ok, i got through the season with old dryrotted tires (the rubber peels off quite quickly!) im looking to spend less than 600 on 4, i want 295's in the back and 255's in the front, i have the formula 5 spoke 16's, and i plan on only putting about 5 thousand miles a year on the car, so wear isnt a huge concern either. comments and suggestions appreciated

 

Id look into performance radial tires for sure. I don't know if you want to go through the twistys, or if your all about straight line. If you only want straight line, then id go for some nice drag radials on the back. Drag radials should last you 5k miles if you buy something like a nitto 555r asuming they make one for your size. Not sure for the fronts I just threw some eagles on mine nothing special.

 

Try some General Exclaim UHP - they should be in your price range. Pretty good tires, get great reviews.

You can't put a 295 on just any wheel. What's your wheel width? Are all your wheels the same size?

 

Stock wheels 16x8 and you want 295's on the rear good luck.
Max size is 255 for that size wheel and $600 is not gone to get you a lot with install, balancing, tire disposal and state txs.
Check out tirerack.com to see what is available and at what prices. Then you have some info and can check your local area tire stores

 

thanks for the advice, i know my friend had 295's on his stock z28 wheels, his issue was rubbing not width, i think that my wheels are 16x8s. i was meaning 600 for just the tires, i have the means of mounting, but still need balance and alignment, luckily i know most of the staff at the local tire shop. im praying that the weather holds out in connecticut when i get the tires, because i would hate to have to drive it in snow, or at least attempt to.

 

The reason most people don't go beyond 255's on the stock 8" wide wheels is not because they don't fit correctly. Its because that is typically the widest tire available in true "high performance" tires. BFG makes Radial T/A's in wider sizes that will work correctly on an 8" wide wheel, but they are not great tires and they are generally only available in huge diameters.

For example, BFG makes a Radial T/A 295/50-16, and they recommend that you use a wheel width of 8" - 10". But its a 27.6" diameter tire. Most of the drag radials are only available in 245 or 255 in 16's. M/T makes a 295/20-16 ET Street Radial, but its not the same tread as their other "world's fastest" ET Street Radial. Works with an 8" - 10" wheel, per the M/T sizing chart. Again, a 27.7" tire. That messes with your rear axle ratio a bit.