Tire woes....

ok....I'm running out of patience here... Finding a set of tires I can live w/ and a price to match is getting to be about as difficult as finding a set of wheels... After 2 years of searching, I found a set of 18" x 9.5" wheels that I LIKE..... NOW I need tires for them. I will be installing these wheels in July. (not that it matters.....but WTF)

My Question... WHO has the best pricing for the following, AND are there any other tires yall would recomend that won't break the bank. I don't want to pay $600/2 unless I ABSOLUTLY HAVE TO! Correct me if I'm wrong. (and I know you will) I'd like 285/40's but I don't think they make them.. So I'll have to settle w/ 275/35's....

Nitto 555's- (Dang expensve!!)

BFG KDW's- (can't find in 285/40's... only 275/35)

Other good brands? Kumho? I'm NOT doing Toyo again. Eagle F1's are starign to seam cheap. I'm checking Discounnt Tire Direct, Tire Rack. Is there ANYWHERE/ANYTHING I could be overlooking?? A bit of help would make my life easier about now.

And lastly.. a simple Q... I'll be doing American Racing Rebels... Backspacing?? 35mm ok?


Thanx a lot..... :cz28:

dewd - In 285/40/18 you can get the KDW-2's. :bow:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=g-Force+T%2FA+KDW+2&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=84YR8GFTAKDW2&fromCompare1=yes&place=3

$229 a piece. That's only $460 plus your shipping costs from Tirerack.com which isn't that bad usually.

The Kumho Ecsta MX (usually my next preference) is $221 for 275/35, so the BFG's sound like the shoe in to me. They are an awesome tire, and they look better to me than anythin out there.

and on tire rack KUMHO s are about 160.per 4 275/35/18s..IM trying 2 find out myself the best size 4 my 18s.. without rubbing in the front.. Tire rack is going to tell you that 245/40/18s is best 4 the front... But I dont want miss-match tires 4 the front and back..

When you pick up tire size you want to be as close as possible of the stock size diameter wich is about 25.65"-25.7" .

To get the outside diameter from the tire specs, you convert the section width to inches, add a decimal to the "aspect ratio" (the 40 in the tire size means the sidewall height is 40% of, or 0.40 X the section width), multiply the aspect ratio times the section width - that gives you the sidewall height. Then add 2X the sidewall height to the wheel diameter.


285/40/18 give :

285/25.4 = 11.22"

0.40 x 11.22 = 4.49"

2 x 4.49 = 8.98"

18" + 8.98 = 26.98" = the outside diameter of the tire

So the 285/40/18 is 1.3" inchs to tall


The good size should be:


285/35/18:
285/25.4 = 11.22"

0.35 X 11.22 = 3.93"

2 x 3.93 = 7.86"

18" + 7.86" = 25.86" wich is .1"inch bigger (very close to perfect)

or

275/35/18

275/25.4 = 10.83"

0.35 x 10.83" = 3.79"

2 x 3.79" = 7.58"

18" + 7.58" =25.58" wich is .1" smaller



-One of the best is the f1 gs-d3 but god damn expensive 257.00/each ,i was going to buy them when i thought about what i was gonna do with the car this summer.

-Im a little freak that like to smoke the rear tires and make them slide on corner so why the hell i was gonna pay for expensive tire when im gonnna smoke them and burn them in maybe a summer or two(with rotation of course).

-So i put my choice on the falken fk-451 190.00$/each.I called it the fair tire.Its fair/good on the dry(they need to be warm a little) and good on wet .

-What im trying to explain is ,considere wich tire you need for your application.

Eagle F1 GS-D3 -- best street tire you'll ever own, IMO. Michelin Pilot outperforms it by a small margin, for a 50% price premium.

$277/tire will get you a set of 285/40YR18 from TireRack.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Goodyear&model=Eagle+F1+GS-D3

The biggest reason to stay as close as possible to the existing tire ratio is to keep your speedometer calibrated. If you think a bigger tire looks better, and you don't mind losing a little torque at the ground (equivalent to shortening your rear end gear ratios), there's nothing wrong with changing sizes.

Any mail order tuner (or a HyperTech, or anything like that) can re-calibrate your speedometer for your new tires.

The good year Eagle F1's are looken pretty good. I still have time to really make up my mind.

Lookin into the Kumho's

Kumho's are cheap for a reason. This information is secondhand (via a friend of mine that put 712's on his '95 V6), but I've heard that they're pretty crappy.

Everyone I know with F1 GS-D3's, on any car, absolutely loves them.

