rx7r3

Whats the widest tire that will fit on 94 rims safely?

JimmyJimboJet

pm rishie (ARD T2), or post in the suspension/wheels/tires section, you'd get better help there.

but, i think the magic width on stock wheels are 245/45-16's.

gohorns

It depends on the tire manufacturer. I have seen as wide as 255s on stock wheels. Which tires are you getting?

ROTARYFDTT

iTrader: (4)

I will continue to say that you can go bigger width tires then what the consensus is. They are an 8 inch rim, my friend ran 285s on his 01 Cobra on that width. If you run anything more than 245s there will be tire bulge, but so what. I don't see the problem with 255s or 265s. Once I get ahold of some stockers I am gonna take it to Discount Tireand see what they think. They always hook me up.

GsrSol

I wouldn't go wider then 255. If you get enough tire bulge then the bead of the rim will wear into the sidewall.

maxcooper

I have seen 255s on the stock wheels, but the diameter is bigger than stock so you might run into rubbing problems. 245/45-16 is the popular upgrade size that keeps the stock diameter and fits well on the wheels.

I don't think anyone says that it is impossible to mount really big tires on narrow wheels, but rather that it just isn't a good idea. 285s on 8" rims might work with tall sidewalls, but I doubt you could find some 285s that would have the right diameter that you could mount on 16x8" wheels. I recommend staying within the tire manufacturer's recommended rim widths for a given tire (very easy to find on the Specs sheets on tirerack.com). Going outside that range puts the sidewalls at a lousy angle, which reduces response and may impact the load handling cpability of the tire. Plus, it looks funny. If you want really huge tires, get bigger wheels.

-Max

the_glass_man

iTrader: (2)

get some 335's on there!

rx7r3

255 seems the way to...maybe 265. Anybody got pics?

rx7r3

18*8 Wheel Weight 19.5 LBS (front tires: 235/40ZR18 / Rear tires: 265/35ZR18)

rynberg

Putting a really wide tire on a rim serves no purpose. You will not get better grip or traction and it won't even look very wide. As Max said, it will lower stability and perhaps reduce the load rating of the tire.

Stick with 245/45s as the widest tire on a stock rim. Anyone that tells you differently either only cares about having the widest tire possible or they are ignorant. Don't mean to sound harsh but....

The ideal rim width is 90% or more of the tire width.

245*90% = 8.7 inches

225*90% = 8 inches

ROTARYFDTT

iTrader: (4)

I am not ingorant at all and don't care about having the widest tire. I am just saying don't believe all the hype about not being able to put wide tires on certain rims. because it can be done and I've seen it done.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Right, but if performance suffers (go roadrace or auto-x with 285s on stockers and tell me how you do), then what the hell is the point?

maxcooper

It would be interesting to ask/test a few things:

1. Ask a tire engineer what criteria are used for setting recommended rim widths, and what happens when you stray from the recommendation.

2. I was going to say do a test of different sizes on stock wheels, but 245/45-16 seems to be the biggest 16" size available in all the brands I looked at that would have a diameter anywhere close to the stock size. 255/50 was often the largest size, but they have a 26" diameter, which is too big for the front unless you are running a 4x4 suspension. Okay, so I bet we could find some good 17" sizes to test, like these on 7.5" wide rims: 225/45-17, 245/40-17, 255/40-17.

Hoosier makes competition tires in 275/45R16 that list rim widths that would be an approved setup on 8" rims and have a diameter much smaller than their nominal size suggests. I wonder if anyone is running those on stock wheels for AutoX? It seems like the "hot" fitment on stock wheels among the fast AutoX guys was 245/45R16, but I am not sure if these were available or if there was some other reason (rubbing?) that made them impractical?

-Max

ROTARYFDTT

iTrader: (4)

dude I would never do that, I am not an idiot. 245s is plenty tire and I know this. **** I run 245s on my car and its all I need as of now.
Your missing the point, I am not gonna go stuff that size tire onto my or stock rims. I am just saying that it can be done contrary to popular belief. THATs IT......

rx7r3

So what brand offers the most traction, especially straight ahead?

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

I love the s02s for traction on the street, esp. in the twisties. I think they complement the strengths of the FD perfectly. Outstanding in the rain as well.

Supposedly the BFG gforce KDs are the **** for *dry* weather traction--just don't get caught in the rain .

Domestic513

Who makes a good tire that is 255/45/16?

maxcooper

Tire Rack lists no tires available in 255/45-16:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...rk=1&do=Search

-Max

SleepR1

Just because you can mount wide tires on 8-inch wide stockers, doesn't mean it's a good idea LOL

SleepR1

FWIW, I "THINK" Hoosier has discontinuted the 275/45-16 tire size in both compounds (R3S03 and A3S03)?...

damian

iTrader: (2)

dont forget weight guys, a tire is unsprung weight, and the less the better, so maybe going larger 245/45 was best balance based on amount of grip gained by the extra width minus the performacne loss by extra weight, maybe any wider and the gained grip did not overcome the negatives from the added weight...im just speculating

redrotorR1

Actually, a wider tire will effectively give you more grip. I know for certain that my car has much more traction with the 245/45's than it did with the 225/50's. Check out all the really fast Miata drivers at your next auto-x. I see people running 225's on 14" rims. Yes, they look funky ... but race rubber has much stiffer sidewalls than normal street tires, so it will run without a problem. I co-drive in a LT1 Camaro running 275/45 16 Hoosiers on the stock salad shooters (16x8). It definitely transitions better, but I do feel like the car is a little slower in straightline acceleration. Then again, this is all on race rubber. Street tires are a different story.

That said, 245/45 is the perfect size for the FD stock rim. Straightline acceleration feels a little faster with the 225/50's, but the lateral grip is far better with the wider tire. 245/45 is more than enough tire for any stock FD and most mildly modified FD's. (Hmmm, am I heavily modified now? )