I know nothing about tires. I am looking at either 16' or 17' rims for my camaro. Can someone please explain to me what kind of tires I have to choose from and what options certain tires offer. I am clueless and know nothing about tires. What does the number 245-50-16 mean? I would also like to know if there is a big price jump from 16' tires to 17' tires? Any help on tires and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

THANKS!


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1989 Camaro RS
305 TBI
Gunmetal Metalic Paint
Grey Interior
4th Gen Seats
145mph Speedo
Kenwood eXcelon head unit
eXcelon front and rear speakers

 

ok here it goes, no pro here, but a jack of all trades

the 245 refers to height of the tire (cm?)
the 50 is the width (cm?)
the 16 is the rim size

so it is ###-##-##
or ht -width-rim size

If i were you id look into the 17" rims. With stock replacements compared it would now be 245-50-r17

the larger the first number, the taller the tire (if you keep the same size rims..you will have more sidewall exposed which generally takes away from the aggressive appearance and gives it more of a bog-boat look! exaggerated of course

if you increase the width....or the 50 to say, something like 60...its a wider tire..which gives you more patch/footprint (amt of tread on road surface at any given time) which translates to better traction. It also brings the stance of the tires out from the body more, a bit more stylish looking if not overdone. a great thing but only if you have wheelwell clearance, a relatively simple modification for the tool handy and worth it if you can do it or pay to have it done..spacers may help, but you would have to talk to someone with more knowledge in this area.

The price diff from 16 to 17 isnt huge at all.
As far as tire types, no not all are the same, but i get the impression you arent circle tracking it nor dragging your car...so drivability is an important role.
I just got some Yokohama somethingorothers on the front and it smoothed out my ride considerably. they were 245-50-r16...cost installed.... 278 and change.
I recommend BF Goodrich or Yoko's for street performance and drivability. good marriage of price and quality. thats all i can really tell you....gl with it

also...when you adjust tire size considerably....you need to adjust your speedo gears...this site has a Tech article on it.

[This message has been edited by TBIfly (edited October 25, 2001).]

 

Sorry TBIfly, but you have it way wrong.

Using this size as an example:

P255/50R-16

The first letter is the type of tire. P is for passenger car.

The first number is the width of the tire in millimeters.

The second number is the height of the tire in a percentage of the width and is preceded by a *slash* not a hyphen. Also known as aspect ratio or series. For example, on a P255/50R-16, the width is 255mm, and the sidewall is 50% of 255mm or about 128mm (a tad over 5 inches).

The R denotes a radial tire.

And the last number is the height of the rims lip (where the tire bead seals) or more accurately, refers to the inner diameter of the tire. That's important because some 17" wheels actually measure a bit over 18" across of you put a ruler to it.

And lastly, speedometer calibration is only necessary if the overall diameter of the new tire is not equal to 26" +/- .5".

I'm not flaming you or anything, but if you don't know for sure, you really shouldn't say anything. There's enough misinformation on this board as it is.

[This message has been edited by Jza (edited October 25, 2001).]

 

Here are some sizes that you can use with minimal effect on the speedo:
275/40/17
315/35/17 (this is for a 10.5" or wider rim)
255/50/16
245/50/16
245/45/16 (this tire makes the speedo register a little faster than you are actually going, also makes your car look lifted since the sidewall is a lower profile.)

That's about all I can think of at this time.

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WS6 Trans Am.

View My Ride @ thirdgen.org

 

thanks for straightening it up for me ...forgot your name....leave it to me to believe an 18 yr old kid working at a tire shop

 

Hey guys thanks for all the great information. Well now let me ask your advice on rims for my car. My car is an 89 RS. Anyhow I now have the crappy 15" stock rims. Anything is better then these isn't it? Anyhow I found a pair of BRAND NEW 91-92 rims w/ caps for $675.00 mailed to my door. These are of course 16 inch. I originally thought about getting ROH Snypers in the 17" size. Which rims do you guys like more? The Snypers would of course cost me more plus tires will be more for them also. Do you think thats a good deal on the 91-92 rims?? Do 17" rims really look that much better???

THANKS AGAIN GUYS!



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1989 Camaro RS
305 TBI
Gunmetal Metalic Paint
Grey Interior
4th Gen Seats
145mph Speedo
Kenwood eXcelon head unit
eXcelon front and rear speakers

 

Listen, you don't need to go with 17" rims unless you have a lot of money to kill. In my experiences the diff. between 16" and 17's is quite a bit cost wise, look on tirerack.com In all honesty, $675 sounds a little steep for stock wheels, I got a set of 16" GTA wheels with the black mesh for $400 with a brand new set of tires on them, you just have to look a little. Look for some used 91/92 rims and save a bunch, maybe loose a little quality , but you can tell the difference between junk and a deal. Really there is very little difference between 16's and 17's performance-wise if you have GOOD tires on. of couse the 17's are gonna look a little better on the car. For tires, I reccomend Falken tires. Have a set now and they are GREAT! Much less expensive too! Those are just my opinions, but I hope they help.

