17" FD Tire selection suggestions
#1
17" FD Tire selection suggestions
Been wanting to replace the old tires now that the car is running again. Did some searching and narrowed it down to a few different tires. My current tire is 10+ year old Bridgestone potenza S-03 pole positions which are rock hard...
Front: 235/45/17 on 17x9 unknown offset & toe, -1.5 camber, Ground to fender lip: L 25" R 25.5"(suspect tweaked swaybar mounts or bad shock eye bushing).
Rear: 265/40/17 on 17x10.5 unknown offset and toe -1.5 camber, Ground to fender lip 26.75" L&R.
Suspension wise the car has tokico illuminas with unknown springs(car leans forward), st front swaybar(replaced the broken RB swaybar), and a rb rear swaybar.
I have a bunch of parts yet to be installed: super now swaybar brackets(use with RB brace), J auto front swaybar end links, eibach springs, poly shock eye bushings to freshen up the worn out front bushings.
With all that being said my goal is to have decent performance on the track while the majority of driving will be on the street. The car is somewhere around 300hp.
Ok, if looking to keep the same tire sizes listed above, there's the Bridgestone potenza RE760 sport(rears on backorder). The problem i'm running into is that with a 40 profile in the rear there's no other option for a 265. My main question is how much will i suffer by switching to a 255 in the back? I'd like to try continental extremecontact dw's but i'd have to step down to a 255 in the rear. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Front: 235/45/17 on 17x9 unknown offset & toe, -1.5 camber, Ground to fender lip: L 25" R 25.5"(suspect tweaked swaybar mounts or bad shock eye bushing).
Rear: 265/40/17 on 17x10.5 unknown offset and toe -1.5 camber, Ground to fender lip 26.75" L&R.
Suspension wise the car has tokico illuminas with unknown springs(car leans forward), st front swaybar(replaced the broken RB swaybar), and a rb rear swaybar.
I have a bunch of parts yet to be installed: super now swaybar brackets(use with RB brace), J auto front swaybar end links, eibach springs, poly shock eye bushings to freshen up the worn out front bushings.
With all that being said my goal is to have decent performance on the track while the majority of driving will be on the street. The car is somewhere around 300hp.
Ok, if looking to keep the same tire sizes listed above, there's the Bridgestone potenza RE760 sport(rears on backorder). The problem i'm running into is that with a 40 profile in the rear there's no other option for a 265. My main question is how much will i suffer by switching to a 255 in the back? I'd like to try continental extremecontact dw's but i'd have to step down to a 255 in the rear. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Last edited by vampirebeats; 06-09-16 at 03:33 AM. Reason: Edit picture to cover license plate #
#2
Original Gangster/Rotary!
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If those are standard fitment Fikses (which they sure seem to be) then you're running a 17x8.5 plus 38 front and 17x10 plus 43 rear.
Back when I ran those size wheels years ago I chose 245/40 front and 275/40 rear--- not saying I recommend this, just that's what I did as a young guy
You can move to a 255/40 in the rear, what are your power levels and usage for the car?
If you don't mind a stretch, you can choose 225/45 front and 255/40 rear--- opens up tons of options for you, including the RE-71R an insanely good street tire.
If you need more tread life you have other options.
Talk to me
Back when I ran those size wheels years ago I chose 245/40 front and 275/40 rear--- not saying I recommend this, just that's what I did as a young guy
You can move to a 255/40 in the rear, what are your power levels and usage for the car?
If you don't mind a stretch, you can choose 225/45 front and 255/40 rear--- opens up tons of options for you, including the RE-71R an insanely good street tire.
If you need more tread life you have other options.
Talk to me
#3
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I'm not a young guy in this game, but I still like optimizing my tire sizes.
I have similar size Fikses (thanks GoodfellaFD3S!) - or, likely exactly as listed above!
The big tires are hard to find, but Toyo has them.
I'm running Toyo R1R's, 245/45 in the front, 275/40 in the rear. Nice fit with my lowered car. These are comfortable on the road, and perform well for track days (HPDE) too.
I see tire rack showing a new Falken in 275/40 as well, nice to have options!
I have similar size Fikses (thanks GoodfellaFD3S!) - or, likely exactly as listed above!
The big tires are hard to find, but Toyo has them.
I'm running Toyo R1R's, 245/45 in the front, 275/40 in the rear. Nice fit with my lowered car. These are comfortable on the road, and perform well for track days (HPDE) too.
