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Old Jul 29, 2019 | 04:19 PM
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Default Thinking of going wider

So it's that time for tires and I'm thinking about going wider. I like the idea of getting the free shipping on the wheels and tires that are already mounted and balanced. Right now I'm looking at 275s on 17" all the way around. Since I'm used to 245s on 16x8s that's all I know. If I were to stagger it, I might want to go 315s on 17x11s.

My questions are regarding drivability. How much additional tram-lining can I expect? How about driving that wide in the rain. Since this is my DD, will I get sick of it compared to what I have now?

Thanks in advance.
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Old Jul 29, 2019 | 08:08 PM
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Originally Posted by TA_Freak
So it's that time for tires and I'm thinking about going wider. I like the idea of getting the free shipping on the wheels and tires that are already mounted and balanced. Right now I'm looking at 275s on 17" all the way around. Since I'm used to 245s on 16x8s that's all I know. If I were to stagger it, I might want to go 315s on 17x11s.

My questions are regarding drivability. How much additional tram-lining can I expect? How about driving that wide in the rain. Since this is my DD, will I get sick of it compared to what I have now?

Thanks in advance.
The WS6, Firehawk and SS cars got 17x9s with 275/40/17s from the factory, so the car is built to handle these sizes easily. Trammeling might be more noticeable but I suggest getting a good alignment(not a "stock" alignment), and playing with tire pressure to get the least amount of trammeling - some tires like more air and some like less, I would start at 30psi and go up or down from there and see what you like. Im running 315s on the back with 17x11s and the back doesn't trammel and never has. Fronts are 17x9s with 275s like stock and trammeling is minimal but its there on some really bad roads.

edit: just saw your sig pic, 330K miles holy **** man
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Old Jul 30, 2019 | 09:49 AM
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Originally Posted by JD_AMG
The WS6, Firehawk and SS cars got 17x9s with 275/40/17s from the factory, so the car is built to handle these sizes easily. Trammeling might be more noticeable but I suggest getting a good alignment(not a "stock" alignment), and playing with tire pressure to get the least amount of trammeling - some tires like more air and some like less, I would start at 30psi and go up or down from there and see what you like. Im running 315s on the back with 17x11s and the back doesn't trammel and never has. Fronts are 17x9s with 275s like stock and trammeling is minimal but its there on some really bad roads.

edit: just saw your sig pic, 330K miles holy **** man
Thanks for the reply. That's good to hear about the lack of tramlining. I think worn out steering components can contribute to it.... so I should be good to go.

I know what you mean about the tire pressure. I run 32psi on mine now and never more.

Oh .. and that's an old pic. I need to update it. I'm at 350k now and going strong!
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Old Jul 30, 2019 | 10:02 AM
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I've been running 315's all around for a few years now, it can tramline on some bad rutted roads but most of the time it's fine. A good alignment is really important.

An added benefit of running a square setup is that you can make your tires last a lot longer by rotating them. I put nearly 20,000 miles on my R888's and they still had a good amount of tread on them when I sold them.
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Old Jul 30, 2019 | 10:18 AM
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Originally Posted by M4N14C
I've been running 315's all around for a few years now, it can tramline on some bad rutted roads but most of the time it's fine. A good alignment is really important.

An added benefit of running a square setup is that you can make your tires last a lot longer by rotating them. I put nearly 20,000 miles on my R888's and they still had a good amount of tread on them when I sold them.
Wow ... all around, huh? Are you lowered? I'm lowered 1.25".
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Old Jul 31, 2019 | 01:57 PM
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Originally Posted by JD_AMG
The WS6, Firehawk and SS cars got 17x9s with 275/40/17s from the factory, so the car is built to handle these sizes easily. Trammeling might be more noticeable but I suggest getting a good alignment(not a "stock" alignment), and playing with tire pressure to get the least amount of trammeling - some tires like more air and some like less, I would start at 30psi and go up or down from there and see what you like. Im running 315s on the back with 17x11s and the back doesn't trammel and never has. Fronts are 17x9s with 275s like stock and trammeling is minimal but its there on some really bad roads.

edit: just saw your sig pic, 330K miles holy **** man
Just saw some wheels that I like. Front Size: 275-40-17
Rear Size: 315-35-17 with a 50mm offset. Think that will require the rolled the fender and the BFH?
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Old Aug 1, 2019 | 11:23 AM
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Yes you need to roll the rear fender for 315s. Be sure when you put the wheel/tires on to check the clearance on the backside, it could be close to the inner fender area, notably toward the front edge above the rear LCA.
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Old Aug 1, 2019 | 01:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Chris Paveglio
Be sure when you put the wheel/tires on to check the clearance on the backside, it could be close to the inner fender area, notably toward the front edge above the rear LCA.
That's where the sledgehammer comes in, eh?

