There seems to be a consensus arising that while not technically ideal on a 9" wheel, most 285/35/19s work pretty well on our Track Pack wheels, closely preserve the stock diameter (they're only .3" shorter vs. 275/40s which are .5" taller) and don't bulge excessively...and do get more rubber onto the pavement, while giving the Mustang some much needed tire width...

...and yes, they fit just fine in the front too.

There are a few choices out there and it's difficult to find direct comparisons between them. They're all relatively expensive but the 285/35/19 Bridgestone Potenza RE-11s still seem to come in cheaper than the Pilot Supersports (which are not available in the subject size).

The two tires that seem most appealing so far are the Potenza RE-11 (as mentioned above) and the Mickey Thompson Street Comp...are there other options out there to consider?


http://www.americanmuscle.com/mickey...285-35-19.html


http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

 

I'm a big fan of the RE-11. They are expensive though!

I will be going with Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position. They are just a tad less sticky than the Pilot SS tires, but a lot cheaper. I'm planning on getting 19x9.5 wheels and 275/40-19 tires (I want a slightly larger diameter tire for track days).

To be honest with you I'd be hesitant to put 285s on 19x9 wheels simply because you're loosing footprint area compared to putting that same tire on a wider wheel. I think 285s are measured on 10" wide wheels, and by mounting it on a 9" wheel you loose a little contact patch on the edges of the tire since the sidewalls have to curve in more.

For Autocross this tire/rim setup may give you the largest patch possible on stock wheels, and if you went to 9.5 or wider rim I think you'd see more benefit still.

 

Also, here are some links you may find helpful when choosing tires. Good luck!

Here is the test of “affordable” summer tires

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/tire-test-nine-affordable-summer-tires-take-on-the-michelin-ps2-comparison-tests
And this one has several other tires that you might be looking at

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/monsters-of-grip-nine-summer-performance-tires-tested-comparison-test

 

IMO, the 285's are not going to be the "best" autocross tire on a 9" wide wheel.

You want a tire that is going to have a sharp turn in for autocross and using that wide of a tire on a 9" wheel is going to be more sluggish on turn in because the sidewall will roll over more.

 

This. For autox I'd actually stick with the 255 square setup...

 

This is not entirely true. A wider tire with a stiffer sidewall will turn in just as sharp, and even if you lose that laser turn in, you may get more ultimate grip out of the setup. That is, of course, if the contact patch actually grows with the wider tire and the compound is as sticky as stock.

 

I could agree with that if the tires were being mounted on the proper width wheel, but on a less than optimum width wheel the sidewall will roll over, upsetting turn in and grip.

 

Thanks, guys! Great input.

The 285/35/19 are definitely not optimal on a 9" wheel but the alternatives are undesirable in other ways. 275/40/19 are too tall, 255, 265 are really just too skinny for a 3600lb car, IMO (they sure look too skinny)...

 

Just a thought, and the more autocross-minded folks may shoot this down quickly, but what about just going wider on the back? I realize the rims aren't staggered, but you'd maintain the sharp turn-in with the 255, but gain a bigger contact patch for powering out. Not sure what the potential is for introducing understeer with this setup, which is where I'm hoping the experts will chime in.

 

It can all be dialed in correctly with the right dampers and sway bars...

 

But if you're in stock class wouldn't that push you into one of the modified classes? Or would wider tires do that anyways?

 

Not sure, I don't know too much about autox rules, but I think you're right.

 

I think you're right about lakeguy being right.

 

I did autocross for one season, plus the odd event here or there over a couple more...like 10 years ago. But up here they weren't using SCCA classifications at the time. I had a bone-stock all-season OEM tired base model Subaru Impreza, and was not even remotely competitive in stock class. I put an OEM rear swaybar from a higher model on my car and it bumped me out of stock. I don't know how SCCA works or what the current rules are regarding tire sizing. But if you're doing this for AutoX, you may want to check the rules and see how tires affects you. The extra grip from a wider tire might put you in a class where you have no hope of competing. If you're just out to have fun, you might have more fun on stock tires.

 

Is a wider rim an option for you? You could look at a 9.5 width and get a 275 or 285 tire. For your 9 inch wheel you could go for a stickier 255, or even move up to a 265, but the 275/285 are too wide for the rim. I think the Bridgestone you're looking at is a more sticky tire than the Mickey T's. When in doubt contact Tirerack.

 

just to add to the conversation: if you look on the Mickey Thompson site, you can see the specs for the StreetComp tire. In 285, the approved tire width ranges from 9.5 - 11 inch.

 

275/40s are fine, even tirerack says so. That's what I'm running with no issues. I wouldn't go 285s.

 

I agree that this is a preferable solution but at the moment, not an option for me... I'm dumping most of my expendable budget into my Mopar these days.

Per your suggestion, I did call Tirerack. They're apparently not going to take a chance and deviate from common wisdom (ie 285 not reccommended for 9" wheel)...and the conversation was very robotic.

Thanks...this is what I'd assume they would say. There are lots of folks running 285 RA-11s though...and again, while not ideal, it seems that they still work well. Bridgestone won't reccomend it either.

I agree that they're fine...but they're half an inch taller than stock. I don't know about you but I paid extra money to change to a 3.55 axle when I ordered my car (should have gone 3.73) so they're not the choice for me since these tires would take me in the wrong direction.

 

Looks like you and I have opposite issues. My car came with 3.73's and while I absolutely enjoy how hard the car pulls, particularly in 2nd gear, I find them a bit too short for road courses. I end up hitting the rev limit in 3rd and 4th with 100-200 yards left to the next brake zone

So for me the extra half inch the 274/40s give you is a good thing. Takes my gear ration down to ~3.64 or so.

But if I had 3.55s I would certainly go with 285/35-19 on 9.5 wide rims. That would equal to something like 3.58 ratio with stock tires. That would be just about perfect.

 

a 9" rim is too narrow for a 285. You'll need at least a 9.5" wheel to support it. I have 9" fronts now with 285's and turn-in is sluggish at high stress/high speeds. I'm going to a 9.5" front in a week in large part because of this. That 1/2" makes a big difference on the 285's on our Mustangs.