what exactly are you trying to do? a lower profile tire helps in cornering usually, but it doesnt help you in a straight line if you are already lighting up the tires in 1st gear. a smaller tire will make your car feel faster, but you have to be able to get traction.

i actually track my car, i can tell you you should stagger your tires to a minimal and never run wider front tires than the back. i have done it before, scary.....

Makes sense; lower profile will be less able to absorb road vibration, so more squirleey in a straight line. I'm not using to having straight line traction issues -- haven't driven a high torque RWD car in ages -- so I'm more used to focusing on cornering :p

Driving plans: 99% spirited DD driving, with an occcasional autox in the mix.

So, that said, given the choice between OEM spec tires in AD08 or the alternative I was considering of 245/35 F and 295/30 R, which do you recommend?

I wish advan had 285/35's like the RE-11's... :shakes head:

Do you recommend a square set-up, or try to maintain approximately the same ratio as OEM for rear to front, with the rears being wider, natch.

i believe you are much closer to stock with a 35 profile than 30. my speedo is more accurate with my 265 285 35 19 re11 setup, its within .5mph.

if you are not a hardcore guy, get 265 285. if you are, get 285 all around to get rid of the plow.

Thanks for the suggestions -- I'm probably more "softcore" than "hardcore", but I do like to throw it hard into corners every chance I get :icon17:

Does a staggerd set up push more?

I thought it would only push more if the fronts were wider than the rears. I'd like neutral as possible, really.

the lack of front camber and the poor weight distribution make the car plow regardlless, you can minimize it on a stock car by getting a square setup. due to the wheel size issue, most people arent willing to do that. also a slight stagger makes the car safer to drive, thats why nissan did it. my race rims have 285 all around, car felt a lot more stable. just get 265 285 35 19 re11 and call it a day, they are great tires. i have 4 new 285 35 19 replacing it next week

^^^ okay -- thanks!

Also, I just thought about that. It probably pushes more if the rears are wider (hence safer), so a square set-up would actually bias it towards oversteering.

Thanks again -- I'll keep all of this in mind when tire shopping :tiphat:

stagger=more grip in the rear, front end will start washing out before the rear does. you are not creating more oversteer, you are just giving the front more grip and allow it to turn better.

you know thiese are 10k miles tire right?

Do you mean the RE-11's the AD08's or both?

Yeah, that's fine. I can usually get about a year to 18 months or so out of sticky tires, and the fun factor is worth it to me.

Both. As long as you can afford it, that's good. I just don't want you to post about how tires only last 10K miles (look at all the guys complaining about the OEM tires)

They are both very good tires, I like the Bridgestone more simply because I have had better luck with that company than Yokohama, you will be good either way. Just get the right size so you don't regret it like I did last year.

Not sure if you can see from the video, but you can see how hard I had to fight the car to get it to turn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTu3E66mydE

compare to my 350 on a square setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtASpcAAxZI

Yes the cars are different and tires are different, but you can see the difference between a balanced stock car vs. a plowing stock car.

^^^ Thanks, I'll check it out! I'm a big believer in following the advice of strip and cone people.

I'm used to lumping tire longevity for fun on my old ride, so no whining here :D

I will generally resist temptation on anything with a wear rating below 180, but the RE-11's and AD08's are in that ball park, so however long they actually last will probably be fine for me.


EDIT:
Great vids!

Now you have me strongly considering a square set-up... the difference entering corners is obvious, and the 370 is theoretically the more balanced of the two! Huge difference with the square -- definitely food for thought.

Glad that you understand tires are more important than size, a 245 R comp will outrace a crappy 305 all day :) I am a big believer of grippy tires, I just don't like to pay for them....

I wouldn't bother with the R888. They might show tread on them, but they lose their useful life within the first five major heat cycle. I made that mistake three times, RA1 is a much better tire.

The 370 turns in quicker than the 350 for sure, but the 370 just plows and plows where the 350 felt more neutral (square setup). The 350 did have less rear grip (was on 235/45/17) and a much tail happy rear suspension, but it just felt much more fun to drive as you can get back on the gas much sooner. RE11 in 285 is plenty for a stock Z that is not on the track in the rear, you just have to get the proper front tires to match it.....

Here are some autox video, the back end does not break loose.....

YouTube - 370z autox

YouTube - Tom driving the 370z