I'm actually torn between the staggered deal with the ZR1 style wheel vs. the C6 style - which are 275s all the way around on 17x9.5s. The ZR1's have a polished lip which I don't personally like; the C6s are totally black. If I did go with those maybe I could pop them out an inch with a spacer. Also I'm not familiar with Toyo tires which come with the set. I love the idea of having it shipped right to my front door - mounted and balanced.
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Old Aug 1, 2019 | 03:46 PM
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Originally Posted by TA_Freak
Wow ... all around, huh? Are you lowered? I'm lowered 1.25".
Yup, lowered on Stranos.

See below for pics:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/wheels-ti...8x11-pics.html
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Old Aug 1, 2019 | 05:39 PM
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That looks great.
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Old Aug 2, 2019 | 12:36 AM
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I used only 315's on my factory 17" x 9" WS6 rims for 14 years. Perfect in ever way.

Last 6-7 years 315's on 18" x 10.5"

Now I'm putting 335's on 18" x 12.5" rims........
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Old Aug 2, 2019 | 03:32 AM
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I had 315 in the back of 99 ws6. Car is lowered over 2", so fenders needs to be rolled, but no clearance issue otherwise.
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Old Aug 7, 2019 | 05:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Juuso
I had 315 in the back of 99 ws6. Car is lowered over 2", so fenders needs to be rolled, but no clearance issue otherwise.
Good deal. I'm looking at OE's ZR1 style wheel. The 17x11s have an offset of 50mm. It's lowered an inch and a quarter, so I'm guessing that I'll have to roll in my fenders too.

Last edited by TA_Freak; Aug 7, 2019 at 09:04 PM. Reason: Perfectionist
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Old Aug 17, 2019 | 08:43 AM
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Go with 315's - trust me.
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Old Aug 18, 2019 | 06:31 PM
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Does anyone regret doing a staggered setup with 275s and 315s? I love the way that the car rides which is why I have such high mileage as my DD. Riding with 245s on 16s gives me a taller tire to absorb the road.

What are the pros? Looks ... better handling?
Cons .... rougher ride? Can't rotate tires?

Just looking for more feedback. Thanks!
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Old Aug 19, 2019 | 08:09 AM
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The absence of "do it man ... you will love it" type responses makes me lean towards sticking with my stock 16x8s and just buy some tires. I know you guys with 315s look great, but I'm hesitant to do it because I don't want to hate my car and how it might drive.
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Old Aug 19, 2019 | 09:08 AM
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It's a Trade-off,
The Wider you go, in front, the more this end will wiggle.
When I ran 285's all around, there was minimal Tramlining. However only on bad Roads, and, I was on Rails so much more! Theoretically, makes little difference.
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Old Aug 19, 2019 | 10:53 AM
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Originally Posted by SUPER_GTO_GT
It's a Trade-off,
The Wider you go, in front, the more this end will wiggle.
When I ran 285's all around, there was minimal Tramlining. However only on bad Roads, and, I was on Rails so much more! Theoretically, makes little difference.
So then going to 275s is only a little over an inch wider than what I have now. The roads aren't so bad on my drive to and from work.
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Old Aug 19, 2019 | 11:44 AM
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i run 295's on all 4 corners of my car and it doesn't tramline all that bad, most of the time i can anticipate when its going to happen based on the road condition. as M4N14C said, you can tune most of that out with a good (not factory) alignment. i currently have a factory alignment on my car but will be doing a more "performance oriented" alignment when i get it back on the road. also as JD said 275/40's came from the factory on ws6 and SS models so no work needed to fit em. go 275's, you won't regret it
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Old Aug 19, 2019 | 01:14 PM
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Interesting Read.
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