Tire upgrade thoughts please?
 

I have the 19" sport rays on my Z now. The rear size of 275/35/19 spin all the way through 1/2 of 4th gear and thats not good. I have the sport brakes so I am not looking at changing rims. I am also TT'd and am NOW putting down about 500 whp and 475 tq. While I am sure no tire will give me as much grip as I want there has to be something better than the potensa's I have now. Please give me your tire brand and size suggestions. Right now I am leaning towards Advan Neovas in 295/30/19. Thanks

Advans are good, NT05s are decent for the money, re50a's are good too

Toyo R888's worked for me at 760rwhp/715rwtq on my last 350z... Only spun through second gear on a good day. I'm sure with 500rwhp you wouldn't have much problems in second gear. 1st gear is definitely gone though.

But spinning halfway through 4th gear at only 475rwtq? I'm thinking it's just your alignment that's off.

Just had the align done and thats not the issue. Even during summer it spun out through 2nd and 3rd. 4th bcame an issue when it got cold. I just need bigger and wider tires. Thanks.

What are your current alignment specs? Camber/toe?

Guess the stock tires are just that crappy then. If you're looking for summer dry tires, I would give the R888 a try. With under 500rwtq, you should be completely fine in 3rd gear, and partially fine in second gear. I'd still get the alignment specs checked out if I were you. It's not enough power to spin 4th unless the 275 rears are already down to shreds.

If you want to do R888's, there are 295 rears available. They under-rate the widths... the 295 width R888's are more like 305 on other street tires.

RE-11's should do the trick too and they will last much longer than the 888s.

RE11 would be my choice too given all that power.

dang, burning through 4th gear... i would have to be on ice to do that on my stock Z. :icon17:

BFG R1s

Bear in mind that it is cold out this time of year and the more performance oriented a tire is, generally it will do worse in the cold.

and wider is not always better...if you're re-using your stock rims, I wouldn't go much bigger than 285. Then it just starts to "bulge" in the center making the contact patch more "round" instead of "flat", therefore reducing your contact to the ground even more.

^^ agree. wider is not always better. it's really in the compound and type of tire you use.

Thanks for the replies.....I went with the Advan Neova AD08 in 295/30/19 for the rear. Sticking with the oem potensa's in the front for now.

Good luck. You're going to have harsh understeer now though.

I can vouch for spinning into 4th.. I Have the same problem when its under 50deg outside. I think I might get some forgestars 18/10 ft and 18/12 in back. and call it a day!

advan neovas, definitely. I have even tracked with them, and lap times are within a second or two of my BFG R1s. And the 295s look right on the stock rim widths.

Sorry to revive this thread from the dead, but I was looking at the R88's and wanted to see if you gents had any thoughts on the 295/30/19's for the rear and 265/30/19's on the front.

Seems there was some disagreement on whether it would be too wide or just right (I know the diameter will be off ay a bit on both) -- thoughts?

Am also open to other suggestions -- I had really wanted to do 245/40 F and 285/35 R, but those sizes seem to be tough to find in R compounds :shakeshead:

Basically, I want sticky, as wide as OEM or wider, and ideally a few lbs lighter (that's how I arrived at the R88's, BTW).

Any suggestions will be welcome :tiphat:

crappy tire, useless ( I had 4 sets on 3 different car)

295/35/19 - Hoosier A6 Radials :tup: lol

I have 295 R888's on my 350z. 19x10.5 Volk GTS. Fits just right. I wouldn't use it on a smaller rim tho... It'll fit, but it might roll a bit. R888's are slightly underrated in size. 295's are more like 305's of other brand tires.

Hope this helps.

maximum grip
 

in NASCAR they save the burn outs till the end-they save their tires

at the drag strip, well those tires do NOT last long

the cutting edge technology more and more is launch control

no matter which tire you choose

if you don't have launch control, then you'll have to exercise self control

:driving:

What do you guys suggest as a substitute for the RT-615's or the XS's then? Those are my go-to tires, but no sizes I can use. I was planning on a set of R-11's, but they are quite pricey and rather heavy.

Any suggestions for something bubblegum sticky, with a wear rating < 200, R compound or near-R in stickiness, (max summer I guess) that is also lighter than the stockers?

No new suggestions from GRM as far as I can see -- last big review I can find was the Texas Toast shootout...

Short lifespan is okay, although I do need something at least relativley suitable for a DD (so no track only tires -- I know R888 is pushing it for DD, but I also know folks who run them and get about a yr or so use).

Thanks :tiphat:

with the r888, you will lose most of the grip after one month, they will be marginally better than your xs within the first 1500 miles

thanks for the input :tiphat:

I think I'm leaning towards the Advan AD08 -- rated as highly as the RE-11's and quite a bit lighter (by 2 lbs in the front and 4 in the rear).

Anyone use them?

I am running AD08s all the way around. 245/40/19 and 295/30/19.....great tire and very good grip.

But the rear tires diameter is smaller than the front.!

Hmm. According to this tire calculator it's 26.7 front and 26 rear :confused:

Tire size calculator

I was thinking about those sizes too. How's it handle? How is traction (and you have a shed load more power to put down too!). Any issues with VDC?

EDIT: Ah, just checked: It's the 245/35's that are 25.8

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....VAN+Neova+AD08

Are you running the 40's or the 35's in the front?

