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.

It makes me curious, the stock sport 275/35 diameter is 26.6 inches and the Nismo 285/35 is 26.9 inches, does Nissan calibrate the difference or do they just accept the slight difference in speedo accuracy between the two (1mph @ 90mph difference)?

Well after much thought and research thanks to many of you, I've decided to go with the Contis in 255/40/19s front and 295/35/19s rear. I have the stock 2013 sport rims still, so these sizes are better suited for my rim width of 19x9 f and 19x10 r. This setup will stay well within 3% of each other at +0.4% also.

According to this site www.tiresize.com/calculator my speedo would be pretty accurate in these specs.

RESULTS:
Speedo Reading / Actual Speed
20mph / Actual Speed 20.1
30mph / Actual Speed 30.1
40mph / Actual Speed 40.1
50mph / Actual Speed 50.2
60mph / Actual Speed 60.2
70mph / Actual Speed 70.3
80mph / Actual Speed 80.3
90mph / Actual Speed 90.3


Thoughts? Does everything look right?

Your feedback has been invaluable gents. :tiphat:

Different ECU so I'm guessing it's programmed accordingly but what the fuk do I know lol

I don't know why I thought you had Nismo wheels. The OEM rear tire size for the sport wheels is 275/35/19. That is 26.6 inch diameter. So when calculating the speedo differentials, make sure that's the comparison you used and not the 26.9 Nismo diameter I cited earlier (I didn't bother to check your math). Edit- I checked your math and it looks off to me. Compare sizes 275/35/19 with whatever size you're looking at. The speed differential calculation is done for you on that website.

If you go 265/35/19 and 305/30/19, the tire diameter is reduced the same in the front and the rear (-1.5%) and gives you a 1 mph difference at 70 mph. Very reasonable.
If you use the 295/40/19 rear tires, the diameter increases by 1.9% which gives you a 1.3 mph difference at 70 mph. Still plenty reasonable.

Also, I like the benefit of going down in tire diameter makes you think you're going faster than you are, which helps me cut down on those speeding tickets lol. I've had cops tell me it's easy to recalibrate the speedometer, but I've never bothered to look into it.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say they're talking out of their a$$. Anyone who's looked into the Z's electronics knows that most of the data is communicated over CAN, and likely requires the consult device.

The first time I heard that, in my head I was thinking, "yeah, maybe 50 years ago in the first car you got as a kid. Now only the dealer can do it and they'll charge an astronomical fee."

I changed mine out a little over a year ago and went with Conti Extreme Contact DWS06 tires. I'd have preferred the Conti Extreme Contact Sport tires but because I'm in New York I was concerned about the seasonal changes, especially the winter. I avoid driving my Z below certain temperatures anyway but in the event I have to I didn't/don't want any issues. I'm satisfied with their performance but not thrilled. At some point in the future when I relocate to a warmer state I'll definitely switch them out again for something more to my liking. So I'd definitely give some serious consideration to the Conti Extreme Contact Sport.

Update
 

Well, I put the tires on yesterday. (Will update with some photos later hopefully)
Got to try them out in the rain last night..

Holy Shiz! The amount of grip these tires have in the wet is borderline supernatural. :eek: WOT from a DIG in the wet felt like it was in the dry. Couldn't believe it, no spinning at all :confused:

Need more power now obviously. :stirthepot:
Dry grip is equally fantastic.

I got some Continentals a few weeks back... I agree, solid riding tires!

I've always loved Continental ExtremeContacts. This is one of the best all-season tires to take into consideration for your vehicle. I bought mine at 4wheelonline two years ago, it was referred by my friend. If you are in search of ultra-high performance tires that can provide great grip and traction, then this tire is the one.

What's crazy is the tires I got aren't the ExtremeContact A/S ones. I got the Sport Summer tire variant for maximum dry grip.
Still, its wet traction is just incredible.

And to think Michelin tires are even better, I wonder what that feels like. :yum:

You must take into account ABS sensor readings between the front and rear and if they're off by too much it will illuminate the ABS error light.

I run 255/45/19 & 305/35/19 without issue and 1 mph speedo/gps error.