Better Tyres Or Wider Tyres?

[lastlineofdefence]

Just wondering what would be better for a street car to get maxium grip.

If given x amount of dollars, would it be better spent on quality tyres on stock rims, or upgrade the rims, and get wider tyres to increase contact patch with less quality tyres?

[siksII]

if u get larger rims you will run a lower profile tyre, and they generally give better feel in the corners due to smaller/harder sidewalls.

however, i have found a better quality narrower tyre will probably offer better grip, unless the difference in width is huge. (this is massively general statement since we arent talking about specific tyres)

[mad082]

depends on if it is for street or strip?

strip you want a wider tyre on the rear, but not a low profile.

street you want a lowish profile tyre. if you go too low profile you get a rougher ride and they tyre won't soak up the bumps. so on rough roads it will skip around a bit more.

wider tyres only help with traction. once you get to a point where you aren't losing traction a wider tyre just adds ressitance.

[ctjet]

wider WIDER!!!!

285's FTW baby!!!

[mad082]

285's? don't be such a sissy.

365's!

[Duncan]

not a chance.....cheap wide tyres FTL.

Apart from the fact that the tyre compound is what gives the grip, wider tyres will tramline more, aqua plane in the wet.

And don't forget that on the same cars a wide tyre and a narrow tyre have exactly the same amount of rubber on the road.

I've been there I had 265 falken 326s years ago and they were disgraceful

[dangerous_daveo]

Surely to goodness a good quality tyre x4 is going to be cheaper than crappy tyres AND new rims! Get the good tyres dude. You will thank yourself every time you drive the car.

[siddr20]

wider tyres will tramline more

damn straight to that..

i got like 8inch fronts, 9inch rears on 17inch. Tramlines a fair bit .. But then again my fronts dont have much thread left, and i got a soft compound rubber( advan rubber )

Will get new tyres for the fronts n see if that changes. Most likley it will.

Edited October 12, 2006 by siddr20

[slip]

i used to spend $225 per tyre, for 205/55/16 Bridgestone S03's. Going to a larger diameter, lower profile, and wider S03 would have been awesome, but going bigger + lower quality would have been a bad choice.

go with good rubber.

[scathing]

If given x amount of dollars, would it be better spent on quality tyres on stock rims, or upgrade the rims, and get wider tyres to increase contact patch with less quality tyres?

On your criteria, I'd say go with nicer tyres on current rims. Money you spend on buying bigger rims is money you're not spending on tyres.

Take my Z for example (since I only know these prices off the top of my head). I could go to heavy-as-lead 19's with Nankangs or Wanlis or some other dodgy tyre on them from the Temple of Chrome for around $2800...or buy a set of Michelin Pilot Sports in the OEM size.

Michelin Pilot Sports vs Nankang NS2s? Even with the Nankangs being 30mm wider its not a hard choice, if you're talking about grip.

[ansch]

better tyres doesn't just offer better grip by using a different compound. They're generally have better construction which means a stiffer sidewall and less deformation.

[Noel]

Dont mean to Hi-Jack but what is the widest width tyre i can put on stock rims????

Currently 20/55 r16

[mad082]

i think its 225/50/16. i have them on my other stock rims and they squash out a bit at the side, but still ok.

i know on the 300zx wheels you can fit 245's, but they are a wider rim.

[Noel]

i think its 225/50/16. i have them on my other stock rims and they squash out a bit at the side, but still ok.

i know on the 300zx wheels you can fit 245's, but they are a wider rim.

Sweet Thanks

[mad082]

tramlining isn't just caused by wider tyres. the individual tyre can cause it too. on my 180sx it would pull when you hit bumps. put new tyres on and it stopped doing it.

[lastlineofdefence]

...And don't forget that on the same cars a wide tyre and a narrow tyre have exactly the same amount of rubber on the road...

I dont really understand what you mean? I would think that wider tyres would have more rubber on the road?

I was looking for the best compromise, in a road wheel/tyre combo. I think that the stock r33 wheels are quite heavy (21kg) and not that wide (6.5inch). So was even thinking of moving to a light weight wider rim. Just dont know what is the best package. Money spent on just the tyres and keep the r33 rims, or moving to a light weight rim, wider, but less quality tyres.

R32 gtr rims good compromise?

Edited October 14, 2006 by lastlineofdefence

[MBS206]

Cheaper tyres, offer cheap grip. Cheap grip is SHIT.

I have the same Falkens someone else mentioned earlier. They were on the car when I bought it. Seriously, if I wanted to KILL someone, I would put these tyres on there car.

For lack of grip in a cheap tyre, I can spin 1st+2nd, and not leave a mark on the road, nor any smoke. How's that for a lack of grip?

Put on grippy rubber!

My old commodore ran shit tyres when I got it, I was going to put mags on and run very good rubber, but decided in stead, to save the $2500 on mags, and just buy tyres. $500 later (It's a family car!) and the car behaves totally different. ALOT more grippy.

Just spend your money on the BEST gripping tyres possible (This does NOT mean the most expensive tyre! Read up on the thread above about good tyres)

[J_Red33]

tramlining isn't just caused by wider tyres. the individual tyre can cause it too. on my 180sx it would pull when you hit bumps. put new tyres on and it stopped doing it.

There are also multiple other reasons for tramlining. Lower profile tyres (not necessarily wider) will also be more prone to tramlining, due to there being less give in the sidewalls. If you don't have your pressures just right (too high or too low) tramlining will be an issue, not to mention incorrect tyre wear & poorer grip levels. Things like camber settings etc will also have an effect.

I was having tramlining issues on the front of my R33 with 225/65 18's & found that if the pressures were much up above 36 I had major problems. I then dropped them to 32 & thought it was better, but it was still there & i started to find the outsides of the tyres were wearing a bit quicker than they should have been due to under inflation & I didn't have as much grip as I would like.

I Now have them at 34 psi & there is virtually no tramlining at all, even on heavily rutted sections of road, & the grip & handing is greatly improved. I'm still to try them a tad higher & lower than this, but this seems to be around the optimum pressure for me.

As far as upgrading the rims is concerned & going for cheaper tyres I'd also say forget it. If you're gonna put something like 265's on the back & can't spend at least $300 a corner on a set of Hankook K104's (The only tyre on the market in that size which seems to be an even blend of cost, performance & durability) then stick with the stockies for now, put good rubber on & start saving for next time.

Check out what people say on the tyre thread too about different tyres.

Edited October 14, 2006 by JazzaR33

[scathing]

I dont really understand what you mean? I would think that wider tyres would have more rubber on the road?

Not if everything else is kept constant.

The only thing that changes is the shape of the contact patch.

[slip]

generally with tyres you have

grip, cost, longetivity

pick 2.

17x8 and 16x8 (R32 GTR) are good sizes. 235/45/17 has a massive range of tyres, and they are quite well priced due to the massive popularity. call a tyre shop and find out how much for a set of decent tyres. youll have to research what decent tyres are, and it will depend on your taste and intended purpose. you can pick up 17x8 wheels pretty cheap 2nd hand.

225/50/R16 bridgestone semi slicks are cheap - they are a control tyre for a racing class, was going to put these on the 31. (16x8)