275s on it now and they arent enough. Whats the widest i could go on the rear?

HCI2000SS

iTrader: (2)

315 on and 11' rim is about the widest

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

Traction isn't defined strictly by tread width. Rubber compound is also a determining factor.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

I used 315's on my factory 17 x 9 rims......for 12 years. They handled perfect, they wore perfectly even, and they look great. Much better traction. You will only need to bang in the inner wheel wells with a hammer for literally 20 seconds per side, because they will rub a little bit when you take corners.

315/30/17 Nitto 555 Extreme tires are a great choice. Great in wet conditions too. (((Not the 555R drag radial)).

Cheap too.....

.

FirstYrLS1Z

iTrader: (4)

As in the post above^^^ by LS6427,I also run 315/35/17 on the stock 17x9 rims for 9 years now. Mine are the Nitto drag radials.
But getting back to the 'traction' topic by the OP,2 different 275/40/17 tires can have totally different traction characteristics, Rubber compound,tread block design all play into the traction aspect.