tires for stock 17's
 

I have the stock 17" billit wheels and was looking to go with a bigger tire size than the stock 235/55/17. whats a bigger size that i can go with to get some good traction since i have some good power to the rear wheels. I thought I've heard I could go as big as 285's.....is that true? and what tires would yall go with; nitto 555r, bf g-forces, or any others. i would like to go for a little lower profile tire but not to sacrifice performance.......and $$$$$ is not a big deal to me but if u now what that cost and u dont mind sharing please post the price!

thanks in advance!
Nathan

RE: tires for stock 17's
 

Just because you can physically get a 275 or 285 width tire onto an 8" wide rim and it holds air does not mean that it's at all a good idea (it really isn't - those sizes need a minimum of 9" - 9.5" wheel width).

245/50 or perhaps255/50is about as wide as you should go on those 17 x 8's. If that's not enough tire, you really need to start looking at 18's. Something like 18 x 9.5 would support a 275/40 or 285/40 tire choice, though you might need 255/45's up front for reasons of clearance.

I don't particularly like the idea of having to go even to 18's myself, but there doesn't seem to be much in the way of choice, seeing that Ford decided to put 27" tall tires on these cars.


Norm

RE: tires for stock 17's
 

255/50/17 on your stock 17x8 is perfect, 27.1" diameter, tirerack says that width ideally want to be on an 8" wide rim.

Go with Nitto 555 as their price at that size makes them a best buy.

This will give you several benefits.
1) Even though the tire is bigger than the stock Pirelli, Nitto says they are only 28-29lbs, stockers are 28lbs so you won't be adding unsprung weight which is good.
2) They are wider so you will get better traction and braking and look better inside the wheel well.
3) They are a softer tire 300 AA vs the stockers at 400 AA so again they will grip better and stop better

This size will give you all these benefits but not sacrifice your cornering ability which would happen if you put a tire that is too wide for the rim.

RE: tires for stock 17's
 

Ultimate cornering grip may remain about the same, but you do give up a little lateral stiffness and steering response. That said, many (most?) folks probably won't notice, especially if appearance is more important than hardcore cornering performance.

Best bet for checking pricing is to do your own research at www.TireRack.com(they're a sponsor here, BTW), although there are other sites such as discounttiredirect or vulcantireat which you may find tires that TireRack doesn't carry (the Falken line comes to mind).


Norm

RE: tires for stock 17's
 

thx! i am mostly looking for more traction so i need to decide if im goin to get new wheels or just get new tires.......thanks again for the help!

RE: tires for stock 17's
 

Get a spare set of wheels, get some M/T 275/40/17drag radialsand use them only for the 1/4 mile track.

Run the stock tires and wheels on the street till they wear out then splurge on some FOOSE Nitrous wheels with BFG K/Ds.


Recipe for happiness

lol

RE: tires for stock 17's
 

Well I have been toying with the idea of running a 265/55/17. It is recommended for rims between 7.5-9.5" wide. The tire is 28.5" tall so the speed will be off 3mph at 60 but the tire will fill the wheel well better. There are alot of guys running tires this tall or taller on 20" rims with no problems both at stock ride height and lowered.

Just for reference from what I have read.

255/50/17 = 8.2" wide tread
265/55/17 = 10.4" wide tread

For handling I would say 255 but for mostly straightline/commuting I think I will try the 265.

My plan is to wait till the stockers start to wear out and then order 2 - 255's and put them on the rear. I will see how well they stick, and if I am happy with them buy 2 more. If I am not happy with them I will buy 2 -265's for the rear and run through a pair to see if they work.

Just a thought.

RE: tires for stock 17's
 

It also depends on what you want the tires to do when it comes to the rating. Although 300 AA will be stickier than the 400AA, it will also wear faster. I'm thinking of getting DRs or slicks and an extra set of rims for the track when my stock tires wear out. I'm mainly looking at longevity of the tires too as I hate buying $600+ worth of tires every 6-8 months. My stock tires have lasted over a year and 30,000+ miles so far.

RE: tires for stock 17's
 

Oh yeah, is Falken actually making a decent tire now? I had a set on my 2000 V6 and swore I'd never buy them again. Barely lasted 25,000 miles and had mulitple blowouts / flats and that's not spinning the tires at all.

RE: tires for stock 17's
 

Wow 30k miles. I want some performance rubber but I wont change out my stockers until they wear out. I only have 10k miles so far and the tires look brand new.

I think when I put the whipple on it might shorten there life span some :D

But I hear you, I ran DR's on my last stang on the street including some track time I got less than 6k a set of rears. I then switched to some Kumho Ecsta 712's and got about 12-15k miles to a set.

I had staggered sizes too so I couldnt rotate. That is why I am leaning heavily toward 18x9.5's when I get new rims and run 275's all around. I will just get the steering stops from the GT-500 and I should be fine.