[This message has been edited by dmair5_0 (edited October 25, 2001).]

 

Anybody else have some opinions for me. The thing about the 91-92 rims is you can't buy them new any more. I guess its just a matter of opinion on how the rims look. I personally think they are pretty cool. Is $675.00 to much? Should I just spend another couple hundred and go for the 17's like ROH Snypers or what?

THANKS AGAIN GUYS!

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1989 Camaro RS
305 TBI
Gunmetal Metalic Paint
Grey Interior
4th Gen Seats
145mph Speedo
Kenwood eXcelon head unit
eXcelon front and rear speakers

 

The snypers look better between the two you are looking at in my opinion. But I think the 18x8 Polished IROC's like Mr. IROC-Z has are the best ones, I'm gonna try to buy some this weekend. If not this weeked then next week.

 

Another tire that works well, and the same size that I running is 255/45R17.

The difference between 16" and 17" is somewhat looks and also a little better performance, meaning that there is usually less sidewall flex with a 17" tire because of the smaller sidewall.

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yellow 86 Camaro
LG4 700R4
ROH RH 17x9
Bridgestone Potenza RE730 255/45ZR17 all around
Pioneer head unit
Kenwood speakers
Infinity Beta Digital 300 amp
2 Infinity Perfect 12s

Now KYB equipped!!

 

Those 91-92 rims arn't bad either though. I would save alot of money on tires thats for sure. The rims are brand new just like the snypers would be if I buy those. The thing I am worried about with the snypers is it shows alot. I would really have to put some kick *** brakes on to make it look right and well done... With the 91-92 I wouldn't have to...
I was also thinking with the 91-92 I could get those 245/45/16's that CAR-N-DRVR is selling and have some Brand new rims and tires for around $1000.00. Also will the 17' Snypers throw my Speedo way off and is the ride alot worse?

THANKS AGAIN!

 

>leave it to me to believe an 18 yr old kid working at a tire shop.

Again, posting without having your facts straight.

[This message has been edited by Jza (edited October 26, 2001).]

 

IMO the 245/45's need to be on a lowered car--the wheel gap will be pretty big. Wheel size has nothing to do with the speedo. Overall tire height is what you need to worry about. If you want to save a little bit of money, check out the first style 16 inch Iroc wheels. IMO a sweet stock wheel. I picked up a good set for 225 bucks with half worn out tires.


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350 with stealth intake, holley carb, 470 lift cam. 700r4 with .5 boost valve, vette servo, tci lock-up kit, B&M megashifter. Richmond 3.73 gears, powertrax locker, timkin bearings, synthetic lube. Custom 3 inch single into 2 2.5 pipes. 1 1/2 drop springs, 1 5/16 solid front sway bar, 1 inch rear bar, custom subframe connectors, custom LCA relocation brackets. Kobel ground FX, currant red metallic paint. Lots of other stuff...
82camaro

 

If you get some 17s I have found an amazing source for tires. He could probably get good deals on the 16s too i imagine. I am getting a set of dunlop sp 9000's 275/40/17 for 420 shipped to my door.

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Jeremy
91 rs, convertible, K&N, Edelbrock open element cleaner, 3.73, B&M mega-shifter, goodmark cowl-induction hood,tinted windows,MacEwen Overlays
4th gen seats, SS Chrome wheels, check out my ride at www.racecamaro.cz28.com or check out the reader's rides at: https://www.thirdgen.org/rides/index...ew&rideid=1217

 

TBIfly, I'm sorry you can't handle a mild correction like an adult. I or anyone else could have been a lot worse, believe me.

And what do you mean my intelligence is unfathomable? Do I have to dumb it down a little for you?

I wasn't trying to make you look bad, I was just preventing the spread of misinformation, and I meant it when I said "no flame intended". Just take it with a grain of salt and learn from it. If I embarrased you, I'm genuinely sorry for it, but it's no reason to send me immature emails. At least be a man about it and let me respond (I wasn't going to make this public...). Anyway, moving on...

 

82camaro I gotta hand it to you those rims look awesome on your car!! I would love a set of those if I could get them as reasonalbe as you did. They look really nice man! Keep your eyes open for me. I still am debating on the 91-92 rims for 675.00. Its alot of money for 16 inch rims but the rims are brand new and still in the box and those rims are really sharp also...

THANKS AGAIN!

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1989 Camaro RS
305 TBI
Gunmetal Metalic Paint
Grey Interior
4th Gen Seats
145mph Speedo
Kenwood eXcelon head unit
eXcelon front and rear speakers