I see tire rack showing a new Falken in 275/40 as well, nice to have options!
#5
The car will be used for mostly street driving with a few track days a year. I purchased the car after it sat for 11+years with blown coolant seals from overheating. Output is somewhere near 300hp. Suspension/tire wise i'd like to keep it close to the original set up. This is my first FD and i'm blown away by how this car handles even with old *** tires lol.
When it comes to the profile difference between F&R, what's the advantage of running a 45 profile in the front and a 40 in the rear? i think running a 225/45 front will alleviate the fender lip rubbing but will i even notice if i step down in width? The re71's look amazing but i am concerned about treadlife. I'm leaning towards the s-04's(225/45 & 255/40) or re760's(can run the original 235/45 & 265/40). Thanks for the responses!
When it comes to the profile difference between F&R, what's the advantage of running a 45 profile in the front and a 40 in the rear? i think running a 225/45 front will alleviate the fender lip rubbing but will i even notice if i step down in width? The re71's look amazing but i am concerned about treadlife. I'm leaning towards the s-04's(225/45 & 255/40) or re760's(can run the original 235/45 & 265/40). Thanks for the responses!
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The main reason I see to mix profiles it to keep tire diameters the same front and rear when running a staggered setup. How much you "see" in performance in stepping down in width may be minimal, depending on how competitive your driving conditions are. Also, matching tires and rim width has an impact on performance, pretty subtle within one or two sizes though.
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I think the bridgestone re-71R would be an excellent choice.
I would choose a 245-40-17 on your 9" wide wheel and a 255/40/17 on the rear.
these are going to perform amazingly.
I would choose a 245-40-17 on your 9" wide wheel and a 255/40/17 on the rear.
these are going to perform amazingly.
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The 255 RE-71Rs are on seemingly-perpetual back order, so I went with 245s all around on mine.
They perform very well, but they're also pretty loud.
--Ian
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Stock except for a Racing Beat muffler.
The RE-71Rs make an unusual noise -- it's a lot higher pitched than your usual tire noise, and it's almost a scraping sound. At first I thought it was might be rubbing somewhere, but no, it's just tire noise. It also only makes it on certain road surfaces.
It's quite a bit more noticeable than any other tire I've used, including Azenis, Rivals, or various R comps.
--Ian
The RE-71Rs make an unusual noise -- it's a lot higher pitched than your usual tire noise, and it's almost a scraping sound. At first I thought it was might be rubbing somewhere, but no, it's just tire noise. It also only makes it on certain road surfaces.
It's quite a bit more noticeable than any other tire I've used, including Azenis, Rivals, or various R comps.
--Ian
#12
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With all that being said my goal is to have decent performance on the track while the majority of driving will be on the street. The car is somewhere around 300hp.
Ok, if looking to keep the same tire sizes listed above, there's the Bridgestone potenza RE760 sport(rears on backorder). The problem i'm running into is that with a 40 profile in the rear there's no other option for a 265. My main question is how much will i suffer by switching to a 255 in the back? I'd like to try continental extremecontact dw's but i'd have to step down to a 255 in the rear. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Ok, if looking to keep the same tire sizes listed above, there's the Bridgestone potenza RE760 sport(rears on backorder). The problem i'm running into is that with a 40 profile in the rear there's no other option for a 265. My main question is how much will i suffer by switching to a 255 in the back? I'd like to try continental extremecontact dw's but i'd have to step down to a 255 in the rear. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Up front I'd go 245/40-17. Maybe 255/40-17, but taller and wider and more likely to have clearance/rubbing issues. 235/40-17 is another option there.
For cheap, Sumitomo HTR Z III
At the more track-oriented end of the spectrum, Nitto NT01. I streeted on these a couple of summers ago, IMO they make reasonable street tires. Slow down for standing water, though...
A few other options out there for 275/40-17 rears for your usage, unfortunately selection is limited for 17" tires wider than 255, though...
#13
Original Gangster/Rotary!
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^As mentioned before, after seeing the picture and knowing Fikse pretty well, I'm pretty confident those are 8.5 and 10. For over a decade that was their standard FD fitment, if those are 10.5s they were very special order.
#16
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I loved my RE71Rs for the ~1000 miles and one track day I got out of them, I roasted the rears at Li'l Talledega...
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