I would like some opinions on some 17 inch high performance tires. Before anyone says go to larger wheels the answer is no!

I am currently running 255/50-17 Nitto 450 Extreme tires and am happy with them but I'm thinking ahead as what I might want to try next. If I go to a 275/40-17 it seems that there are more choices but I'm not sure about losing the sidewall and the ride. My car is lowered but not as much as some.

Opinions?

 

If you're going with 275/40/17, the Bridgestone Potenza RE750's are GREAT tires. Plus, you can get very good tread life out of them. I put about 10K miles on them, which equated to 2/32 wear.

Personally, I'm a bridgestone fan, so I recommend them first. (yes, even though I currently have michelins )

 

Mini-tub!!!

Or what he said! ^ I love the Bridgestones. The RE series are some **** good tires, and hook up like crazy!!!

CR
Tillman Speed

 

I have the re750's in 255/50/17 on stock 8 inch rims. very nice.

my opinion is that the Mustang needs as much sidewall as possible to fill up the massive wheel wells. A 275/40/17 might look kind of small. And if you're on stock 8 inch rims the 275/40 will look like its trying to fall off

 

I agree, Mustangs need a thick MT Radial in the back!

 

There was a thread on modular fords where someone spoke highly of the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 tire. TireRack has them in 255/45-17, 255/40-17 and 275/40-17 which is close to what you got though not exactly:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....nSpeedRating=V

 

Whatever happened to Raised White Letter tires? Seriously?

 

Go larger!

Michelin's, Good Year are good tires. I run BFG Comp's on my '92, but personnally I wouldn't recommend them. Wear too fast..... great tires when new but man do they wear fast.

 

I have aftermarket 17X9 chrome Bullitts so a 40 isn't a big deal but I don't think I want to lose almost an inch of sidewall.

 

I think I am going to go with the same Nitto tires but 275/50 on the rear. It should fill more of the gap and give the car alittle "rake".

 

ready, watch how this works (although it is a nominal sizing system which allows manufacturers to go about 7% in ether direction when it comes to width andf height)

(235 x .55/25.4 x 2) +17 = 27.177
(255 x .50/25.4 x 2) +17 = 27.039
(275 x .40/25.4 x 2) +17 = 25.661
(275 x .45/25.4 x 2) +17 = 26.744
(285 x .45/25.4 x 2) +17 = 27.098
(295 x .40/25.4 x 2) +17 = 26.291

and why is something 27" in dia important

The volume of air inside your tire is what really supports the load of the vehicle. If you decrease the volume of air in the tire then the load carrying capability of the tire drops, this can; A. reduce the life of the tire B. increase the chance for catastrophic failure (ever have a tire fly apart - explode - on the highway).

Differnt tire dimaeters front to rear can cause problems with the ABS or traction control since it uses wheel speed in its operation and differing wheels speends can fool the controller into seeing a situation where a loss of control is present (I don't know where threshold is)

As a rule of thumb, you shouldn't exceed the original equipment size by 104% in diameter (although this may vary by manufacturer)

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....1=yes&place=17

 

Rich, don't be looking to BFG KDW2's for ride. I put 18's on last year and now they're reserved for roadcoursing...where they're fantastic. But on the street....very noisy. The 20's I just put on (although not your cup of tea) are Bridgestone RE960's and they're super quiet and super smooth - which really surprised me considering the size & sidewall area. Sounds like I'd have to agree wholeheartedly with Mike's opinion of Bridgestone's Potenza series, a great tire.

 

Thanks for the replies. Always good information available here and helps with these decisions.

After all is said and done I am going to spend the money on window tinting.

 

Seems you'd rather have a "cooler" ride instead. LOL.

 

That's a great combo BTW! That's mine and I love it and get compliments on it all the time.

 

Tony,

What size do you have in front? What size are those wheels?

They looks great!

 

He is running Nitto NT450 Extreme 255/50-17 front and 275/50-17 on the rear. Wheels are Halibrand I think?

 

17x? 8/9/10

 

I'm not sure what Tony has but mine are 17X9