I would like to stick with the stock 16"x8" IROC wheels for financial reasons, but I also understand that 17" wheels will give a much larger tire selection. Because of the aitocrossing I do, I would like to go as wide as I legally can for my class which is a 9" wide wheel and a 265 tire (STX). I plan on using the tires for daily driving (only about 3,000 miles a year) so I would like good treadware but still as sticky as possible. I also don't want to be paying like $150 a tire. I'm thinking now more then $110-120 a tire at the very most because I have college tuition to start worrying about next Fall. If anyone knows of some cheap tires that fit my needs or some 17"x9" wheels, please let me know.

Thanks,
Mike

PS - I know you can only safetly go as wide as 255 on the stock wheels, hence my desire to get the larger wheels. I do have two sets of single stripe IROC wheels that I may be selling.

 

try kumho tires , good and not too expensive.

 

Only thing Kuhmos are good for is low price they suck at anything traction related. I would say try Fuzion Zri's Ive had good luck with those and theyre cheap except they dont last all too long on certain cars and I didnt drive on mine all that much to be able to judge. Not sure of the price on Nittos but maybe look into those a lot of people have had success on their 555r tires.

 

MX, XS, HTR Z III are some of the tires I considered, along with some others I've forgotten. I decided on the HTR Z IIIs. There's a thread over on corner-carvers titled cheap tires or something to that effect that helped me with my decision. They seem to be a good wet/dry traction tire and have a 300 AA A rating. But, with the 265 size restriction, you won't have as many options as you would with a 275. Might want to try and run a 17x9.5...
And you call 3,000 a year daily driving? lol, I average 17.5k lol.

 

well, i know kumho tires aren't the best...but read the post...he wants new tires at a good price....

 

Thanks for the input, I'll start looking into those brands.

It is pouring rain tonight by me and with my practically bald tires... let's just say it was a nail biter.

Yeah I know 3,000 isn't much but I don't really have to go anywhere far. That will change this year because I'll be going to Third Gen Fest, the Car Craft Nationals, and I'm thinking about joining the HotRod Power Tour when they come by Racine, WI.

Is that "corner-carvers.com?". I currently have the old tread design BFG KDW tires. They were great tires when they were new, but their time is up.

The 17"x9.5" wheel will bump me up a class to STU. For my class, the diameter of the wheels doesn't matter, but the max legal width of the wheels is 9" (AWD cars in my class can only go up to 8" wide wheel and a 245 tire).


Does anyone know of 17"x9" wheels for sale? I would prefer them not to be chrome. I've been looking on LS1tech, here on TGO, and local cities on Craigslist but everythin is either too expensive, the person won't ship, or there is a damaged wheel among the set.

Mike

 

Oh, I didn't know that. I'm not very familiar with the classes in auto-x. I have to drive quiet a while to get into anything competitive around here. It might be a little more difficult to find 265 17s, might have to search a different aspect ratio...??
It's all make/model website for road course, auto-x, etc. I have BFG g-Force Sports on mine now, and I like them pretty well. Heard the Sumitomos are a stickier tire for less money, so I'm trying them next. I know what you mean about nail bitting... I used to have bald Cooper Cobras and rear wheel cylinders that tended to lock up on me lol.

 

I've ran the kumho they are decent but not great. They are loud, they wear quickly under heavy driving. If you have any alignment issue or run aggresive toe for racing they will wear quickly. Looking at the price and other tires in their category they are a decent choice, but I will never get them again unless I absolutly have to.

 

I'm looking at these but I guess they are a little more than you want to spend.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...-re-960as.html

These are the 3 I am looking at.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...nSpeedRating=S

 

The thought just ocurred to me... What if I just get crap used tires for cheap daily driver use then go spend like $150 a tire for REALLY good track only tires (such as the Dunlop Deriza Z1 Star Spec tires) that I could put on my other set of IROC wheels. My dad comes to all my races so he I could through the other wheels, tires, jack, and jack stands in his Durango so the "track tires" would be just that. I just don't want the dirty wheels and tires in my car because my interior is in über good condition. This is also why it is difficult for me to decide how to mount a harness bar... I don't want any holes in my car. lol

Another thing for me to consider is that I pretty much always drive my car hard, so maybe I'll hate the crappy tires for daily driving. Shopping for tires is one of my least favorite car-related activities just because there are so many options to consider!

It seems that 265 tires can really only be found for 18" wheels which I think is too big for these cars... then again maybe I just need to see the 18" wheels on a third gen in real life. It looks like I will be stuck with 255 tires.

Mike

 

18's look good in real life, you wont regret it if you go that route.

 

Yeah, but the added weight (unsprung and rotating) and extra expense of 18" tires vs 17" tires is what kept me with 17s.
I have two sets of tires- I run my stock wheels with Bridgestone G009s in the fall/winter, and my 17s with the BFGs in the summer. Works out pretty well. I've driven on them for about 3 years, and that's almost 50-55k miles between them. My Bridgestones need replacing at the end of the next season and I plan to replace my BFGs this summer (they are softer and I play on them harder). It really works out well. Try to find a decent all season to drive on and a nice set of sticky ones for the rest of the time.

 

Any idea how much more the larger wheels would weigh? I can see how they would weigh more, but would the extra width of the 265 tire (half inch of tread I think) be worth going with the lighter and smaller 255?

 

i like firestone and you can get them for under 100 a tire, and excellent tire treat.

i suggest you go wider and taller. if it will fit here is the height chart - 26 inches is stock although i went to 28 in the rear and 26 in the front - many will want it lower. all you have to do is look at my car and see i am a fan of fat tires. others like them low and mean.

it all good.

KEEP THE STOCK 16's they are great. they are 8 inches and you can put some meat on them.