sloppytot

Hey all. Looks like tomorrow evening, I will be the proud owner of a mint condition, arctic white SS. With only 34k miles, it's obviously not been driven regularly and the tires are beginning to experience some cracking/dry rot. I am not sure just how long they will be safely drivable. The car has the stock ZR1 wheels which I believe are 17x9's. The seller says 285's...?

Anyway, what are the leading tires these days that will fit these? Also, are there any currently available that are great bang for the buck without being the highest priced?

Thanks

TC94Z28

On the stock 17x9 wheels the stock 275 40 17 size look good and typically most affordable, in my case I have 9.5 wide ZR1-SS style and the 275s look a lil skinny when mounted so I prefer the look of the 285 40 17.. Problem is that very few companies make them.. In the 275s there are tons of choices, just depends what your looking for as far as ride quality-performance.... BTW.. Post pics of this car when you can!!


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Injuneer

The stock tire on the 17x9.0" SS wheels is a 275/40-17 (25.7" diameter). A 285/40-17 would be 26.0" diameter, which is not a problem, but is generally not recommended on a 9.0" wide wheel, by most manufacturers. They typically require a 9.5" wide wheel.

Determine the size you want. I would recommend sticking with the 275/40-17. Determine the type tire you want - all season, summer, high performance summer, high performance wet/dry, ultra high performance summer, etc. Go to Tire Rack and click on "tires by size". Enter the size and you will get a list of all the tires they carry in that size (they do not carry Nitto). Putting in 275/40-17 will get you 33 different tires, but maybe 1/2 of them are "race track only" tires. You can filter the list by type of tire and brand.

After determining the tire you want, click on a selected tire. It will show you the specs on the tire. Then click on "Survey". On that screen, it will offer you the owner feedback on characteristics like dry traction, wet traction, hydroplaning, cornering stability, etc.. And it will have a link that allows you to compare all the different tires that are in that category. Look at the various characteristics, weight the results by the factors that are important to you, and then go back and factor in price vs. performance.

Often, you can print out the Tire Rack pricing, and get a local shop to price match, taking into consideration the extra cost for the Tire Rack tire, which requires shipping and installation.

JakeRobb

For spirited street use, I love my set of Continental ContiExtremeContact DW tires. They're summer-only. They're not the most expensive (that's the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2), but they're very similar in every aspect of performance.

Anyone who thinks 275s look skinny is crazy IMO. :P

sloppytot

I will look up some pricing on those now. I do not plan on autocrossing the car or doing frequent 1/4 mile runs. That's why I am trying to find a decent "bang-for-the-buck" tire. With that said, I do plan on a few trips a year to the local drag strip to see how the car does in the 1/4 mile and after I add any mods. So while I definitely don't need any top of the line tire, I just want a decent tire that will hopefully last a long time, will be great for cruising and some spirited driving from time to time, and Maybe 3 to 4 trips to the 1/4 mile track each summer.

Thanks for the help so far, guys!

sloppytot

So I keep reading that the DW's will be a noisier, harsher ride. Additionally, people are saying the DW's will wear out substantially quicker than the DWS's. Any truth to this? Thoughts?

Injuneer

What part of my response was unclear?

sloppytot

Was very clear! It's my mind that's not!

Thanks for the info.

Injuneer

Stick with the 275's. In theory, the difference in width between a 275 and a 285 is 0.40", or less than 1/4" on each side of the wheel. I've had two sets of 9.5" wide 17's with 275's on them, and they didn't look skinny on either wheel, IMHO.