I need some fatter tires for my camaro and was wondering what the max width that could be put on. I would like some 275/45-50/16's or even the 265's. I have 245's and they are pretty much brand new, but I will need fatter tires for the fatter engine. Let me know what to do...
JOHN

 

i have seen 265 on them but never seen 275 i think it would be too wide

 

Problem is 255/50-16 is the widest size available in a true "street" tire. Hoosier makes a 275/45-16 "Sports Car DOT Radial" for Auto-X and road racing, and recommends a 8" - 10" rim width. But that is a tire with very little tread and which does not like water.

 

Actually, BFG makes 265 and 295/50/16 tires for an 8" rim. It's the "Radial T/A". The problem with these tires is that they are not a very high performance tire. They are "S" speed rated. They are also quite a bit taller than stock 245's. The 295's are 27.6". Not a huge issue, but something to consider.

Rich Krause

 

Well, I found these bfgoodrich 265/50/16's radial TA's with a 400 AA tread rating and the only problem is they are S rated(112 mph). Would these tires be too hard to hook up? They are only $100, not that cost is that big of a concern, but it is hard to find a "wider" tire in a 16. The car is an everyday driver. At the track, the car will hopefully see over 112mph, so is there a big concern with the S rating then? Thanks!
JOHN

 

Rskrause,
Those were exactly what I was looking at. And the performance issue was my main concern. I hate to purchase the tires if they will feat my purpose. If they are too hard to hook up properly, then they just won't be worth it. And I hate to go up to a 17" wheel, because I don't want to fork out the dough for them...plus I like my "sleeper" chrome stockers. Would a 255 be ample for ~275 rwhp? If so, then I would just get those, but I thought the fatter of the two would be a little better.
JOHN

 

My bad.... I should have said 255/50-16 is the largest "performance" street tire...... I forgot about "all season".... but then I wouldn't expect an all-season tire to offer much in the way of traction.

 

So, will a 255 tire be good for the street/track conditions?

 

No street tire will hook like race tire at the track. But I had 255/16's on my car for years. With 700+rwhp, traction was pretty marginal but I think you will find them quite satisfactory. I had 60' times at the track in the 2.1sec range, about as good as most people with street tires on a 4th gen. A 16" wheel/tire combo is a bit lighter than an equivalent 17" anyway, which is an advantage.

Rich Krause

 

the width of the tire isnt a big factor in traction it is more the sidewall there was a really big disucssion on this a long time ago.

 

I tried to find the "sidewall" discussion, but to no avail. What is a good 255 tire that will have a good tread rating for an everyday driver. Or, what would be a good price to sell my chrome salad shooters with 2 month old never raced Nitto NT450's(245/5016's) with the little rubber spikes still on them, so I could see the increase in cost for some 17's? Or do you think they will hold okay...I didn't know this was going to be so tough
JOHN

 

A freind of mine has 275s on his stock salad shooters but it looks really goofy if you ask me. The tire is definatley too wide for that size rim and sticks out a lot.

 

Whats a good everyday driver, performance 255 tire? I would like it to last and be able to perform at the track. Knowing and understanding fully that I can't have the ut-most best of both worlds.
JOHN

 

A lot depends on your price range. First, I'd recommend a 255 on the rear and a 245 on the front. For a moderate priced tire, the Dunlop SP Sport 8000 is a good tire. The traction is good and the tread is wide. Tread wear isn't great though. Lots of people like the Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 and it is supposed to have decent tread life. It's a relatively inexpensive tire, but I have a somewhat irrational dislike of Asian auto related stuff, so it's hard for me to say I would ever personally buy these. At the high end is the Michelin Pilot Sport, but these are ridiculously expensive.

Rich Krause

 

I know we are talking about 16" rims, but I had BFG 255/60/15 Radial TA's on my modded 1985 Monte Carlo SS and I cut consistant 1.9x 60' times with them. So, while the dont have the speed rating, they are great for traction at the track, atleast for me they were. I currently run the Supra Ecsta 712's (17" tire though) on my Formula and they seam to be a very nice tire, decent traction, but I cant tell you about tread life yet cause I havent had them that long.