Ok my car has 33000 miles and still has the orignal tires on it. Wow thats a lot of miles for a set of tires.
I need some help. What is the best tire size combo for me? I have 18x8.5 fanblades, I want to go with Nitto 555s in front and 555dr in rear.
Also, for anyone running these tires how is the wet traction on the DR tires I drive a lot and need good wet traction.
Thanks in advance for the help.
PS I know I will get a lot less miles on DR tires.

 

I think on the 8.5" rims a 255/45 would fit best, better than even the stock size. Any tire wider would require more rim width, IMHO.

You got great mileage from your original tires! Mine were shot at 14K.

 

I agree the best overall size for 8.5" width rims are 255/45s. With the widest being about a 275 and a small buble.

And about your question about DRs in the rain...Its not worth the risk - Ive heard tons of horror stories of ppls back end shooting out when driving in heavy rain with DRs. Personally I would just stick to 555s all around or BFG KDW NTs

 

If you are concerned with wet traction, Nitto 555's aren't your best choice.

 

Thanks for the help

 

Nittos NG for wet traction...Cooper, GoodYear or BF Goodrich much better. As for size, with 8.5" wide, you can run 285/40/18, there will be a slight bulge, but will be fine. If you want to match the 255/45 sidewall height, you will need at least 285/40's (-2mm diff). A great "Tire Size" tool can be found at bigcustomwheels.com Should help you figure it all out.

 

I'm at almost 41K miles on the original Pirelli's, they are getting tired, but they are not done quite yet. probably another 3 months/4k miles, I have no complaints about the Pirelli's...plus they are cheap!!

 

I have 555's on my beast and I hate driving in the rain, and thats with just the 555zr's and not drag radials.

The tires are slippery when cold but when warmed up they do a VERY good job at sticking to the road.

I've driven in the rain a couple times and I don't like it... probably adding to my fear is the width of the tires, even though they have water channles..

but hey.... it rains in LA, what?? maybe 3 times a year.. if that.

 

If anybody out there has any other recommendations on tires, I would appreciate some input, also. Or, if there is another thread on this forum that discusses user experiences with different tires, please point me to it. I am currently looking at the BFG g-force T/A KDW's (traditional tread). My mechanic is trying to sell me on the Falken FK452's. He doesn't like the KDW's (although, my impression is he just doesn't like the look of the New Tread design), and he doesn't like the GoodYear Eagle F1's. If anybody can cut through the tire manufacturer hype for me with real world experiences, that too would be very much appreciated! My car is strictly street and show, but may see an occasional trip to the drag strip and an occasional road race (i.e. the annual Silver State Road Race in Nevada). I'm going with 18" x 9" wheels on the front, and 18" x 10" wheels on the resr.

Thanks.

 

I know I've posted my experiences on here a couple times, so searching should work.
My next set of tires will be Bridgestone RE050A pole positions!
My next choice would be Kumho ecsta MXs.

Just for reference I have used Nitto 555s, BrigeStone S-03s, GY F-1s, GY, GSCs, and BFG Comp T/As. The bridgestones were by far my favorite (but also the most expensive).

A good tesource is TireRacks surveys.

 

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3's Im going to say have about the best wet traction available. You would not even think the ground is wet when driving on these tires. The dry traction is awesome also, for I have run them on the street, strip and road courses.

 

Stoenr...How they holding up mileage wise?

 

Its kind of hard for me to put a mileage on them since I change them in the winter and my speedo is um, calibrated in my favor. And a good couple of roast em up smoke em ups.

But I would say on normal/spirited driving with rotations 30k would be doable.

 

Unless Goodyear has seriously stepped up their game, I wouldn't buy them anymore. Back when Gatorbacks were the tire of choice on Mustangs, they only lasted at BEST maybe 22k. And on 22K Gatorbacks, you had your life in your hands if even a drop of rain fell.

 

I have to agree with you there. Those tires sucked. But thats one model.

 

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3...
Best wet tire I've ever had on any car.
275's on front
305's on rear

 

I love my BFG KDWS's in the rain and snow. Better than the Pirellis IMO but the Pirellis wore like Iron!

 

Id put my BFG KDW2s up against just bout any tire in the rain, they rock!

 

+1
(since when do I have to have at least 6 characters in a reply?)

 

guys,

I'm in the same boat. I just got my American Racing Razors in 18 x 9 shipped and now need the rubber to wrap them in, but I don't want to spend $300 a tire! The Kuhmos ECTSA Spt seem like a decent tire at a good price. Wadday'all think?
I'm thinking 275/40/18 in back and 255/45/18 out front.