I just completed my tire size surch on this board, and the two sizes in the subject came up the most often for my stock 16x8" Z28 wheels. I am more auto-X than drag race, and since the third gen cars don't have an over steer problem I will use the same size on all four corners. Just want to see what the members are running and how they like them. Thanks for any input!

 

I use BF's G-Force KDW, which are the stock size of 245/50-16. IMO I wouldn't use a 45 series tire it would look too small. So far I like these out of all the tires I've had.

<img src = "http://home.twcny.rr.com/gta88/DSCF0002.jpg">

 

I have tried 245/45 16's once on mine. It handled really well with BFG z-rated Comp t/a's but they did look small and the car was a frikin submarine-lost ground clearance. I went back to 245/50/16's. The car did corner better with the 45's than the 50's but it rides so much better with the 50's. Don't think I would recomend going to 255/50's though, they'll sit wider on the rim and the sidewalls will loss more traction than the 245/50's.

You want a great tire? Try the Firestone Firehawk sz50 EP's. Make sure they are the EP's(Extended performane) and not just the standard sz50's.

Good luck.

 

50 series 245s are going to be around an inch taller then 45 series, which means around half an inch more sidewall to flex. These are ballparks because every tire manufacturer is slightly different in the measuring of their aspect ratios, tread widths, etc. From an auto-x perspective you want a lower sidewall Z rated or better tire, not to mention 245/45 is the stock size for our cars.

 

I run 255-50-16 Yokohama tires on the rear of my car, and during *really* agressive cornering (or doing donuts) the tires rub against the inner wheelwell.

 

I would suggest that you go with the 245 tires instead of the 255. Although the 255 tires are wider then the 245 tires. The thing you have to consider is the sidewalls. With 245's on our 16"x8" rims they already buldge over. With 255 they would buldge over more. Which in turn would make you handle allitle worse. So go with the 245

 

Quote:

not to mention 245/45 is the stock size for our cars.

umm... make that- 245/50

I agree with AFGT, 50 series tires will ride much better than 45 series, not to mention looking better.

 

Stock size for all f-bodies with a 16 in rim is 245/50/16.

The 45 series tire is great for all out cornering, as most r-compound tires that would work on our cars with a 16 in. rim are 245/45/16. For the street, I would go with the BFG KDW in a size of 245/50/16. Great bang for the buck. If u are just in need of tires for autocrossing, go with Kumos or Housers. Fronts would be 245/45/16, the rears can be 265/45/16. Again, these tires are r-compound tires, not for everyday driving....

Incidentally, I run the BFG KDW at the autocross and came in second for the season. Like I said great tire for the money, around $120 a tire at the tirerack last time I checked.

 

i'm running 245/45-16 avs intermediates and they handle great but ride is terrible as is the cars ability to track a human hair on the parkway. They don't fill the wheel wells and ride height is sacrificed, if i had to do it again i would get 245/50-16.

 

I was looking into this just now. This has helped alot as I was either looking at Dunlop SP 8000's or BF goodrich G-force KDW tires. Tires sizes were 245/50/16 zr, and at www.tirerack.com they are $116 per tire.

How do the dunlop tires perform against the BF goodrich's?

 

I run 255/50 in the rear 245/50's up front with no problems, no rubbing in the rear or anything...

 

Are you planning to run a "R" compound tire?

If so - I recommend the Kumho Victoracer 265/45-16

If you have a choice between 245/50 and 255/50 - go with the 255s

More rubber on the pavement = more grip. Simple as that.

I have done autoX with 245/45 and 255/50 as well as the Kumho 265/45 - and the bigger tire always performs better. More stick.

 

Karl,
Can you run the 265 on the 8" wheel? I thought 255 was as big as you could go.

Thanks,

-Schultzy

 

This is great! Lots of good info from everyone. I assume "R" compound tires are reeeeally soft, and unsuitable for street? Not DOT? Cost prohibitive because of initial cost and short life?

 

My bad. I meant 245/50 was the stock tire size.

And the thing you need to be cautious about is that going up to a 255, or a 265, or a 275 does not automatically equal more tire on the ground. If the tires don't match the rim, you're going to end up distorting the tire carcass out of it's originally intended profile. In extreme cases I have no doubt you will be worse off. In cases where we're talking about 10mm size differences, it's more questionable

 

Just to set the record straight, thats not correct, RS Camaro's with 16" wheels had 235/55/16 tires.

 

Oppss, forgot about the RS

 

The 265/45-16 was designed by Kumho for the 8" wheel - to be legal for SCCA American Sedan rules.

The "optimal" wheel wifth for the 265/45-16 is 9.5" - but it works very well even on an 8" wheel as it was designed to do.

Several companies make D.O.T. legal "R" compound tires. These tires are designed for racing - and do not last long on the street. They have verry little tread (6/32" for the Kumho) and are generally painfull to drive around on the street. The car will tend to follow every rut in the road - and if the road is wet, Gawd help you!

BFGoodrich, Yokohama, Toyo, and Kumho are the tire companies that come to mind most commonly that make R compound tires (in D.O.T. legal form) but BFG is phasing out their program, and tire availability is very limited. Goodyear also makes a D.O.T. R-tire - but in only select sizes, and again availability is llimited.

Hoosier also makes D.O.T. legal R-tires - but these are much more expensive - and they have virtually NO tread - even when brand new. The Hoosier is also probably the fastest of the R tires - just check out results for SCCA Solo2 Nationals - you will see.
http://www.scca.org/amateur/solo2/na...lts/index.html

None of these R tires should be considered for daily street driving.

If you are looking for a good street tire to use - take your pick of the usual suspects from any of the major manufacturers. They all make respectable tires. Generally the higher the speed rating, the better the tire will perform under hard driving conditions, but of course additional cost goes along with this.

The 255/50-16 will fit just fine on a 8" wheel (16X8) - but if your car is low in the front, there may be some occasions of rubbing.

The reason you can get away with running such a wide tire on only an 8" wheel is that the sidewalls are fairly tall - even on the 265/45-16. This extra sidewall allows the tire to work on a smaller than optimal wheel without sacrificing too much performance. Of course - it is always "best" to run the proper wheel size - but in these cases where you have the opportunity to have more rubber on the ground with the same size wheel - it works.

Hoosier also makes a 275/45-16 that works on the 8" wheel.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...tButtonName=Go

look at the "specs" and you will see that the "rim width range" for this tire is 8" to 10" - this tire is also designed to work on a 8" wheel to be legal in A-Sedan.

Any questions??

 

QUESTIONS ANSWERED!! I can smell the rubber burning from here! Thanks again