Another Tire Thread (28" vs. 26", M&H vs. Nitto, etc)

[nickk678]

Hi guys,
I recently purchased Hufen's CCW wheels he had for sale here and they are on the way to me right now. I'm doing some tire research and have a few questions for you guys. Some background real quick:
My car is a sunny day streeter, and will maybe see the strip once or twice a year, couple pics below (currently SVE drifts 19x9.5" at all corners, 275/40-19).

Hufen's wheels are 18x9.5 and 18x11. I'm stepping down from a 19" wheel (and previously 20"), so would like to fill up the wheel well with a 28" tire if possible. The two tires I'm looking at are a Nitto 555r 305/45-18 and M&H DR 325/40-18. I ran 555r's on 20" wheels on my last S197 and loved them. I don't know much about the M&H tires, but honestly they are the only other manufacturer I can find that makes a DR/extreme summer tire in 28" tall.

1) What are you guys thoughts on the two tires above? Is a 28" DR going overboard on a (mostly) mild street car (450WHP)? Are there any other options out there? I don't need that "steamroller" look that a lot of guys are going for, so I'm fine with a 305 tire (but don't have anything against wider either!).
2) As far as front tires, how do these cars respond to staggered tire size (ie: 28" rear, 27" front)? I assume ABS will have issues if the difference hits some threshold, but where is that threshold? Ideally, I'd like to keep heights identical to retain suspension geometry. Any recommendations on front tires?

Thanks,
Nick K.

 

[83-88T-Bird Guy]

All the M&H tires I have bought have been top quality. I have never had 18's or 19's tho. Just 17's and smaller.

They balance out easier than the other brand DOT race tires I have tried.

I have never tried Nittos so I can't help you there.

As for front and rear tire diameter, yes it makes a difference.
The car in my sig had a 1 inch shorter tires on the front than the rear and I could definitely feel the abs working with moderate braking.
I went with equal height tires on the front and the abs is not as sensitive now.

 

[Five Oh Brian]

Nothing but great things to say about M&H DR's. I used to run them on 18x8" wheels, and now run them on 15x10" wheels. Both were 28" tall. Skip the 26" tall versions, as the 28" tall tires will put more contact patch on the ground to better harness that 450 rwhp.

 

[BruceH]

305/45/18 works great for filling up the rear wheel well. The taller sidewall looks more like "muscle car" than a lower profile tire. You will also notice better traction in a straight line along with a little bit better highway ride.

I've run the above size with 255/45/18 in the front and not had any issues concerning abs or traction control.

 

[07 Boss]

I've never run the M&H on this car but have run them in the past and have nothing bad to say about them. I've run the tripple 5 R's and the NT05R's and they don't stand up to the MT street radials. Mickey Thompsons have been the best street DR that I have driven on and they are available in the 305/45 size you are looking for. I currently have them on my car now but just ordered the MT Street S/S in a 305/40. A little smaller but a touch more tread. The one draw back to the MT's is they don't last as long as the Nittos.

 

[skaarlaj]

I actually had some 28 tall dr's on a 17x10.5 rim on my 04 Cobra, and although they stuck better than any other DR on that car I had run-out issues on both sides. The ones I have on my 2012 seem OK though.

 

[Marble]

I have the Nittos in that size. They are awesome. But I think that are closer to 29". If you are lowered at all they will rub.

 

[Riptide]

Keep in mind that M&H run narrow. Their 275/45/18 drag radial was a bit stretched on my 18x9.5 wheels I had at the time. M&H suggests a larger rim yet for that tire. It would've been really stretched if I had what they suggested. That was only a year ago too so not sure this has been "fixed" like some say.

Great tires though. Loved mine.

 

[83-88T-Bird Guy]

Keep in mind that M&H run narrow. Their 275/45/18 drag radial was a bit stretched on my 18x9.5 wheels I had at the time. M&H suggests a larger rim yet for that tire. It would've been really stretched if I had what they suggested. That was only a year ago too so not sure this has been "fixed" like some say.

Great tires though. Loved mine.

I am all too familiar with M&H's actual tire size vs. what's on the sidewall.

The pic below shows their 325-45-17 drag radials ( might be 325-40-17 )
that I had bought from them in 2007.
Still good tires to this day. Great quality rubber.

In 2007 the salesman @ M&H swore their 325's would fit a 8 inch wheel.
I said no way because my experience with other brand 325's required a 9 inch or wider wheel.

When they showed up I then realized why he said they would fit an 8 inch wheel....the tires were 275 size but had 325 on the sidewall.

Worked in my favor then, but I think they may have corrected the problem since.

These are the tires:

 

[nickk678]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Hufen's wheels just showed up today (man, they are monsters.....), so I'm going to pull the trigger on some rubber soon.

I have the Nittos in that size. They are awesome. But I think that are closer to 29". If you are lowered at all they will rub.

I'm glad you mentioned this..

I am lowered on Steeda sports (IRC 1" and 1.25" drop). The current setup on my car (275/40-19) calculates out to a 27.7" tire height. The 305/45-18 comes out to 28.8" Just doing a quick measurement, I think you are right that I won't have enough clearance to fit the Nitto 305/45's in the wheel well. The M&H 325/40's (calculate to 28.2") might be feasible.... I attached a few pics for you to take a look at.

 

[porkipine]

Go with BruceH, I have the same, looks right

 

[nickk678]

Go with BruceH, I have the same, looks right

What's your suspension setup? Based on the pic I just posted, I think think I can fit that much tire on the 1.25" drop...

 

[porkipine]

1 1/4 rear lower, stock front springs

 

[nickk678]

Just ended up ordering 555r 305/45/18 and some Pirelli 275/45/18 for the front. I'll post pics when I get them mounted and on in the next week or so.

FYI, I decided to stick with the Nitto's until I build the motor and crank the boost up. I'm going from an all season 275/19 to a DR 305/18, so I suspect I'll see a huge improvement already and won't have to replace the tires after a year!

 

[07 Boss]

Here is that exact tire with Prokit springs. they are on a 10" rim and the edge is actually tucked so even though you can't tell, there is at least 2"-3" of suspension travel before she starts rubbing. I've never rubbed. but I m not sure how far out those 11" rims will stick out farther than mine.





This is what I switched to which is a 305/40 so it is just a touch shorter and she sits on Cobra Jet RA springs which are not as low as the ProkKits were in the back.

 

[travelers]

^^^^ They look great on your car.

 

[nickk678]

Awesome pics 07 Boss. Car looks mean! I hope mine looks that good!

Out of curiosity,why did you switch from a 45 to a 40 A/R?

 

[MassMustang]

Just an FYI for everyone. I spoke to someone at M&H recently and he told me the Racemasters used to run narrow but now run more true to size. Read as the 275's would be better on a 9" wide rim, 305 on a 10" rim and the 325's on a 10.5"/11" rim.

Very helpful guy.

 

[07 Boss]

Awesome pics 07 Boss. Car looks mean! I hope mine looks that good!

Out of curiosity,why did you switch from a 45 to a 40 A/R?

I switched tires from the ET Street DR's to the ET Street SS's and they don't make them in that size. I had to sell my daily to get my new drag car project going so I went with a tire with a few more grooves in the tread (not much) because there may be the time or two that I need to drive while it is wet out. Maybe I can get more than 8K miles out of them too.

 

[nickk678]

Installed! Car looks mean with all that side wall! Thanks to the guys that pushed me towards them.

In case I didn't mention it:
Rear: 555r, 305-45/18
Front: p-zeros 275-45/18

Wheels are 18x11 and 18x9.5