Actually, the change in aspect ratio is about the same running 35's in the front and 30 in the rear instead of 40 and 35.

Hmmm... maybe I will try that combo (245/35 F, 295/30 R)... I need wider wheels in the back. I can't get traction even with my lowly 250 lbft of torque :p

Why are you going for 30 profile rear tires if you want to avoid wheelspin?

Isn't the width more important or does the sidewall also affect the contact patch?

Actually, I thought taller tires tend to be a bit more likely to flex in hard cornering, so the effect it has on contact patch is negative -- is this wrong?

This forum is funny......someone always questions your answer (even if its a real answer). I went with the 295/30 ON THE REAR for the width and yes, I needed more grip. The fact that its a 30 doesnt affect grip in a negative way and ALL the tires and car handle great. I am not tracking the car and only care about 1/4 mile and stoplight to stoplight. That being said, I live on a mountain with many curvy roads and the tires seem very good.

These AD08s are as close as you can get to an R rated tire without it being R rated. Jordo, you cant use the tire calculator for everything. If you check the width on these AD08 295/30/19 tires ON TIRE RACKS spec page, you will see they are actualy wider than some 305 tires.

I'm not sure what cossie is talking about on the lower aspect ratio in the back -- the shorter sidewall should mean less flex and therefore more responsive cornering but possibly harsher vibration in a straight line, so maybe that's it?

Curiously, no diameter info is provided for the 245/40/19's on the Tire Rack site (see link above), although the calculator gives the same number as Tire Rack for the 245/35 and 295/30 tires :confused:

If the front is wider than the rear (whether or not yours actually is), I think that would bias the car towards oversteer rather than pushing -- no?

I think I'm going with these tires next and just need to decide on either OEM dimesnions or go with the 245/35 F and 295/30 R.

Thanks for the input :tiphat:

what exactly are you trying to do? a lower profile tire helps in cornering usually, but it doesnt help you in a straight line if you are already lighting up the tires in 1st gear. a smaller tire will make your car feel faster, but you have to be able to get traction.

i actually track my car, i can tell you you should stagger your tires to a minimal and never run wider front tires than the back. i have done it before, scary.....

Makes sense; lower profile will be less able to absorb road vibration, so more squirleey in a straight line. I'm not using to having straight line traction issues -- haven't driven a high torque RWD car in ages -- so I'm more used to focusing on cornering :p

Driving plans: 99% spirited DD driving, with an occcasional autox in the mix.

So, that said, given the choice between OEM spec tires in AD08 or the alternative I was considering of 245/35 F and 295/30 R, which do you recommend?

I wish advan had 285/35's like the RE-11's... :shakes head:

Do you recommend a square set-up, or try to maintain approximately the same ratio as OEM for rear to front, with the rears being wider, natch.

i believe you are much closer to stock with a 35 profile than 30. my speedo is more accurate with my 265 285 35 19 re11 setup, its within .5mph.

if you are not a hardcore guy, get 265 285. if you are, get 285 all around to get rid of the plow.

Thanks for the suggestions -- I'm probably more "softcore" than "hardcore", but I do like to throw it hard into corners every chance I get :icon17:

Does a staggerd set up push more?

I thought it would only push more if the fronts were wider than the rears. I'd like neutral as possible, really.

the lack of front camber and the poor weight distribution make the car plow regardlless, you can minimize it on a stock car by getting a square setup. due to the wheel size issue, most people arent willing to do that. also a slight stagger makes the car safer to drive, thats why nissan did it. my race rims have 285 all around, car felt a lot more stable. just get 265 285 35 19 re11 and call it a day, they are great tires. i have 4 new 285 35 19 replacing it next week

^^^ okay -- thanks!

Also, I just thought about that. It probably pushes more if the rears are wider (hence safer), so a square set-up would actually bias it towards oversteering.

Thanks again -- I'll keep all of this in mind when tire shopping :tiphat:

stagger=more grip in the rear, front end will start washing out before the rear does. you are not creating more oversteer, you are just giving the front more grip and allow it to turn better.

you know thiese are 10k miles tire right?

Do you mean the RE-11's the AD08's or both?

Yeah, that's fine. I can usually get about a year to 18 months or so out of sticky tires, and the fun factor is worth it to me.

Both. As long as you can afford it, that's good. I just don't want you to post about how tires only last 10K miles (look at all the guys complaining about the OEM tires)

They are both very good tires, I like the Bridgestone more simply because I have had better luck with that company than Yokohama, you will be good either way. Just get the right size so you don't regret it like I did last year.

Not sure if you can see from the video, but you can see how hard I had to fight the car to get it to turn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTu3E66mydE

compare to my 350 on a square setup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtASpcAAxZI

Yes the cars are different and tires are different, but you can see the difference between a balanced stock car vs. a plowing stock car.

^^^ Thanks, I'll check it out! I'm a big believer in following the advice of strip and cone people.

I'm used to lumping tire longevity for fun on my old ride, so no whining here :D

I will generally resist temptation on anything with a wear rating below 180, but the RE-11's and AD08's are in that ball park, so however long they actually last will probably be fine for me.


EDIT:
Great vids!

Now you have me strongly considering a square set-up... the difference entering corners is obvious, and the 370 is theoretically the more balanced of the two! Huge difference with the square -- definitely food for thought.