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?sw=false&cs=285&pc=40317&rd=18&ar=40

I got my 275/35-18 BFG KDW-2s from Tirerack for $850 shipped. I also run 18x9.5 all around.

From what I've seen, the Nittos cost like, $5 more a tire. Since mine's a daily driver, I need some semblance of traction in the rain, so I went with the BFGs.

OK, It's down to F1's and the KDW-2's now. Thanx yall!

What aboutt eh 35mm backspacing on the AR Rebels? Should I just measure it on the car when I get back?

So I souldnt have any problems in the front as far as rubbing with the 275/35/18 s ????

275's shouldn't rub, or rub very little if they do at all, also yes Kumho's suck balls, they are cheap and may be ok for the front, but you will spin the piss out of them if you throw em on the rear.

Thanks, because I really dont want 2 put play mix n match. between front/back..

I fit 275 40's on my 18x9.5's all around - no rubbing - and it is dropped 1". Altthough I had 56mm backspace - sounds like yours is a bit different

mr z28 are those the 275/40/18 s on that camaro in the pic with the pickup.. they look nice on there..

Thanks - Yeah - those are the 18's, but that was before I lowered it - the pictures with the 1" drop are on page 3 - it sat way too high with the 275/40/18 becasue the diameter is alittle bit bigger than stock - now it looks proper with the 1" drop - and I still have enough sidewall - most people go with the 35 series, but I wanted a bit more sidewall, so I went with the 40.

Thanks - Yeah - those are the 18's, but that was before I lowered it - the pictures with the 1" drop are on page 3 - it sat way too high with the 275/40/18 becasue the diameter is alittle bit bigger than stock - now it looks proper with the 1" drop - and I still have enough sidewall - most people go with the 35 series, but I wanted a bit more sidewall, so I went with the 40.


that looks really good, and man that car is clean.. thanks again and now its time to get a good tire brand...

What backspacing would you recomend w/ the AR rebels?? I also cannot find them in 9.5" wide. Can I fit a 10" wide up front?? 9" seems puny to me...

35mm?... can I get that in inches too, mabie.... it says on the AR site that the offset is 25 and the backside is 6. Whatever thay mean by backside. Will these fit? (no mesurement increments, mabie 25mm?, in that case I will be able to do the 10 wide) :think:

The biggest reason to stay as close as possible to the existing tire ratio is to keep your speedometer calibrated. If you think a bigger tire looks better, and you don't mind losing a little torque at the ground (equivalent to shortening your rear end gear ratios), there's nothing wrong with changing sizes.

Any mail order tuner (or a HyperTech, or anything like that) can re-calibrate your speedometer for your new tires.


I already know that,you can put the size of tire you want but they can leave too some problem.

Clearance issue,rubbing are due too a wrong size tire.With 275/35/18 or 285/35/18 your are not gonna have problem with clearance or maybe a little in the front when your turn your steering to the max on 18x9.5 wheels with the correct offset.

In that case 285/40/18 is 1.3" to tall,this can translate to a clearance problem.

Also the car will sit higher and will look like it is on 4x4 mode.

I was just trying to help man. :thumb:

1.3" taller than stock -- I confirm. The car's ground clearance would go up 0.65 inches, but by looking at the clearance around the tires in the wheel wells, it would look like the car was lowered 0.65". So, I don't think it would really look like "4x4 mode", as you say. I haven't seen the setup in person, so I'm just speculating here.

The biggest issue would probably be, as you mentioned, that the tires would be very likely to rub when you turn the steering wheel all the way in either direction.

Ok again , then what size tire would be good all around for 18 s?? without rubbing in the front??

Ok again , then what size tire would be good all around for 18 s?? without rubbing in the front??

How wide are your wheel(9" or 9.5")

The info below is for 9.5" wide.

275/35/18 is good and should not rub.

And a lot of people are running 285/35/18 too without rubbing(only 5mm wider on each side).

These 2 sizes as i mentionne before are the closest one to the stock overall size.

I ve choose the 285 ones so that the tire is running over the wheel a little more than the 275 just for trying to protect them off accidental curb rash.

Kumho's are cheap for a reason. This information is secondhand (via a friend of mine that put 712's on his '95 V6), but I've heard that they're pretty crappy.


I'll second that from first hand knowlege. I hate the buggers!

The Kumho MX is a whole different animal though.

How wide are your wheel(9" or 9.5")

The info below is for 9.5" wide.

275/35/18 is good and should not rub.

And a lot of people are running 285/35/18 too without rubbing(only 5mm wider on each side).

