I have 2 extra 17X9.5" ZR1 wheels that I would like to put some rain tire on as my 315s are horrible in the rain. It doesn't rain that often in SoCal, so these will just be swapped on the rear when it starts to pour.

I know that thinner is better for the rain, and it seems as though 245/45/17s would fit on a 9.5" wide wheel. There are also a ton of cheap rain tires for this size as well.

Would I have any problem with this? Also, what are some of the best cheapy rain tires out there?

 

Check the specs for your specific tire. Most manufacturers recommend a rim width of 7.5 - 9.0" for a 245/45-17. Dunlop will go up to 9.5". I don't think 1/2" deviation is going to cause a whole lot of problems, since you probably wouldn't be driving the car very hard in the rain, anyway.

 

wow, 245 is best suited for a 8" rim as you'd really be stretching it. your talking about the only thing that keeps you safe on the road, "tires" and your skimping out....

good luck.

 

I'm not skimping out. I want the thinnest tire possible because the same tire in a thinner size will be better in the rain. I drive like the oldest grandma in the world when in the rain. These tires are for occasional rain use ONLY, and will never see any sort of performance driving. They will likely last more than 5 years with how many miles they'll see.

 

then do what the rest of us do and just keep the drag radials on.....snow is more difficult i must add however.

 

That's funny how so many people have good results with the drag radials in the rain. Hmm, I wonder if 275/40/17 drag radials would be better for racing than my 315/35/17 G-Force KD's? Then, the could be my rain/drag tires!

I also noticed that the Eagle D1-GS3s are available in a 255/45/17. WOuld that work on the 9.5" rim???

 

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

save yourself some trouble and check it out.... type in your stock tire and then try to match it best you can with what you want.

 

The size is close enough to stock, but I want to make sure the a 255 tire is wide enough for a 9.5" rim.

What do you think?

 

Not exactly. An 8" wide rim only happens to be the rim width on which a 245/45 tire is mounted when its dimensions are measured. Call this "measuring wheel width" a basic value that has tolerance in either direction, and this tolerance can be used to fine-tune tire behavior. Within reason, this is a perfectly acceptable method of tuning. Best performance normally occurs with wheels up around the wide end of the range of accepted widths. Better ride normally means using the narrower wheels. 8" is at best a compromise, though, and since that figure is closer to the narrow "limit" (of 7.5") it slightly favors ride over handling.

As far as mounting 245/45's on 9.5" wheels goes, it's technically just outside the accepted range for most tire makes/models. FWIW, I'm much less concerned about using wheels that are half an inch wider than the tabulated maximum than I am about using wheels that are half an inch narrower than the minimum.

Full disclosure: On one car I've got 225/60's on 8.5" wide rims, and have had the same size mounted on 7"-ers. The tabulated range is from 6" to 8", with 6.5" being the measuring width. Trust me when I tell you that optimum performance does not occur with wheels of "measuring" width.

Norm

 

are you a litigation lawyer.... you should be.

 

So, do you think that 255 wide tires would be OK for a 9.5" wheel?

 

Nope. But if I provide information, particularly if it's something of an opinion (as in "Not exactly") or introduces new information to a discussion, you're entitled to the thought process behind it.

BTW, I'm an engineer. Sometimes I even get paid to be one.

Norm

 

IF these wheels are just for when it rains a little, I suggest kuhmo 712s... Cheap, availible in most sizes, and best tire I ever had in the rain, I know I do not have extensive knowledge or experience since I generally run cheap tires. But I have been driving 3 differenent f-bodies through rain you could likely not even fathom for over 6 years. Best tires I had were Kuhmo 712s on 275/40/17.

Heck even competed in at least 2-3 autocrosses in the rain, and kuhmos by far outhandled.

Rain channel in the middle is a good 1 in or bigger. and they are rated on tirerack for great rain traction, At the time I was just looking for a cheap tire to fit my Zr1s, they are a decent tire, decent dry traction but great rain traction.

As for the size not sure...

 

They'd work just fine. A quarter of an inch or so more tread width (out of 9" or so) isn't going to make that much difference in most any wet-weather driving.

Norm