Tire suggestion

[08caligt]

Been looking through the forums a bit.. lot of debate on a 255 vs 275 tire on the rear of a 18x8.5 rim.. I was thinking MT streets or NITTO.. The car is daily driven, 4.10 rears, stock suspension. Im new to tires so input on sidewall life, ground coverage/traction input would be appreciated.

 

[stkjock]

255/45 is the "proper" fitment

275/40 will work

if you are replacing all 4 go 255/45 IMO


as to traction a MT is going to be best, but last the least, Nitto (555r?) will last longer but not give as much traction, for a bolt on car the 555r is a better choice if you will use them on the street

 

[Surfstang2020]

In going 275/40 18s and I can vouch for the life of the 555r they've been on mine for quite a while now

 

[AlbertD]

I would recommend the MT Street Comp Tire in 255/45-18. I have the 275s on my car on 18x10s.

The thread life is decent, traction is great (even @ 530rwhp/tq), and they are a hell of a lot more comfortable/quiet than my previous set of Goodyears. They are priced well too.

 

[08caligt]

It's a basic bolt on car. So I would assume 555s would be enough. I would favor longevity a little more so for right now.. I think I may go 255s all the way around if there isnt much advantage to 275 in the rear.

 

[csamsh]

Check out the 255/45/18 Continental ExtremeContact DW...on sale on Tirerack for 170. Cheaper than the triple nickels and hell of a lot better tire.

 

[007GTCS]

I am running the cooper rs3-a 255/45/18 and love them. I just switched from the nitto 555

 

[1hot427]

Hi guys, first post here. Why go with 255's over 275's? From other threads I've read here it looks like wider is better on these cars. I'm looking at the same thing, ordering 18" x 10" AMR's with MT 275-40R18's but with a bunch of street oriented suspension mods to help it all stick in the twisties. My '05 GT is a daily driver in the summer. Thanks.

 

[hotrod_renegade]

I'm running the MT ET Street II's in 265/40 on the stock 18x18.5 wheels. Mickey Thompson recommends a 9" or wider wheel for these tires but I haven't had any issues and they look pretty good on there. I believe they are a tad shorter than the stock tire size but it isn't enough to really notice. They hook great with my setup and I'll be going on a second summer with 'em.

 

[stkjock]

265/40 MTs are 26.4" tire vs. stock at 27.25" so a .85" difference, it's noticeable.

see pic below - you can see the difference to the wheel well front/rear, this is with the car lowered on Steeda Sports

Hi guys, first post here. Why go with 255's over 275's? From other threads I've read here it looks like wider is better on these cars. I'm looking at the same thing, ordering 18" x 10" AMR's with MT 275-40R18's but with a bunch of street oriented suspension mods to help it all stick in the twisties. My '05 GT is a daily driver in the summer. Thanks.

255/45 is a better fitment on a 8.5" rim

wider is also not always better, depends on how the car will be used & driven, you're looking at a 10" wheel, totally different story.

 

[DDTCM]

How do the Nitto 555r's compare to the KDW2s as far as sticky goes? Anyone know?

 

[1hot427]

I missed that the OP was using an 8.5" wheel, I get it now.

 

[Jucostud]

I'd do 255/45/18 like stated. Minimum rim width for a 275 is a 9". Wider does zero good if you don't use the right size wheel. It will actually hurt you because it will minimize the contact patch.

 

[BruceH]

How do the Nitto 555r's compare to the KDW2s as far as sticky goes? Anyone know?

I've had both. If road noise matters to you then get the 555. KDW2 are terribly noisy at highway speeds. Traction wise they are fairly equal imo.

I'd do 255/45/18 like stated. Minimum rim width for a 275 is a 9". Wider does zero good if you don't use the right size wheel. It will actually hurt you because it will minimize the contact patch.

It depends on aspect ratio of the wheel too.

Been looking through the forums a bit.. lot of debate on a 255 vs 275 tire on the rear of a 18x8.5 rim.. I was thinking MT streets or NITTO.. The car is daily driven, 4.10 rears, stock suspension. Im new to tires so input on sidewall life, ground coverage/traction input would be appreciated.

275/45/18 will fit on the stock 18x8.5" wheels without being a safety issue. The extra sidewall height allows it. It's the same reason you can safely mount 295/55/15 tires on 15x8 wheels, more sidewall. The main problem is that they are very expensive new. I was able to get a set of new Porsche take offs from ebay for a good price. The package was 2 275/45/18 and 2 245/50/18 Continental Sport Contact 3 tires with under 50 miles for $775 shipped iirc.

I can tell you that they don't like colder weather. I'm waiting for it to warm up some before I develop an opinion on them. The compound is fairly soft, they pick up rocks even in the cold. They are also noisy until I've driven a few miles and warmed them up.