02 SS Tire Combo Question

[SS#337]

I am thinking about one of the following combos with the Goodyear F1's:

245/40ZR17 in front and 275/40ZR17 in rear
or
245/40ZR17 in front and 285/40ZR17 in rear
or
255/40ZR17 in front and 285/40ZR17 in rear

Any thoughts?

[Y2KPewterSS]

Why the 245 or 255 up front? The stock SS tire size is 275/40/17. The 285s would be good for the back though. :yup:

[SS#337]

I was thinking of a more bold muscle car stance. I guess it is the rear that gives it that look anyways huh. I had also thought about leaving the front stock tires on as fourth option. would there be nay handling issues with the wider tires on back? Any other thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Y2KPewterSS]

I was thinking of a more bold muscle car stance. I guess it is the rear that gives it that look anyways huh. I had also thought about leaving the front stock tires on as fourth option. would there be nay handling issues with the wider tires on back? Any other thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks.


I would stay with the 275/40s up front and go to 285/40s in the back like you mentioned. You are correct about the rears giving it the bold muscle car stance as well. No handling issues with 285s, you would be perfectly fine! :yup:

[SS#337]

Great. Thanks for your input!

[Y2KPewterSS]

Great. Thanks for your input!

Glad to help, post pics when you get them mounted :yup:

[SS#337]

will do.

[mrr23]

if you want a skinny/fatty look, then go 245/45-17 and 315/35-17. the sizes you are looking to get are different height and will kick off the ABS system.

[Y2KPewterSS]

if you want a skinny/fatty look, then go 245/45-17 and 315/35-17. the sizes you are looking to get are different height and will kick off the ABS system.

Semi confused here, how will the different heights kick off the ABS and I didn't think it was safe to put 315s on a 9.5" wide wheel?


Thanks for explaining further :)

[mrr23]

245/40-17 = 24.7" tall
315/35-17 = 25.7" tall

with the front tire being shorter. it will spin quicker than the rears. the computer picks this variance up as the front tires skidding. so, the ABS system activates. the ABS and brake light will come on the dash. when you go to apply the brakes, the ABS system starts pulsing the brakes because it thinks the front tires are skidding.

as far as 315/35-17 being not safe to put on 9.5" wheels, don't believe that post on ls1tech. i rode around on 315/35-17 nittor DRs on my 17x9.5" wheels for a year. hell, at one point, i had 335/35-17 tires on them. that was pushing it.

[Y2KPewterSS]

245/40-17 = 24.7" tall
315/35-17 = 25.7" tall

with the front tire being shorter. it will spin quicker than the rears. the computer picks this variance up as the front tires skidding. so, the ABS system activates. the ABS and brake light will come on the dash. when you go to apply the brakes, the ABS system starts pulsing the brakes because it thinks the front tires are skidding.

as far as 315/35-17 being not safe to put on 9.5" wheels, don't believe that post on ls1tech. i rode around on 315/35-17 nittor DRs on my 17x9.5" wheels for a year. hell, at one point, i had 335/35-17 tires on them. that was pushing it.

Thanks for the thorough explanation, that helps a lot. I don't believe much from tech for the record either. Just full of a lot of egos over there :)

['96 Z28SS]

IMO i would go with a 275/40/17 all the way around. i miss not being able to rotate my tires. Also i would look into a Kumho or maybe a yoko tire. i wasnt too pleased with my F1's

[SS#337]

I have the SLP chrome 10 spoke rims so you say I can go up to 315 without having to buy bigger rims for the rear? I thought I would have to go to an 18" to fit the 315s. I am looking to keep the rims I have now, just get the "fatty" look in the back.

[mrr23]

on a 9"wide wheel, depending on brand of tire, it will distort the tread pattern by being a bit on the narrow side for a 315. i have seen people with 315 on 17 x 9 wheels. there is a point is diminishing returns.

[SS#337]

which means what exaclty...what will be diminished - just the tread wear? I am new to this arena...just trying to understand what will work here. I just want to get that fat stance in the rear without going to a bigger rim or meesing up anything ie ABS (thanks for that info). So what would be my best combo? Don't really care about rotating tires that much at this point. Oh and this is a daily driver - if that matters. - Thanks.

[mrr23]

when the tire gets too wide for the rim, it will distort the tire. this can cause handling issues. what happens is when the TREAD width of the tire exceeds the rim width, it will curve the tread.

for you with your stock wheels i would do this

245/45-17 front
275/40-17 rear

both are 25.7" tall and don't affect the braking system.

[SS#337]

ok, sounds good. Thank again!

btw I was thinking about the Nitto's/NT 555 EP or the BFG's/g-Force KDW, whatcha' think?

[mrr23]

KDW are good tires. haven't read up on the EP.

[SS#337]

ok. thanks.

[Y2KPewterSS]

Another vote for KD and KDW tires, EXCELLENT :yup:

[SS#337]

ok, just talked to a friend of mine at discount tire. he said he could get me the kdw for about $1200 or the kdws for $700 mounted balanced and certs w/road hazzards. any thoughts?

[Y2KPewterSS]

ok, just talked to a friend of mine at discount tire. he said he could get me the kdw for about $1200 or the kdws for $700 mounted balanced and certs w/road hazzards. any thoughts?

