Tires for 2nd Gen Firebird

[Northern Goat]

Just getting ready to order tires (Nitto 555s) for my 71 bird and wanted any useful input about tire size.

I'm thinking of going 255/45/18 on the front and 295/45/18 on the rear.

What do you think? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[MuscleRodz]

295's are really pushing it with leaf rear. If you are running a bar or torque arm, plenty of room. 255 up front should be fine

[critter]

I'm running a 295/35/18 on a 10 inch wheel and a 255/35/18 on an 8 inch wheel on my 74TA. I did have to pound down the seat belt bulge and roll the fender lips on the rear for the 295. I'd run 255s on my 15 inch wheels up front and had some rub on the sway bar due to deflection. Not so much with the 35 aspect ratio but I've not really driven it much on these wheels and tires yet. It wasn't bad enough on the front to warrent me making any changes back in the day.

Keep me posted on how you like those tires. Those are exactly what I was looking at. I want a taller sidewall.

[Northern Goat]

Keep me posted on how you like those tires. Those are exactly what I was looking at. I want a taller sidewall.[/QUOTE]


Will do. Thanks for the response.

[critter]

Typo corrected. That was a 10 inch wheel. I don't think I could get a 19 under there even with mini-tubs! LOL.

[DriverzInc]

I agree with Mike, that is a lot of tire under a leaf spring car. And that damn seat belt bulge does get in the way. We run 10s often, with a 285, but that big a tire might get a little too big.

Check out our ebay store for Nitto Tire pricing. We pretty much sell nitto a few dollar over wholesale.

[Northern Goat]

So I like how the 295s filled the wheel well, but it seems like they may be too wide. Does anyone make a 28" tire in a narrower width?

[a73formula]

i had 17x11's on the back of my 73 with 315's and had no problems. 6" bs and did nothing with the seat belts. I can't see a 295/18 being any tighter.

[MrQuick]

earlier cars fit a bigger tire and all cars are different.


vince

[Northern Goat]

i had 17x11's on the back of my 73 with 315's and had no problems. 6" bs and did nothing with the seat belts. I can't see a 295/18 being any tighter.

Thanks. How tall were your 315s?

[OLDFLM]

I've got 255/45/18s up front and 295/40/18s out back on my car.
18x8 and 18x10. A 295/35/18 will fit with stock leafs out back!
A 295/45/18 out back is a really tall tire! My wheels come in right at 27" tall FWIW...

[Northern Goat]

Thanks Ty.

[DriverzInc]

i had 17x11's on the back of my 73 with 315's and had no problems. 6" bs and did nothing with the seat belts. I can't see a 295/18 being any tighter.

Probably a 315/35/17, right? Way shorter than a 295/45/18.

We run into this with a lot of A body guys and 2nd Gen F-body guys. A 315/35/17 is only 25.6" tall, so its extremely short, and when the radius is that close to the center of the axle, things fit differently as it moves the widest part of the tire closer to the center of the axle.

A 295/45/18 on the other hand is 28.31" tall. With that, we're talking about the radius from center to the top of the tire being much greater than the above, and the wider portion of the tire sits much higher in the wheel well.

Personally, on the back of a 2nd gen, I like to see a 27" tall tire. I'd suggest the 285/40/18. 27" on the dot. Sweet, Safe, and will FIT.

[critter]

OK, so what's your most popular tire to run in a 285 out back and a 255 up front. Keep in mind that I want a little more sidewall height because I simply do not like the looks of these 35s on my car. Will a 40 look substantially different?

[Northern Goat]

Probably a 315/35/17, right? Way shorter than a 295/45/18.

We run into this with a lot of A body guys and 2nd Gen F-body guys. A 315/35/17 is only 25.6" tall, so its extremely short, and when the radius is that close to the center of the axle, things fit differently as it moves the widest part of the tire closer to the center of the axle.

A 295/45/18 on the other hand is 28.31" tall. With that, we're talking about the radius from center to the top of the tire being much greater than the above, and the wider portion of the tire sits much higher in the wheel well.

Personally, on the back of a 2nd gen, I like to see a 27" tall tire. I'd suggest the 285/40/18. 27" on the dot. Sweet, Safe, and will FIT.

You guys made me rethink my original plan and am going to go 255/45/18 and 285/40/18. Thanks for confirming.

[NOT A TA]

Jon is right about the widths and heights affecting the fitment. The early 2nd gen birds have the most tire space stock of all the 2nd gens. I've run the 315 35 17's for several years and they were fine (for me on my car,70 bird), but I recommended to a lot of folks not to try it on their cars due to variables such as weight, suspension, and usage.

I didn't have any rubbing issues (with no wheelwell mods) until I added about 200 lbs of roll cage. Then I got a slight rub which only occured under certain conditions, only on track, and only with a passenger, and only if I hit the curbing too hard. (hehe novice! LOL) I am switching to 295 30 18's this year and I'm going to try to run a 285 30 18 in the front (up from the 275 40 17's I have). I know I'll loose a little more turning radius but I don't need the tight turning for what I do with the car. I don't use the car for things that require tight tuirning so it doesn't bother me. Fronts rubbed the sway before at full lock with the 275's.

As far as looks go I like the proportions of cars like Tys with taller tires that fill the wheelwells more. 26" tires like the ones I use look a little small. I have the new Yokohama AO 48 tires already. I'm waiting on brakes so I can be sure I get the correct backspacing for the new Rushforth wheels.

[DriverzInc]

Run a 285/40/18 rear in a 555. At 27" tall, you're talking about a good looking sidewall. In the front, I usually run a 245/40/18. The difference in width from a 245 to a 255 is only .25", but they are taller, which is the important thing, and look right at home on an 8" wide wheel. The next size up is the 245/45/18 and is 26.5 tall, only a .50" difference between the rear tire at 27" tall, and I usually like more of a difference than that from front to rear.

FYI, we have ALL of our Nitto tires in our EBAY store online, and our pricing is VERY, VERY good. And all the information about each tire can be found in the listings. Driverz Inc Ebay Store

[68Formula]

Run a 285/40/18 rear in a 555. At 27" tall, you're talking about a good looking sidewall. In the front, I usually run a 245/40/18. The difference in width from a 245 to a 255 is only .25", but they are taller, which is the important thing, and look right at home on an 8" wide wheel.

Did you mean a 255/40 on the front? Stock was 225/70R15 which is a 27.3" tire. People used to upgrade to 255/60R15s which is a 27.1" tire. http://www.78ta.com/banditedition.php

A 245/40R18 at 25.7" is not going to fill the wheel well and look strange. Even the 255/40 at 26.1" would look a bit too short. Personally I think they look best with the 255/45R18 (which is also the same sidewall height as the 285/40R18). But if you wanted a slightly shorter sidewall the 245/45R18 would be the best compromise IMHO.

[OLDFLM]

Falken makes a 295/40/18 that IMHO is the perfect tire for the back of a 2nd Gen Firebird/Trans Am. I run their 615-series tires on my car... 200-tread rating and a unique tread design. The 295/40/18 is 27.3" tall and the 255/45/18s I have up front are 27.0" FWIW.

[68Formula]

That Bird looks awesome!