Anbody running S03's in this size? The Specs on Briidgestone/Firestone's website say the actual tread width (9.7") is wider than that of my S02s or SZ50s in 275/40/17 (8.9").

I measured the SZ50 after rolling into my dusty garage, so that the portion of the tread that actually touched the road was grey. 8.9" looks accurate.

Now normally I don't compare tread-width numbers between manufacturers, but since these are the same company, can a 265/40 really be almost an inch wider than a 275/40?

I wish i could find specs to see what B-stone listed my old 275/40/17 RE71s as... I measured the tread width as almost 11"!!

Anyone have this size?

 

I have that size for the rear and I had it compared to the Nitto 555R which was 275/40/17. They were almost the same width.

 

thebestmotoring has 9-inch wides in the back. Peter has 10-inch wides in the back. The extra inche will add a bit more tread width.

 

Thanks guys... i should buy back my old RE71s now that i've got 10" wides... they would have looked totally at home on 11" wheels! True steamrollers.

 

Pete,

The SZ50s have a really thin tread width compared to other tires. They curve up at the edges for a more progressive feel at the limit. The tire itself is just as wide. Compare this to tires made by say Yokohama, who prefer bringing the tread out to the very edge of the sidewall. There was a good article in Car and Driver a few months ago about the tread width vs tire width.

 

I've got S-03s in that size. I must say that I would be surprised if they were among the widest for their nominal size, since the sizewalls look more rounded than is typical in this class. Perhaps they are just wide anyway (despite the rounded sidewalls), though, considering they take up the full width of the 9.5" wheels they are mounted on. I believe the 9.7" tread width number based on my observations relative to the wheels width (that is probably hard to eyeball, though, so take that witha grain of salt).

-Max