I recently purchased the 19 x 9.5 flat black SVE Drift wheels from latemodelrestoration. I bought the wheels only instead of the package with tires as well due to money issues. Now I'm trying to figure out what size tires to get for these rims. LMR sells 275/40/19 and 275/35/19 tires with the rims. I planned on getting one of these sizes for the fronts for sure but thought about maybe getting wider tires on the rear. Is this a good idea or no? How wide could I go on the rear? Any suggestions for what size tires to get all the way around? Thanks.

 

It really depends on what your gonna do with the car...me personally I think 255/40 & 285/35 is a great "all around" tire size

 

If you're going to use 19 x 9.5" wheels on all for corners, a 275/40/19 (27.7" tall) tire will give the best overall appearance and traction, while a 265/40/19 (27.4" tall) will be right on for good street handling plus minimizing trammeling a little more. If you're gonna hit a road coarse or attend a track day, 285/35/19's (26.9" tall) will be a better choice.

While 275/35/19's (26.6" tall) will technically work, that will be a shorter tire, giving a larger fender gap if you aren't lowered.

Lastly, changing the tire diameter (tall/height) away from the factory installed tire diameter, will require a tune to maintain the speedometer accuracy, otherwise your speedometer will be off by up to 5 mph at highway speed limits.

 

Agree with this feedback. I run 275/40/19. Love the set up. Michelin pilot super sports.

 

I've got a 285/35-19 setup all the way around. 1"/1.5" drop. Any lower and I'd be pushing my luck out back with the widest part of the tire hitting the wheel well lip. 275/40 is probably your safest bet for any drop.

 

Thanks guys. Is it a bad idea to do say a 255 or 265 on the front wheels and a 285 on the rear?

 

Not really, that will give you more bite in the rear while giving you more initial turn-in at the front. What you will find though without any suspension changes is that the front will push, or understeer near the limit.

The 265 size would be more ideal for a 9.5" wheel, where a 255's maximum wheel width is usually 9.5", and depending on the tire design, could leave the wheel edge exposed for easy damage.

To be honest, I would install 275's all around and call it done. There are lots of choices in the 275 width, and you will be surprised how good a 275 on 9.5's will look.

 

Thanks for the help man. Haven't fully decided yet but your responses were very helpful.

 

That's my recommendation as well. When you start messing with staggered wheel setups you also run into issues trying to find matching sets for tires. Not everything in one size is available in the other size.

 

I agree with that as well. I'm still thinking about the perfect setup for track days, and I thin 275/40-19 on all 4 corners is the way I'm going to go as well. The problem with staggered fitment is you can't properly rotate your tires, and that hurts tire life. Also when you stagger the car will no longer maintain a neutral balance. The rear will now have more grip than the front, and that will cause under-steer.

 

Well guys pretty sure I'm going with 275/40/19!