Need new tires.. Help!

[mach1girl6]

I need some new back tires for my 04 Comp. Orange Cobra..

I've been looking at the 275/40-17 Nitto NT555r's..
would it be better to go with a 275/40-17 or the 315/35-17?

Also, what is everyones favorite tire? I'm kind of on a budget so I need something that isn't too pricey.

Thanks!

 

[Roots-type]

Well since you say it's comp orange, you'll need the 315s

 

[SVTDice]

315's will over all hook better. More Tread on the ground = Better traction. Plus it looks pretty sick regardless.

 

[SWAMPMODULAR]

Toyo TQ 315/35/17 best tire I have had for my 03 so far. Had the 555r's too. Actually to everyones surprise they did great at my last auto-x too.

 

[dierke13]

for sure go with the 315 thats what i have and it looks sick!!!

 

['03snkbt]

+1 on all answers above..........315/35's

 

[mach1girl6]

will the 315's fit on 17x9 in rims?

 

[firemanlightnin]

^^^Let me Google that for ya

From stangnet.com...

Honestly I would get wider rims (10.5" width) if you plan on running 315's. Just think about it- 315mm = 12.4 inches of width.... You probably could fit most 315's on a 9" rim but I would say it is less than optimal. Rim width is very important for supporting your sidewall and it will affect your handling.

Besides getting a wider tire doesn't directly match up with more traction. The compound stickiness is a much more important factor than the width. If you are looking at drag radials... if you want to keep your 17x9's than why not a good 275 width dr like the 555r, the nt05r, etc?

Everyone knows they will fit. The point I am trying to make is that the 315's will work better on a 10.5" rim because they will get the sidewall support they need. Even though the nittos seems to run on the small side they are still without a doubt bigger than what is optimal for his current rim.

Everyone is always obsessed with the wheel width but the truth has always been that the stickiness of the compound is way more important. If I were to make up percentages, lets say compound is 90% of it and wheel width is 10%. Wheel width is only important for distributing forces so that to maintain the contact patch's coefficient of friction. Friction's equation is (coefficient of friction) x (normal force)

Putting a 315 on a 9" rim will offer no advantage over a 275 tire, in fact it might actually hurt performance due to tire not having the correct support and a jacked up contact patch- not the same contact patch it was designed for. You might be able to get marginally better performance if you went to the track and toyed w/ tire pressure and got the optimal pressure to finally get a decent looking contact patch etc. I've never seen a comparison w/ changing tire sizes but it would be interesting (both tires w/ same wear, same car setup, same rim, same tire pressure).

 

[mach1girl6]

hm so i'm guessing go with 275 then for the 17x9 inch stock SVT Rims.

 

[firemanlightnin]

hm so i'm guessing go with 275 then for the 17x9 inch stock SVT Rims.

yea but you know the 315s will fit

 

[01yellercobra]

^^^Let me Google that for ya

From stangnet.com...

Besides getting a wider tire doesn't directly match up with more traction. The compound stickiness is a much more important factor than the width. If you are looking at drag radials... if you want to keep your 17x9's than why not a good 275 width dr like the 555r, the nt05r, etc?

Have to agree with that. I ran 555R's for a couple years that were 275's. I could hook from a dig in first when I had the blower. I switched over to 315's because my 555R's wore out and I wanted new rims. The Sumitomos would spin through 3rd. It didn't matter if I was rolling or coming from a dig. They still break loose occasionally even though I'm N/A. I ran 315's on a 9" wide rim, but they were track only rims and tires. I didn't have any problems getting to and from the track, but I'd stick with a tire that matches the rim width a little better. If you want a little more width maybe look into a 285 or 295. Although I'm not sure the difference would be noticable.

No matter which route you go, double check your tune to make sure it's ok.