Upgrading to Continental from Nitto, questions.
 

Hey Guys,

Got a bit of a dilemma. Currently have Nitto 555 G2s 305/35/19s on the rear and 245/35/19's front.

Rear's are pretty much shot, they're starting to look like slicks :icon14:
Front's have some life left but they're too small for this kind of staggered fitment. It tramlines like a b*tch, so I was planning on going 265/35/19s fronts to help with that.

Here's the rub. I really like how the Nittos look, nice and beefy, BUT there are obviously better tires out there. I've been looking into ordering some Continental ExtremeContact Sports (been hearing good things) in the sizes above. When ordering its says I need to go to 305/30/19 rear instead of 305/35/19, guess every tire make is different as far as sidewall fitment? I'd really like to keep the beefier sidewall maybe someone can chime in on if I can still stay 305/35/19s r with the Conti's.

Also I was hoping to be able to see some examples of these tires in these specs on the Z. I heard conflicting results that the tires look like balloons? So I'd like to hear from anyone who has them installed.

I've tried searching on google and this site but have had no luck with the results.

Any feedback, pics, or directing me to the right thread would really be appreciated. :tiphat:

The Continental ExtremeContact Sports are good tires. Great in the wet and can actually hold up to a few laps per session with some "light track duty" (aka not my Z, but my WRX with me learning how the car handles)

I have one beef with them, they will flat spot if you don't store the car properly. You'll need to over-inflate them if your Z hibernates for any sort of time. Here are some pictures of the exact sizes, but with a 9.5 inch front and 11 inch rear wheel:
https://i.imgur.com/0U2sEnAh.jpg

https://imgur.com/mpjvrFqh.jpg


https://imgur.com/G0Sb044h.jpg


I currently run the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S now. Yes, they are expensive AF, but the car now feels like a f-ing luxury car. It handles speedbumps, bad roads, and sudden surface changes better than my WRX now (and im on coilovers). The sidewalls on the Michelins are going to be beefier and their wheel protection is slightly better, than the continental, but that's not to say the Conti's don't have wheel guards. you'll want to go with 305/30R19 to keep that speedo reading close to accurate. If you want to go with a thicker sidewall, the 285/35R19 tends to look meatier. I'll post some more pictures with the Michelins in a bit. all the ones i have are heavily edited.

https://imgur.com/8NdBusOh.jpg

https://imgur.com/6ba1uKyh.jpg

https://imgur.com/ZljgvcIl.jpg

The 305/30-19 will stay within the 3% limit with the 265/35-19 at 0.03%. The 305/35-19 would be 4.2%.

Thanks man

I usually drive my Z once a night if its not raining so hopefully wont have to worry about flat spots as I do like to drive her. I wish I could drive it without actually putting miles on it lol.

Appreciate the feedback. :tup:

Much appreciated info. :tup:

Closeup of the conti, 285/35
https://i.imgur.com/PlIqLiK.jpg

I literally just put on the Conti Extreme Contact Sport tires last week. Loving them so far.

For some reason, Discount Tire couldn't get the 265/35/19s I would have preferred. I ended up with 255/35/19 and 305/30/19. If I'm honest, I feel like the fronts are a hair narrow for my V1 Nismo rims - when I set the wheel on the driveway, it rests on the back of the rim instead of the tire sidewall. Obviously you don't want them too wide, but just my observation.

Pic not showing unfortunately.

Should be fixed and I hear ya on the nittos :iagree:

Nice, I can see the Nitto's def have a more squared off sidewall vs the Contis which are more rounded.

I'm a little concerned about rim protection seeing how the sidewall rounds out pretty substantially.

Is it me, or do the Contis look like they go for the "stretched" look? Not referring to your install specifically but more so the tires in general. Either way thanks for posting this.

Took a couple photos of mine for you, 265/35/19 front, 305/30/19 rear:

https://i.imgur.com/22w5oig.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/v8QbyZG.jpeg

Nice! lookin real good. Thanks for the upclose photos. Really helps that it's the exact sizes I'm considering. Big props to you @DrBacon.

Contimplating 255/40 fronts and 305/35 rears. I like beefy sidewalls and from what I've read it will provide the most accurate speedo readings.

What would be the Pros and Cons compared to the 265/35 - 305/30 ?

That middle tire size is a ratio of the sidewall height in comparison to the tire width. So it doesn't provide the most accurate speedometer reading unless you use the exact same tire size specified by the vehicle manufacturer. Ultimately it's all about the diameter of the tire.

If you pick wider than OEM tires with the same profile ratio, then your tire diameter is larger than the OEM tire. When you start going wider, you may need to reduce that sidewall height (lower profile ratio) to bring the diameter back closer to OEM. Don't forget that you also need to keep the front and rear diameters within 3% of each other.

Here's what the tire calculator says for diameters:
OEM Nismo 245/40/19: 26.7 inches
OEM Nismo 285/35/19: 26.9 inches

255/40/19: 27 inches
255/35/19: 26 inches
265/35/19: 26.3 inches

305/35/19: 27.4 inches
305/30/19: 26.2 inches
315/30/19: 26.4 inches

Go with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.
They are the best!

Correct me if I'm wrong but, I think only the rear diameter (drive wheels) affects the speedometer accuracy.