Would you consider upgrading to Michelin PSS 315/35/20 tires?

Benson5oh

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I have Michelin Pilot Super Sports, awesome tires, no complaints here. My rears are 295/35/20. I know this has been a topic of debate for years, however, here it is again. I want to upgrade to the 315's being I have 20x11 inch wheels (56 mm offset). Right now, I do not rub at all. I've seen some harsh road conditions here and even with the weight of people sitting in the back seat, I do not rub. The 295's look ok on the wheel, but it seems that for the size of wheel, it's just begs for a wider tire. I am only lowered one inch, thanks to Ford Racing springs. Now, those of you familiar with Michelin PSS's, you know they run a little wider. The 295/35 I have now runs a little wider than a typical 295/35 tire. Having said that, the sectional width of the 295 is 12 inches, while the sectional width on the 315 is 12.6 inches. But the 315 is also slightly taller (28.7) compared to the 295 (28.1). Do any of you guys run Michelin PSS's, size 315/35/20 without any rubbing? Any advice is appreciated.
 

KBBoss302

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Slight hijack but some food for thought - I run 20x10.5 ET45 with PSS 295/30/20 (yes, 295/30/20XL) and am getting some very occasional rub at the top of my rear fenders (2013 Boss). I am lowered on coilovers but not slammed (top of fender lip is exactly 28" on both sides). The 295/30 treadwidth is listed at 11.5", so narrower than your 295/35s, but my offset makes my tires sit out 5mm more than yours. Soooo I think that a 315/35 is going to be a problem - both width and height.

I have been contemplating going with R888 285/35/20 square just to completely avoid the rubbing (I have the same 10.5" wheels at all 4 corners).
 

Paul.

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I run NT05Rs in 315/35R20, and lots of other guys run that size. They fit fine. The MPSS isn't going to be significantly bigger. You'll be fine.
 

KBBoss302

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Interesting - I just checked the stats and the 315/35/20 PSS is listed with 11.5/11.6 treadwidths depending on model (both with 12.6 section width). My 295s are listed at 11.5 treadwidth (11.9 section width) - so if your 20x11 ET56s bring the tire in 5mm more, then I agree with Paul that you should be good (or at least VERY close to good).

The Nitto website doesn't list tread width, but section width for the 315/35/20 NT05R is listed at 12.48 so it is slightly narrower.

I have 2 basically new 305/30/20XL PSS's for sale if anyone is interested - 11.8" tread width/12.3" section width. Test fitted them and used them for less than 200 miles before I noticed slight rub hence the 295/30s now.
 

Benson5oh

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Interesting - I just checked the stats and the 315/35/20 PSS is listed with 11.5/11.6 treadwidths depending on model (both with 12.6 section width). My 295s are listed at 11.5 treadwidth (11.9 section width) - so if your 20x11 ET56s bring the tire in 5mm more, then I agree with Paul that you should be good (or at least VERY close to good).

The Nitto website doesn't list tread width, but section width for the 315/35/20 NT05R is listed at 12.48 so it is slightly narrower.

I have 2 basically new 305/30/20XL PSS's for sale if anyone is interested - 11.8" tread width/12.3" section width. Test fitted them and used them for less than 200 miles before I noticed slight rub hence the 295/30s now.

Yeah I got the tire specs from TireRack.com. The 295 I got now is the K1 Ferrari version which is listed as 11.9" for sectional width and 12" for tread width., while a different version of the pilot super sport is listed as 11.9" for sectional width, but 11.5" for the tread width. This is why I said mine runs a little wider, but I specifically picked this to compliment the 11 inch rim. Still, I too believe the larger tire will fit with no rubbing issues, just a little concerned about he overall height and it looking funny.
 
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KBBoss302

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Personally, I wouldn't give up the treadwidth that you currently have - on a fitment that works - for a tire that has a narrower tread and the slight possibility of tire/fender interference.

