275/40R17 who makes the widest?

[Zanie]

275/40R17
You would imagine they are all the same size, but no, apparently there isn't anybody holding mfgrs to a size tolerance.

I am currently running 275/40R17 MT drag radials on 17x10s on the rear of my 71 Chevelle; I am looking to replace them with a tire that is a little more rain friendly.
I have read many threads here on PT.com, and it is apparent that Sumitomo's run small and Goodyear F1s run larger.
Where does the Nitto fall in? (My front tires are Nitto 555)
Who's are the widest? Goodyear F1?

I thought about cramming the Nitto 315/35s on the 10 inch rim. But on the other hand; if I run the 275/40 I am more likely to be able to find a tire, if I cut one on a road trip.

Any input would be great.
Thanks!
Dan

[buickfunnycar.com]

Nitto's run very small for their size,I couldn't find any difference width-wise between my N555 275/40-18's and my N555R 305/35-18's...and the DR's fit my very low '69Z no problem.

Put this tire on those wheels,they were like $98/each,still haven't mounted this set:yum::
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[JustinB]

Dan,

The Nitto 555 has a section width of 11.02 and the F1 has a sec width of 10.9. I would go with the matching rears.

[Zanie]

Justin,
You can't always trust what the mfgrs publish. For the 315/35R17.... Goodyear shows a section width of 12.3 on an 11 inch wheel and Sumitomo shows a section width of 12.6 on an 11 inch wheel.
That is backwards from reality.

[online170]

I think goodyear GSD3's are probably the best all around performance youre gonna get.

IF you go with those, go withe 285s not the 275s.

Also, MT and Kumho now make a 295 in 17, not very rain freindly though.

I replaced goodyear eagle F1's (245 on 17x85) and (285 on 17x9.5) with falkens 245/275 combo, and my 275 falkens seem smaller than my 245 goodyears.

If you want wide go for squared off shoulders.


If youre worried about availability of tires if you damage them, remember the height is all that matters. Just put a spare in your car with the right height, and dont drive over metal shards.

[online170]

Justin,
You can't always trust what the mfgrs publish. For the 315/35R17.... Goodyear shows a section width of 12.3 on an 11 inch wheel and Sumitomo shows a section width of 12.6 on an 11 inch wheel.
That is backwards from reality.


That measurement is absolutely correct. You just have to know what youre looking for.

Section width is taken somewhere between the rim edge and the outer edge of the tire where the tire can "bulge".

Tread width is what we percieve to be the "width" of a tire. Summit is pretty good at listing both, hard to find the measurements for all tires though.

[JustinB]

I do not dispute that at all. At the end of the day we are talking about less that a .25 -.3" variance on a 275 tire. I would gladly sacrifice an 1/8" sidewall bulge per side to have a matching set. The appearance of completely different tread patterns will stand out a heck of a lot more than minimal difference in widths between manufacturers on the same 275/40/17 sizes tire. Lucky enough for you, your car will take a large tire in rear. If you want to step up to a larger tire than slap a set of the Nitto 555 315/35/17's on there and call it a day. Nitto also makes a 285/40/17 which measures 10.1 tread and 11.38 overall.


Justin,
You can't always trust what the mfgrs publish. For the 315/35R17.... Goodyear shows a section width of 12.3 on an 11 inch wheel and Sumitomo shows a section width of 12.6 on an 11 inch wheel.
That is backwards from reality.

[Zanie]

Justin,
I'm am kinda leanin' towards Nitto 555 315/35/17's!
I just worried about how they will look on a 10 inch wheel.

[68Formula]

Justin,
I'm am kinda leanin' towards Nitto 555 315/35/17's!
I just worried about how they will look on a 10 inch wheel.

You should be more worried about the fact, that rim width is not recommended by any tire manufacture for that size tire.

[JustinB]

You will have a tire bulge of approx. .75" each side. Nittos range on a 315 is 10.5 to 12.5. We have put these tires on a lot of 17x10's for A-Body guys without issue.

[Zanie]

You should be more worried about the fact, that rim width is not recommended by any tire manufacture for that size tire.

that's why I was asking about the 275/40R17 in the first place.

