What is the widest tire you can put on a 16X8 formula wheel in the rear that you dont need spacers for or anything?

 

i think its something like a 275/45r16 or a 275/40r16 but for a size like that your gona wana look into drag radials, im doing the same thing myself actualy so im hoping somone whos already done it can give soem input here

 

245-50-16 is the proper size for your wheels. 255-50 is getting too wide and also has a larger diameter, 275 needs a 9.5" wheel to be used effectively.

 

Im currently in need of a wider tire for when my build is complete. as previously mentioned 245/50r16 is the proper size there are a few 255/50r16's out there. kumho also used to make a 265/45r16 which you can still find (with some digging). I have seen the 275/55r16's which is similar to mickey thompson street radials. however Ive also seen a 295/50r16 which states the minimum rim width for said tire is 8". some people say they fit, and run them fine and there are those who swear they ill not fit on a 8" rim and if it does aggressive driving could bring the tire off the rim...however in my search I have found ZERO evidence to support that the 295/50r16 will not proerly fit on the 8" rim. which ended up making my decision the 295 when im ready.

255's http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...50&diameter=16
265 http://superbuytires.com/tires/265/45R16
275 http://www.mandhtires.com/275-55R16#.UWJWAZOG28A
295 https://www.google.com/#q=295/50r16&...w=1517&bih=741

 

It is not that you can't run the 295-50-16 tire on an 8" - it will fit and probably never give you any problems.

The thing to remember is that that tire will be 2" larger in diameter than a 245-50-16, lowering your gear ratio 8% and handling wise it will have the sidewall effect of a 14" tire, which will be sloppy. And putting it on a too narrow 8" wheel, a size at the minimum 1.5" too narrow for optimal fitment, you will be swimming in sidewall flex - which will make the car unstable. The optimal wheel size for a given tire is section width minus 1". So with a 255 tire (10" exactly), you need a 9" wheel (8.5" will work). On the 9.5" wheels I sell, I recommend a 275 tire as optimal fitment.

 

Thank you for an actual explanation. That makes perfect sense . I had spit balled the idea of picking up some 255's for daily use and possibly picking up two spare GTA rims to throw the 295's on for when I hit the track. Guess that settled it. Gracias amigo!

 

No problem.

I would suggest that you pick up a pair of 255-50 or 245-50 drag radials if you plan to hit the track. The reason is that the tires will be stock diameter and width, but will be drag radial compound and will be stable on 8" wheels. I stuck a pair of Nitto DR on my buddy's L98 IROC with nitrous about 10 years ago - it would cut 1.69 60' all day on stock suspension and just a few engine bolt ons (no converter either). Some have gone even faster on 16" DR.

 

what is the widest tire you can fit in the wheel well.

I am going to have my gta 16x8 rims widened to 16x9.5

I was thinking 275/45/16. i hear they are the same height as the 255/50's i run

Do you need to roll that little lip insid the wheel well where the body comes together? The frame is much further in, but that body pinch looks close.

 

I'm going to strongly suggest that you forget the idea of having your 16" wheels widened and putting tires on them for a few reasons:

1) Finding performance tires in the 245-50-16 or 255-50-16 size is hard enough, you are going to be extremely limited in finding any 275-40-16 tires these days at all.

2) Rear wheels offset is not optimal to add another 1.5" of width, that is something you want to use a pair of fronts to do.

3) Why spend $400+ to butcher up a set of GTA wheels that have decent resale value at this point - and then have no real tire options.


My suggestion if you want wider tires is to find a set of 17" or 18" wheels that fit 275 width tires correctly and use them on your car. If you sell your present wheels, you can save some $ for the new rollers.

 

Agree with Paul on this one.

 

i wanted to keep the gta loooking wheels, plus the benefit of a bigger sidewall. 275's on 18" rims do nothing for hooking up at the track...

i dont really care too much about "hackign up the rims" $400 is cheaper than 4 new 18" rims that wouldnt hook up or look right.

there are nice 275/45/16 DR's that are the same overall hieght as the 255/50/16s that i curently run.

 

Justin, I mentioned 18" only due to availability of 275 width tires. In your case, I would suggest a 17" x 9.5" wheel with a 275-40-17 drag radial - there are quite a few choices. You should have no problem hooking with them - assuming your suspension is up to the task.

As the Toyo Proxes TQ is the only 275-45-16 drag rials avaialbile today, that is a lot of faith in a company that just discontinued all 245-50-16 and 255-50-16 street and road racing tires this year - including a spec tire for CMC racing that was the one sole 16" choice. The only fitment I would suggest for this tire is an older C4 Vetter with the 16" x 9.5" wheels (convertible most likely) as they will fit without modifications.

 

i remember seein 285 and 295/40/16's a while back.. does anyone make anything larger than the 275 toyo's for a 16 with the correct aspect ratio to maintian height?