Good luck either way!
 

noldevin

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Just something to keep in mind... It generally isn't recommended to use a tire that has a significantly wider tread width than your wheel width, especially on a handling tire like this. If handling is your goal, you actually want about half an inch more wheel width than tread width (or at least as close to equal as possible, 1/2 an inch is usually the rule).
Tons of people do it and say it's fine, but generally that extra tread never touches the ground unless you run very low tire pressures. I'd stick with the 295
 
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Paul.

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Are your current tires wasted? Because if not, it seems like a ton of cash for 20mm of rubber. There are better places to spend $900.
 

jun

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Slight hijack but some food for thought - I run 20x10.5 ET45 with PSS 295/30/20 (yes, 295/30/20XL) and am getting some very occasional rub at the top of my rear fenders (2013 Boss). I am lowered on coilovers but not slammed (top of fender lip is exactly 28" on both sides). The 295/30 treadwidth is listed at 11.5", so narrower than your 295/35s, but my offset makes my tires sit out 5mm more than yours. Soooo I think that a 315/35 is going to be a problem - both width and height.

I have been contemplating going with R888 285/35/20 square just to completely avoid the rubbing (I have the same 10.5" wheels at all 4 corners).

I think we both have HRE 20x10.5 wheels on the back. I ended up getting MT 305/35/20 tires in the back and 275/35/20 in the front. At the time I got the tires, I was using eibach pro springs with oem stocks/struts. I was having some rubbing when I hit some dips in the highway at a fairly fast clip. I swapped the springs with Roush springs which lowered the car an inch all around, versus the eibach which lowered the car an inch in the front and 1.5 inch in the back. I also installed Koni orange struts/shocks at the same time. I still get very minimal rubbing at high speed. The new springs and konis improved my situation though. For my next tire, I am looking at Bridgeston S04 in 255/35/20 and 295/30/20. They are both 27 inch tall tires. I think this will totally eliminate the slight rubbing that I am still getting. My current MT 305/35/20 tires are 28.4 tall, the S04 295/30/20 are 27 inch tires.

I think the better option for those wanting a 305/30/20 tires in the back is the new Nitto 555 G2. They are 27.2 tall.
 
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Benson5oh

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Are your current tires wasted? Because if not, it seems like a ton of cash for 20mm of rubber. There are better places to spend $900.

Paul your right. Just doing a visual inspection of the tires, they do show their age, but not to the point I need to run out and get new tires. I'm hoping to get another 5,000 miles out of them, give or take. I'll probably just leave it alone for now. I'm sure I'll be talking about this again when the time comes to replace them.
 

Benson5oh

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Personally, I wouldn't give up the treadwidth that you currently have - on a fitment that works - for a tire that has a narrower tread and the slight possibility of tire/fender interference.

Good luck either way!

I agree with you on that.

By the way, do you have the HRE Flowform wheels? I wanted to get those so bad, but their expensive. I remember calling HRE to ask if the wheel can accept a 295/35 tire without rubbing on my 13 GT. The guy I spoke with said it would obviously fit the wheel perfectly, but I would definitely run into issues with a lowered car. Americanmuscle.com recommends a 285/30/20 tire, but that is way too little sidewall for my taste.
 
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KBBoss302

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Benson5oh - Yes, I have the FF01s 20x10.5 ET45 at all 4 corners (3mm spacer up front to clear the Brembos). I run a 285/30/20 PSS up front, which is over an inch narrower in treadwidth (10.2 vs 11.5 on the 295/30). I very much agree with the comment above that running a treadwidth close to or slightly narrower than the wheel is a good idea because my steering is definitely more responsive now.

I am lowered on KW V3 coilovers (along with UCA/LCAs/relos), which are fantastic for twisty backroad bombing duties once you dial them in and they ride very well, actually (I came from the Evo world, so stiff suspensions are relative!). The car handles very well, basically zero understeer once tires have a little heat in them, and I still have the ability to hang the tail out when I want.

Jun - thank you for that input. I probably need to just go a little narrower out back and get back to a square setup (I previously had 19x10 CF5s all around with 285/35/19 Bridgestone RE-11s and was pretty happy with that setup, too). I should start a new thread called "FF01 Fitment Verifications" so that anyone with these wheels can know what works and what doesn't before becoming a guinea pig like you and I!
 

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