Friends, I am about to mount a set of XD9 18x10 +38 Wheels and wanted your opinion on make, model and size of tire mount that is the best balance between track and street.

Thanks

John

 

255/40-17 front 275/40-17 rear, maybe? I think 275/40-17 up front might be too tall/wide for the stock front fenders. Shorter/narrower 255/40-17 will definitely require rolled fenders.
Sumitomo HTRZIII for low bucks, decent street, trackable but probably not so great there.
Toyo R1R would be decent for street/track.
Or for less street/more track, Nitto NT01 in the same sizes. That's what I'm running at the moment for street/track, in those sizes but on 17x8.5 and 17x9.5 +40. But 255/40-17 will fit fine on 10", with less bulge/more stretch but definitely OK. Should give razor-sharp turn-in response

 

I've got some 255/40/17 hankook R-S3's coming in tomorrow, let you know how they do. They seem to be the best bang for your buck extreme summer performance tire out there at the moment.

 

Yup, those are awesome for street/track, I just got 225/50-16 rears for my DD sometimes-tracked S2000

RS-3 probably the best dual-purpose tire out there, particularly for the price. I was fixated on 275 rears, which aren't strictly necessary...

 

The Sumitomos are cheap and last a LONG time but their traction leaves a lot to be desired(fine in the rain). The Ecstas I've used don't last as long but are a VERY grippy tire at 180 treadware. With 450whp and 400lb of tq the Kuhmos once warmed up could hold grip in 2nd. I don't think any tire would in first though without going to a slick.

The Sumitomos run narrow for their listed size. The 285/30-18 is an inch narrower than a Michelin PS2 of the same size if you look at section width. On my CCW 18x10's the sumi's look slightly stretched and the PS2's look just about right. Falken 615's run narrow as well. It's one of the few 315's you can fit on an FD with only rolled fenders and aftermarket trailing arms.

 

Fitted the 255/40/17 hankook R-S3's on the FD yesterday. After raising the front about 1/2" along with adjusting the front coilover dampeners and tire pressures I was able to get a good starting point on how the car is going to handle....Incredible is all I can say. My last car was a lightly modded e46 m3 with michelin PSS's and it certainly falls short of the grip the FD has now. I will say that the R-S3's are a little harsh over bumps, but road noise seems normal and it does take a few turns to get some really good grip in them but they seem to heat up quick.

My .02 cents