MX3

iTrader: (4)

Would like to find out - If anyone is running on 245 / 50 /16 Tires.

Can you share your Experience - Opinion and if you would recommend them to other FD Drivers.

Would greatly appreciate if you can post pictures.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

I wouldn't recommend that size.
Stock was 225/50/16. So I'd go with 245/45/16. It will fit on a (stock) 8" wide wheel, give you the width and keep the speedometer correct.

ZDan

That size is nearly an inch taller than stock, 25.7" vs. 24.9", IMO 245/45-16 would be a better choice for a 245 width 16" tire on the FD.

There is very little selection in either of those sizes, though. You will most likely to be able to get a much better tire for your wants/needs/usage, whatever they are, in 225/50-16.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

^Agreed on selection, but there are a few good choices now. 245/45/16 seems to be making a little comeback. A few years ago it was only R compounds. That's when I moved to 17" wheels.

MX3

iTrader: (4)

I presently Have 225 / 50 / 16 - Please See Below Exactly How the Car is setup right now. I have D2 CoilOvers and Spacers.

I would like to go 245 / 45 / 16 - Can you tell me - If I do change to 245 / 45 / 16 - Will I notice a considerable difference. Will it really make a driving difference?

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Whether you feel a difference is as much a function of the tire as anything else. A good sticky summer performance tire in 225 width will out-perform a mediocre tire in 245. All else being equal though, the bigger the contact patch the better. And there will be minimal difference in price of a given tire between sizes. Personally I liked the look of the wider tire.
Nice car. If you go wider you may need to remove the spacers.

ZDan

No, and no. I've run 205/225, 225/245, and 205/245 front/rear on the S2000 at the track, and honestly the difference in driving feel wasn't all that much. Ditto running the FD on 255/265, 255/275, and even 235/275 front/rear. Change in stagger did slightly affect under/oversteer balance, but even that wasn't a big deal (and wouldn't affect you because you're going with same size all around).

Also, 225/50-16 is a better fit on 8" wide wheels.

The more important thing is to pick the best tire for your wants/needs/usage. And unless you're buying DOT race tires, you're going to find much better tires available in 225/50-16 than in 245/45-16.

MX3

iTrader: (4)

ZDAN - That is some very valuable information - About 8 months ago - I installed The BFGoodrich g-Force Sport COMP-2 summer performance.

I do like them - But I was thinking that going wider - Wider Meaning more tire on the road will give me better handling - And more road feel - Quicker corners.

But - Since you've tried all sizes - It is not the case.

Let me ask you this - I want to stay stock 225 / 50 / 16.

Which is the best overall handling tire?

ZDan

Gotta be the Bridgestone RE71R. However they are known to be quite short-lived relative to other "Extreme Performance" category tires. I tried them and wore the rears to the treadwear indicators in one track day (and less than 1000 street miles)!

I would probably go with Dunlop ZII Star Spec. Or for a few $$$ less, Hankook RS3.

Check out Tire Rack tests of these tires here:
Tire Test Results : Have We Reached the Performance Peak in Extreme Performance Summer Tires?
Tire Test Results : Testing the Newest Extreme Performance Summer Tires: Witnessing the Evolution of the Species

MX3

iTrader: (4)

Thanks - Will keep those in mind.

I've always liked the Yokohama Brand.

ZDan

Yokohama AD08R are great tires, but not any better than others in the class despite being a lot more $$$.
Tire Test Results : Testing Extreme Performance Summer Tires: How Well Can They Handle the Extreme?

I wouldn't fixate too much on brand. All the big brand-name tire manufacturers make some good tires, and some that aren't so good...

Definitely look at tire tests and customer reviews. Tire Rack site is an excellent resource for those.

Topolino

iTrader: (2)

I currently run the Eagle F1 GS-D3 in OEM size. Best street tire I've ever had regarding wet traction and low noise/ride comfort.

But the following Potenza RE-11 specs in the 245/45/16 size appear to compare somewhat favorably (wet traction) and/or better in other aspects (comfort & dry traction). Under $200 ea, too...

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11

ZDan

A bit pricey, and a step or two behind in evolution (it came out 10 years ago), but may be worth considering.
Note that the tires it's compared against on Tire Rack have all been replaced with better tires. The RE11 is a step behind the RE11R (which has disappeared?) and two steps behind the RE71R in Bridgestone's lineup, but honestly on the street it's probably not an issue at all.

245/45-16 on 8" isn't really a "bad" fitment, either.

I might worry about age. If they're old and have been warehoused for a few years they could age out earlier on you.

kensin

iTrader: (22)

continental extremecontact dsw06 . do that. 225 50 16. handles like a dream in dry and wet conditions

ZDan

Your dream may differ from MX3's. He has BFG G-Force Sport Comp 2 UHP summer tires that are already pretty highly rated for steering response and wants: "better handling - And more road feel - Quicker corners."

