Tire sizing!

[Lman657]

Hey guys, I'm ordering new wheels and tires. I can do the wheel backspacing on my own, but I need tire help!

I'm going with 17x8's up front, 17x9.5 in the back.

What SIZE tires should I go with to fit the proportions of the car, front and rear.

What Brand/type of tire would you personally reccomend for this car. It'll be all street, pretty casual driving with the occaisonal full throttle sprint. No rain, just normal paved roads.

Thanks again,
Lance

[WarrenG]

The ERA builder/owner's manual recommends 35 or 40 series tires for the 17" wheels. Max outside diameter of 26.5" for the front and 26.6 inches for the rear with a max width of 275mm front and 315 rear. The instructors at Skip Barber recommend at least a "V" rated tire if your going to do any track events since several of the cobra replicas have the capability to go close to if not in excess of 150 mph depending upon the track, the driver, and the congestion on the track.

Good Luck!

[rblong]

Here is a link that should help http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/susp...irechart2.html

I have been told that you want a rim no less than 1 inch less width than tire your thinking about. With that said 275 and 315 would be too wide for your rims if you use the 1 inch theory.

[chopperBob]

245-45-17 front
295-40-17 rear

[strictlypersonl]

ERA's wheel sizes are wider than LMan's, so I think that think that chopperbob's sizes are more appropriate than ERA's.

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by strictlypersonl

ERA's wheel sizes are wider than LMan's, so I think that think that chopperbob's sizes are more appropriate than ERA's.

Actually, ERA's standard wheel sizes are 15x7.5 and 15x9.5. Tirerack.com would also be a good source of info as to which size tires are best for your wheels. The other thing to consider is of course what sizes will fit in your wheel wells without rubbing whenever you hit a bump in the road or when you're trying to steer around a sharp corner.

[strictlypersonl]

Sorry, but we're talking about 17" wheels, not 15". Our optional 17" wheels are 9" and 11" wide, which is why I recommend the larger tire sizes for the ERA.

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by strictlypersonl

Sorry, but we're talking about 17" wheels, not 15". Our optional 17" wheels are 9" and 11" wide, which is why I recommend the larger tire sizes for the ERA.

I know what size wheels are being discussed, the width tires that I originally mentioned were ERA's recommendation for 17" wheels. My recommendations were based upon the question of which sizes would "look right" on the car. For an original "look" the outside diameter or the tire is more important than the width and should be the same regardless of wheel diameter. BTW, you actually supported using tires narrower than I originally mentioned not larger.

[WarrenG]

Sorry strictlypersonl if I could delete my last two posts I would. I obviously misunderstood what you were getting at in yours when I first read them. Next time I'll think a little more before I hit the reply button.