Tire Width Suggestions

spearfish25

I'm ordering some RE-11s and plan to pick them up this weekend. They'll be mounted on the stock Sport Rays (9" wide front, 10" rear). I'll be daily driving and doing track days and autox throughout the year.

My initial plan was 255/35/19 front and 285/35/19 rear. The RE-11s also come in 265/35/19, which is also a possibility for the front. The 255s are measured on 9" rims (a perfect match) while the 265s are measured on 9.5" rims. However, both tires width range specs are compatible with the 9" rim width.

So, would you go with the 255/285 combo since 255 is measured on a 9" rim or go with the 265/285 combo for less stagger and less understeer despite the slightly smaller rim width than it's measured on? I don't want to introduce any negative handling issues by going too big up front.

How bad is tram-lining with 265s up front?

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daisuke149

go with original setup except for 30 profile in the rear not 35.

if you did 265 up front go 295 rear. thats what i would suggest. based on no experience or really any research :-D

spearfish25

RE-11s only come in 285/35 or 305/30...no 295 and no other aspect ratios. So I'm locked in for the rears at 285/35. The question is 255 vs 265 for the front.

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cossie1600

i have the 265 285 re 11 setup now. speedo is within 1 mph. if you only care about looks, keep the 265 and 285 as they fit perfect. car didnt hajndle great as it plowed too much.i am going with 285 front next month as the plow got out of control for me. it might seem big for the 9" in the front, but it should fit.

import111

Not sure what suspension you have or what your driving style is, but I would play with tire pressure, camber, and other suspension settings to get a more neutral car. I run 245/275 F/R and my car is slightly over steery, which is just the way I like it. 265/285 on this car should not plow.

hdskull

I have a question as to what plowing is? Would a 265/305 or 255/285 setup get rid of the problem?

cossie1600

Everything is stock, down to the alignment. I forgot how much pressure I run, but car works best with 2 psi more pressure in the rear.

Do not get 30 series profile tire on the 285, it would be too small.

How good is the RE11? Well in 265/35/19 and 285/35/19, my speedo is more accurate than stock. It RIDES better than stock and it is QUIETER than stock. I have about 7500 miles on it with 20-25 autox events and 4 track days. After all the abuse, I still have 3/32nd on the rear tires and a little less on the front. If you don't autox or track the car, the front tires should last longer as most of my wear are on the outer edge (lack of camber).

I will be buying a new set for this coming season with 285/35/19 all the way around. I didn't like the 265 as the car just wouldn't turn. The problem got worse as the tires age a little more. (plowing means you have the wheels turn and the car wants to go straight).

I have a set of 285/35/18 race tires (FOR SALE). The car just felt a lot more balance and netural. I also owned a 350 with square setup, it is 100x better than stagger. I did the stagger last year as I wasn't sure if it was going to fit. Now I know it fits, I am going all out. At $1200 a set, I can only do one set of RE11 a year.

daisuke149

yeah my bad on the 30. rear is supposed to be 35 with front being 40.

cossie1600

Nope. You plow because you have more rear grip than front grip. If you put more meat in the back than the front, the plowing will just get worse.

Of course this is assuming you have good tires. If not, you will plow turning in and snap the rear coming out.

hdskull

I see, thanks!

Volcom370Z

Got any pictures of your setup? I want to see what the stock setup looks like with larger tires... I don't want spacers, just bigger, better tires. I would imagine that wider tire somewhat eliminates the needs for spacers anyhow right?

cossie1600

The tires just sit perfect with the wheel. It doesn't make the wheel stick out any further if that's what you are asking. Spacer is for people who only care about looks, they are usually not functional. Heck, I can argue some of them can hurt performance.


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Shot at 2010-08-18

Volcom370Z

cossie,

Thanks for the pics! why do you say that spacers can hurt performance? seems to be a pretty popular thing on here... the only reason it is even in my mind is because if i decide to put springs on my car or anything like that, i dont want my wheels to looked tucked into my wheel wells

m4a1mustang

Some of the Mustang guys are running 285s on the stock Brembo 19x9" wheels. There is a bit of bulge and it is out of spec by .5", but so far I haven't heard of any negative result. I'm a little leary about doing it myself, though. But 285 RE-11s all around would be nice.

Edit: Here's a 285/35 on a 19x9 wheel:





I'm not so sure I want to go out of spec like that, but we'll see.

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cossie1600

some cars suspesion arent designed to have the wheels spaced out that far, plus a lot of spacers are unsafe because they dont have extended studs.

if you are using the car strictly as a daily driver, get the 265 in the front as it is safer. if you want every bit from your car, get the square setup as it will make the car turn in quicker.

you shouldnt get crazy oversteer with this car unless you have regular tires or screwed up suspension. with the 265/285 setup, car barely got sideways at the track.