275/40/18 too wide for street?
06-02-2009, 06:21 PM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Florida
Posts: 329
275/40/18 too wide for street?
Are 275/40/18 tires too wide for primarily street use on a NA car? I am mostly concerned about hydroplaning and wandering on the highway. I live in Florida where it rains alot and am primarily concerned that going too wide will result in hydroplaning in the wet. Any input is appreciated...
Blair
Blair
06-02-2009, 07:00 PM
#3
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: TX
Posts: 4,897
I've been running 275/40's up front for some time and am under the impression that 275/40's on all four corners may just be the optimal setup for street use. I think you'll be thrilled with that tire config. I may eventually go with that setup myself just so I can rotate easily.
Hydroplaning and wet handling are more of a tire type trait. My 275/35 BFG KDW2's gripped like a champ in the wet...or dry for that matter.
Hydroplaning and wet handling are more of a tire type trait. My 275/35 BFG KDW2's gripped like a champ in the wet...or dry for that matter.
06-03-2009, 11:15 AM
#7
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: College Station, TX
Posts: 2,179
I run them. I will say that I've hydroplaned a few times, but it was only when they were worn down and were getting close to needing to be replaced and I was going over the speed limit. I think they're perfect for the street.
06-03-2009, 12:05 PM
#8
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: K-town RP Germany
Posts: 235
i run Pirelli zero rosso nagro (black no white wall or letters) in 255/45/18 up front and 285/40/18 in the back. As i live in germany, i drive alot in the rain, and have had no issues with these tires, i think the grip better then the stock Pirelli P-Zeros that the car came with.
06-03-2009, 01:44 PM
#9
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Florida
Posts: 329
What kind of mileage did you get out of them? Did they wear fast?
06-03-2009, 02:39 PM
#10
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: College Station, TX
Posts: 2,179
Honestly, I couldn't tell you. When I bought the car it had 245/45/18's up front with 285/40/18's out back. I hated the setup. The narrow tires up front looked kind of goofy and made the car understeer horribly, so I swapped the fronts out to 275/40/18's. I'm getting ready to replace the rears as they are pretty worn. They were on the car when I bought it and I've put 21K miles on them and autocrossed them around 8-10 times. I don't know how many miles the tires already had on them when I got the car, but I'm fairly certain that they came with the car from the dealer as it had a dealer cosmetic package installed. If that's the case, they've had 40K miles put on them. Sorry, wish I knew exactly how many I got out of em... 21-40K is a pretty big window.