The KDWS are more of a weather tire. They will be ok for normal driving but good luck ever getting them to hook up :giveup:

[SS#337]

so with that in mind, you suggest the kdw?

[Y2KPewterSS]

so with that in mind, you suggest the kdw?

Yes, I am on my third set of KDW now, and have never had a problem with them. :)

[SS#337]

ok and they last for about how long? $1200 for full set of tires is out there. are they really worth that? also my friend told me that they are directional, meaning he will hae to order specifically left front right front. rears are ok. definatley no rotating now....

any experience with the Dunlop Sp Sport 9000's?

[Y2KPewterSS]

ok and they last for about how long? $1200 for full set of tires is out there. are they really worth that? also my friend told me that they are directional, meaning he will hae to order specifically left front right front. rears are ok. definatley no rotating now....

any experience with the Dunlop Sp Sport 9000's?

Yes, they are directionals, so no rotating, unless you had 4 of the same size wheels/tires. Then you could move front to back.

I have gotten 20k miles out of a set without any problems. It will depend on your driving style though, if you do a lot of burnouts, you might only get 10k miles out of them. That part is up to you though. :yup:

You might want to check tirerack.com and discounttire.com for better pricing. The $1200 seems pretty high to me honestly. I got my pair of 295/35/18s for $470 shipped through discounttire and I have already priced the front set of KDW that I will need and they will be about $400 shipped as well. I think you can beat that $1200 fairly easy. :)

[SS#1531]

I ran 255/45/17 in front and 285/40/17 in back for a while and wasn't too happy with it. It was ok at first, but when I started adding suspension and chassi mods it started to understeer. I'm much happier now that I run 285/40/17 all around. I also run KDW's and love them.

[SS#337]

Thanks for all the suggestions and good info. Everyone has been very helpful. I knew I joined the right place....thanks again. I will post some pics on what I do.

[mrr23]

keep us posted.

[GatorSS]

I'm running 285/40/17 all the way around...just put a new set on last week. Also, check out www.vulcantire.com (http://www.vulcantire.com) for some great prices.

[SS#337]

I finally got my tires yesterday and right off the bat felt the difference. :bounce: Maybe because I've been riding on bald tires. I went with the Kumho 245-40/17 in front and 285-40/17 in rear. I will try to get some pics out the first of next week. Thanks for all of your input.

btw - I replaced the front brakes and rotors with the napa oem brands back in Nov. They are squeaking already...any thoughts on resonable upgrades or fixes?

[GatorSS]

Interestingly, I put new brake pads (Duralast) all around back in October and they're already sqeaking now. Six months and maybe 6k miles is all I get out of them? C'mon. I'm not sure what I'll get next.

[SS#337]

yep, interesting....i think i may look into the baer system of brakes and rotors. anyone have any thoughts?

[Steve L]

I finally got my tires yesterday and right off the bat felt the difference. :bounce: Maybe because I've been riding on bald tires. I went with the Kumho 245-40/17 in front and 285-40/17 in rear. I will try to get some pics out the first of next week. Thanks for all of your input.

btw - I replaced the front brakes and rotors with the napa oem brands back in Nov. They are squeaking already...any thoughts on resonable upgrades or fixes?

Which Kumho tire did you go with? I have the Kumho MX and love them! I had the Kumho ASX and hated them. I race with the Kumho V710 and damn if I could only use them on the street!!

Squeaking brakes does not necessarily mean they are worn out and I doubt after only 6 months yours are...no matter what brand. A lot of brakes squeak right away depending upon what brand you use and if they were installed using the blue stuff on the back side. The squeak actually comes from the pad vibrating inside the caliper, and not the pad being worn out. Some of the more high-performance pads sqeak when braking lightly...some of the Hawk pads that are made for racing, and to take abuse, do this.

[SS#337]

I actually got the ASX's. What problems did you have with them? This is the second set I have gotten but only the first with this 275/285 combo. I know its just feels good to be riding on some good (new) tires right now.:nana:

[SSwt00SS]

curious as to why you went with 245's in the front, when the SS's came with 275's from the factory? you lost 30mm (over 1") of grip on each front wheel...

i also ran 315/35/17's when I first got my SS, they came on the car (4 brand new tires) riding on 17*9 rims, with no issues at all...

[Steve L]

I actually got the ASX's. What problems did you have with them? This is the second set I have gotten but only the first with this 275/285 combo. I know its just feels good to be riding on some good (new) tires right now.:nana:

I had the ASX in the 275 all around after having the MX in the same size. The sidewall was VERY weak compared to the MX and they were not anywhere near as responsive or reliable as the MX. I took them back after one month and upgraded to the MX...second set of those and will probably go with the MX when these wear out as well.

[SS#337]

that was a typo - they are 275's.

As far as the Kumho ASX's, they are working for me - for now. Maybe as things change...future mods and all, I will have to look into other types of tires.

[davebowtie]

Squeaking brakes does not necessarily mean they are worn out and I doubt after only 6 months yours are...no matter what brand. A lot of brakes squeak right away depending upon what brand you use and if they were installed using the blue stuff on the back side. The squeak actually comes from the pad vibrating inside the caliper, and not the pad being worn out. Some of the more high-performance pads sqeak when braking lightly...some of the Hawk pads that are made for racing, and to take abuse, do this.

what he said...

[SS#337]

Well I guess so, it's just very annoying to me.

I still plan on putting some pics out; having camera issues.