These 2 sizes as i mentionne before are the closest one to the stock overall size.

I ve choose the 285 ones so that the tire is running over the wheel a little more than the 275 just for trying to protect them off accidental curb rash.


Mine are 9.5 wide.. thanks for the info..

....What aboutt eh 35mm backspacing on the AR Rebels? Should I just measure it on the car when I get back?

If you are looking at an 18x9.5" wide wheel, with a 35mm offset, the tires are going to be very close to the outside of the front fender, if not actually outside it. The best offset for a 9.5" wheel is in the range of 45-56mm. Any more offset, and the wheels are sunk in the wheel wells and getting too close to the steering knuckle. Any less than 45mm, and they are moving toward the outside edge of the fender.

Some people like the "aggressive" look of a 35mm or 38m wheel, poking out from the fender a bit. Just make sure you like that look. And, the more you push them toward the outside of the fender, the more likely they are going rub. It isn't just the tire size that determines if it will rub on something... its also the wheel offset, and how well the wheel is centered in the fender.

All of this is covered in the FAQ stickied at the top of the Wheels and Tires forum topic listing. There are photos of my car with 56mm and 49mm offset 9.5" wide wheels on it. There is a photo of a T/A with 45mm 9.5" wide wheels in the front, and I think there is a link to another car with 38mm offset.

SO I CAN do a 25mm offset in the front....?....What do they mean by backside? I can do anyone of these...
I guess they don't make a 9.5 wide Rebel. :confused: my bad...


Size----Offset---Backside----Bolt Circle
18x9-----25--------6---------5-4 3/4

18x10----41------7 1/8-------5-4 3/4

17x9---- 25-------6----------5-4 3/4

I'm w/ ya so far.... 45-56mm offset @ 9.5 in wide will fit about any F-body... (sorry, sometimes really simple sh!t can confuse the h3ll out of me!!)

I am going to be getting me a set of these for the rear of my car... In a lot lower rim size though.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=g-Force+T%2FA+Drag+Radial&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=735R8GFTADR&fromCompare1=yes&place=2

SO I CAN do a 25mm offset in the front....?
No, that's exactly what I said you CAN NOT do. A 25mm offset 9.5" wide wheel wheel will stick outside the front fender by at least 1/2". If you are now looking at a 9" wide wheel with a 25mm offset, the tire will be about 1/2" outside the fender.
....What do they mean by backside?
That is the "backspace" of the wheel. The distance from the face of the wheel hub mount (the surface that bolts to the axle hub) to the back edge of the wheel. That's how deep the back of the wheel sits inside the fender.

"Offset" is the distance the face of the wheel hub mounting surface on the wheel is "offset" from the centerline of the wheel. If you have a 9" wide wheel, and you have a 25mm offset (= approx 1" offset):

Centerline of wheel = 9.0 / 2 = 4.5"

Centerline + offset = 4.5" + 1" = 5.5"

That means the the 9" width of the wheel is "split", with 5.5" of the wheel width behind the mounting hub, and 3.5" of the wheel width sticking out toward the outer edge of the fender.

To add to the complication, that 9.0" width of the wheel is measured between the flanges that hold the tire bead on the wheel. To get the "backspace", you need to add the width of the bead retention flange to the amount you calculated above..... so if the flange is 1/2" wide, the 9" wheel with the 25mm offset has a:

Centerline + offset + flange = backspace

4.5" + 1" + 0.5" = 6.0" backspace.

A stock 16x8.0" 55mm offset 4th Gen wheel has a (approx) 6.625" backspace. So if you add an inch to the width, and reduce the offset by 1.2", you have moved the outside edge of the tire 1.7" toward the outside of the fender. That puts the tire outside the fender, or very close to being outside.

Size----Offset---Backside----Bolt Circle
18x9-----25--------6---------5-4 3/4

18x10----41------7 1/8-------5-4 3/4

17x9---- 25-------6----------5-4 3/4

I already explained why the 25mm offset wheel won't look too good - outside the fender, or to close to the edge. The 41mm offset on the 10" wide wheel puts the edge of the tire within 1/8" of the 9" wheel with the 25mm offset.

The question is, where do you want the outer edge of the tire to sit? If you want it at the very edge of the fender, or slightly outside, you could use those wheels. I personally wouldn't do it, but that's just personal taste. With the tire that far out under the fender, you increase the chances of the tire rubbing on the fender.

I don't think they'll be too bad, come to think of it. Thanx for everything yall.. Including your patience!