DSW06 are inherently lower-performance all-seasons and apparently more on the soft side. From Tire Rack testing: "Steering is a little sluggish for the category"

To get a significant increase in handling and road feel, better to jump from Ultra High Performance summer to the Extreme Performance category than to go in the other direction, UHP all-season with softer sidewalls, smaller tread blocks and a lot more siping.

kensin

iTrader: (22)

good point. I'm noteing it down for my future reference!

Topolino

iTrader: (2)

Interesting point about warehouse age storing of tires. Something to consider I guess. The RE-11 generally outperforms the RE-71R regardless of generation evolution, though.

According to Tire Rack consumer surveys, the 71R in the 225 size only marginally outperforms the RE-11 in dry pavement testing; 9.5 vs 9.4 in cornering stability, 9.6 vs 9.4 in dry traction, and 9.4 vs 9.2 in steering response. But it performs a full category rating worse for ride/comfort/treadware. A 245/45-16 version of the RE-11 should outperform the 71R in the 225 size in nearly all aspects; hence, the roughly $50 per tire premium.

Note: The 71R doesn't appear to be available in 245/45-16.

For me, the consideration of buying new tires is thusly: Will the overall experience with a new set be better than what I currently run? And can I get them at my price pinch point?

I'm looking forward to stepping up from OEM stock size to the RE-11 245/45-16 version once the current set gets too low on tread.

adam c

iTrader: (2)

A 245/45 tire will outperform a 225/50 tire (of the same quality) every time. The shorter sidewall and larger footprint make that obvious. The problem is that there are not that many 245 tires available. If you can find a good quality 245 tire, buy it.

Topolino

iTrader: (2)

^Agree 100%

Here's a good comparison of the OP's current set vs some of the aforementioned replacements if planning on staying with OEM size tires...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTires.jsp

ZDan

Where are you getting this? The RE11 was a fine tire, definitely one of the best in 2008. But the RE71R's performance in the dry is gonna be substantially ahead of the RE11. It's the equivalent of some DOT race tires.


RE71R was .75 seconds faster around Tire Rack's ~course vs. RE11A (which had better dry grip than RE11). That's a big advantage...

I would bet money on 225 RE71R over 245 RE11.

It is considered a "cheater tire" in autoX and time trials, pretty much dominates the *current* Extreme Performance pack (whereas the RE11 did well in it's day though it didn't dominate, and it is a couple of generations old by now).

That said, RE11 should still be a solid step or two up in performance vs. BFG Comp2s, and on the street tenths don't matter and tire life probably does. RE71R is a short-lived tire...

DaveW

I was looking for 245/45R16 tires for mine, but settled for 225/50R16 for the same reason. I bought Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Ultra High Performance Summer tires.

These are asymmetric and so have inherently better performance than directional.

They are highly rated by Tire Rack.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

^IIRC there are a couple decent choices in 245/45. And they fit just fine on the 8" wide stock wheel but look better IMO. Someone like you being an exception, VERY few other owners will be able to exploit the small performance differences on the street. So if it's offered in 225 and 245, I'm with Adam... it's a no-brainer.

MX3

iTrader: (4)

This is the Tire I'm considering. It is a 245 / 45 / 16.

Will keep the stock RIM.

DaveW

Sgtblue, I concur with your choice- it makes perfect sense. I had long been considering 245/45R16's on the rear, but Bridgestone/Firestone doesn't have that size, at least in a max-performance tire.

I went with the Firestones for several reasons:
1. I have a real racecar, so the FD is for fun drives only, no track days, etc. So, since the Firestones are really good tires and I don't need maximum G-loads in cornering, they are what I need.
2. I can tune the handling with tire pressure - a few psi less in the rear than the front, and I have perfect neutral handling.
3. I retired from Bridgestone/Firestone and have a very good discount with them. On 11/30/16, with a $50-off sale in effect, my total cost for 4 tires (mounted & balanced) with road-hazard warranty was $285.

ZDan

I don't think another UHP tire is going to give an appreciable improvement in handling immediacy and precision vs. current tires, even going from 225/50-16 to 245/45-16. Any difference in handling feel and grip is probably going to be more due to differences in construction and compound between the BFG Comp2 and the Toyo T1R than the size change.

It's worth noting that while 245/45-16 (for wheel widths from 7.5" - 9") is a perfectly cromulent fit on 16x8, 225/50-16 (for wheel widths from 6" - 8") is less pooched and will have more taut sidewalls. That difference will counter to some degree the 245/45-16's slightly shorter sidewalls.

I'm kind of agnostic on the sizes, either will be fine. But going from one UHP summer tire to another is going to be more of a lateral move in terms of responsiveness and handling feel.

I'd go Extreme Perf. If $$$ an issue and the 245/45-16 RE-11s are too pricey, there are 225/50-16 options that are a lot less expensive. Kumho Ecsta V720 are same price as T1R, and Nexen N Fera SUR4 are cheaper.