hello GRM :)
dilemma: Traction on my FWD fun car.
two tires available: -225/50r16, would use a 16x8 wheel, et 40, OR a -245/45r16, would use a 16x9, et10-0, flares (1.5"F, 2.0"R)
Issues: finding good 16x9 wheels......and HOW much more would a 245 be noticed overall with the extra work needed and increased weight? (it's not my DD, it's the #almostracecar)
annnnnd go!
The 245 purely because flares.
Dusterbd13 wrote: The 245 purely because flares.
Now go find 16x9's.
i forgot to mention I already bought the $175 TE-27 flares to test out the offsets and clarences.......
I guess I will be looking for wheels for a 245/45r16 T1R toyo for street use LOL.
What kind of car is this going on and what kind of events do you do with it? Tires can be "too wide" for track use - but in autocross wider is practically always faster.
Also 16 is a no-man's land of tire sizes, could you run 15" or 17" wheels?
I am on a 195/50r15x7 setup right now. right now I'm still improving it, but I would like to one day do SOLO/PHA hillclimb events, open track stuff.
the car is an old eagle summit, but it's turbo swapped and I don't get traction until 3rd gear right now (over 300hp to the wheels, 2200lbs). I would be OK with going bigger 15" tires but I dont see any fat tires for 15 anymore. I might be wrong tho. Toyo just released 245/45r16's for old porsches. there are TOND of 245/50r16 tires available as well. I fit up some 15x9 et0's and it had plenty of room for a tire and worked with the flares.
17" wheels could be done but I would need a thiiner sidewall and that sucks for backroads. like a 225/40r17. then i get big wheel disease
I'm running 195/50/15 on 15x7 right now and I'm planning to go to 245/45/15 on 15x8, it's basically the same size but 1" wider. You could get a little more width by mounting this size to 15x8.5 wheels or even 15x9s.
Edit: Oh and if you want to keep your tire options open, 205/50/15s will fit to 15x8s and even 195/50/15s can be put on 15x8s with a hefty stretch.
may I ask where you are finding these tires? i see nothing much over a 205 in r15 anywhere.
16" provides me with tire options for road or track.
thanks for the feedback!
Go to tirerack.com and shop tires by size, in that size all you'll find is EPS and R-compound tires, but among those there's a pretty good selection.
yes I see them....id rather run a street tire and make sure all is well before I go straight to $$$ comps. I guess I will have to stick to a 225/50 and no flares if I cannot find any 16x9 et20 wheels for under a grand and decent weights
EPS are street tires...or you could run something in 205/50/15 and then just change tires when you go to R-comps in 245/45/15.
tire rack shows one hoosier in 245/45r15. I dont want to do big flares and then run 205's, would look hella wonky. I just need something in a race and street size. thats either the 225/50r16 or 245/45r16 that I see.
I'd have to get a setup like these 18lb 16x9 ebay junkers: http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-16x9-4x100-Performa-Wheels-HONDA-CIVIC-CRX-ACURA-INTEGRA-MIATA-BMW-E30-MR2/301560012528?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28797%26meid%3Df1f3954509ee48a48e4cda8ec2e2eaf2%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D301560012528
I know what u mean tho.
D'oh just realized this morning that I said 245/45/15 when I meant 225/45/15, check out that size.
I'd be looking for a 245/40/17, based purely on tire choice.
z31maniac wrote: I'd be looking for a 245/40/17, based purely on tire choice.
ACTUALLY....good call.....I was bitching about 17'S BECAUSE OF SIZE, and look what I found: a 245/45r16x9 and a 245/40r17x9 only differ in the wheel/sidewall size. overall both take up the exact amount of room inside the well.
Diameter 627.8mm 626.9mm Circumference 1972.3mm 1969.5mm Poke 104.3mm 104.3mm Inset 124.3mm 124.3mm
225/45/15s are going to be just as wide in real life as 245/45/16 toyo t1r's and 15x9 availability is WAY easier than 16x9s. Food for thought.
Vigo wrote: 225/45/15s are going to be just as wide in real life as 245/45/16 toyo t1r's and 15x9 availability is WAY easier than 16x9s. Food for thought.
There is zero availability of anything in a 15 tire over maybe a 205. Im ok with using 15-17" wheels. I am not ok with running R comps for street use or paying for them in general.
The only two.sizes I can even buy a normal tire in are as follows:
225/50r16 195/50r15 245/40r17 245/45r16
Other than that its race only.
If you know anywhere i can get a 15" tire in a 245/45 please let me know.
You CAN buy a 245mm wide 15, it's called a 225/45/15. 
Go look, some of the 225/45/15s put MORE tread on the road on a 7.5" wheel, than the 245/45/16 T1R does on an 8" wheel.
225/45/15s are bigger than they sound. I'm trying to help you. Now if you don't want to deal with the tread life of the 225/45/15s which are all arguably 'almost race only', then yeah, i guess give up on 15s.
^+1, look at that size, there are EPS tires and R-comps available in that size. EPS are high-performance tires but they're legal and practical on the street.
lol, you guys prolly think i am figting you and logic. i dont mean to come off like that.
i do appreciate the visual on the 245mm widths. i know siudewall and dia affect the width as well as the listed size.
I will see what I can get, but it might be too exxxxxtreme for me, as a fun car anyways. for PA hillclimb tho......that different :) EDIT: 225/45r15 BFG Rival S and R-S3 look decent....$120-140 a tire...thats actually not that bad for what I need...and they will be like the azenis I used way back on treadwear...200rating. I hear ya. i do.
Lookie what i found......
245/40r17 on rotas....with spacers and flares. Prolly is an 17x9. Looks awesome and just what i want.
Why go to 9" width for the 245's? I just pulled up a few on TireRack, and all the ones I looked at said 7.5-9" width and all the measurements were quoted on an 8" rim. why not get the 16x8's and run the 245?
245 on an 8" wide wheel is a bit of a squeeze, even a 225 wide tire could benefit from more than 8" of width.
9" is a good width for that size, I wouldn't run under 8.5" with a 245 wide tire.
I run 245/40 18s on my RX8 and they are a perfect fit on 18x8 wheels. The sidewalls are just a bit proud of the rim face and offer a bit of protection. 225/40 19 that were stock looked stretched a bit.
From the pics I'm seeing, it looks like 245/40/17 on 17x9 is just a slight stretch:
It's the maximum recommended width after all.
You'll need to log in to post.