[Nine Ball]

The widest 275/40-17 I've ever seen are the older BFG KDW (not KDW2) tires. It seems that the Goodyear GSC and BFG always tended to run a little wider tread-wise than others. Nittos have somewhat of a flat sidewall, not much bulge.

[DriverzInc]

I have to agree with Justin, when he said go with a matching Nitto tire, the difference in tire tread from front to rear would look more odd ball, than anything else. If the 275 is too narrow for you, I personally think I would go with the 285. The 315 is a squeeze, but we've done it. The only thing you have to keep in mind, is if you have any issues with your wheels, or tires while you run a 315 on your 10" wheel, all manufacturers will not warranty either part. Has it been done though, yes.

[JRouche]

Yup. I would look at the 285/40 tires available. And yes, for appearance and performance I would always use the same tires front to back, brand, not size :) Unless you can :)

I have 10 inch wheels. And when I was building up my rear end I had the space to put any tire size I wanted. But the limiting factor for me was the wheel. I wanted a smooth lip wheel, that wasnt a cast wheel. An 11" wheel would have been perfect. But the hoops for wheels dont come in 11". 10" or 12". So I chose to go with the 10" hoop. Yes, cost did play into it all.

I really wanted to use a 315mm tire. From ALL my searching a 315mm tire needs to be on a 11" wheel minimum. Some of the smaller 315 tires, like Sumi work on a 10" wheel. But most dont. They would have alot of "tire flab", you know, heavy woman in too tight of jeans. The "done lap" was just too much.

So I settled for the goodyear F1 285/40 tires and 10" wheels. And dont get me wrong. I dont mind a lil over lap of the tire. A lil bulge is not bad. But too much of a bulge just screams jenny craig and Im thinkin performance will suffer.

YES. You can put a 315 on a 10" wheel. The additional inch will only give you a half an inch on the outside. And a half an inch is not that much bulge really.


Here are my 285 GY F1s on a 10" wheel. They measure 11.5" at the sidewall (just measured them). And the sidewall is the footprint for these tires, they dont flex much.

I think you can get away with a 315 tire. And if you find out its not to your liking no big deal, tires are consumable. JR

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/05/h-3.jpg

[GeoffP]

I have to agree with Nine Ball's comment about original KDW's being wider. I just bought a pair of 245/45-17's to replace my worn out Sumitomo HTR-Z's. The KDW's look significantly wider than the Sumitomo's they're replacing.

[GenPac]

I have Sumi HTRZ 315/35 on an 11" wheel. Folks have told me the tire looks too small for the width of the hoop.

/shrug

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[Nine Ball]

Here is a photo of the old style BF Goodrich KDW tires. 275/40-17 shown too. I had these laying around, sold them a while back.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/02/kdw1-1.jpg

[JRouche]

There is a reason the sumis look smaller on an 11" wheel than say a GY F1 or a BFG tire.

Because they are smaller. But mainly because they dont have the extra rubber to protect the rim edge. That extra amount of rubber that the "rim protector" tire has makes it so the inside of the lip of the rim isnt seen. Without it the tire looks like its peeled back on a too small of a rim.

You are fine. That tire is meant for an 11" wheel. But the sumis are known to be on the small side for a 315 tire so they are one of the brands that can be mounted up to a 10" wheel too without causing too much side wall bulge.

I think your tires look great on the rims you have. Look at the bulge and how it is slightly beyond the rim of the wheel. Perfect. The only diff is you can see the actual area where the bead of the tire meets the rim. Where tires with a rim protector hide that with some rubber. JR

Oh, and here is an example of 315mm tires. Sumis and GY F1s. This is why you cant use GYs on a 10" rim but you can use sumis. Oh. And see how the GY tire has a raised section of rubber on the top tire. Where the sumi tire is dished. That raised section is rim protector rubber.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/02/100_0053-1.jpg



I have Sumi HTRZ 315/35 on an 11" wheel. Folks have told me the tire looks too small for the width of the hoop.

/shrug

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[skybu]

My vote is for Goodyear F1 GS-D3

this is a 285/40-17 michelin vs a 285 gsd3

This picture is a example of section width.

I also noted that the actual tread width of the gsd3 was 1.125 wider than the michelin.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif