wide rear tire advantages????

[rfalker1]

was wondering why people choose the fattest rear wheel possible? it seems to be max traction but can't that be solve by choosing a better tire compound? I mean how much of a difference would a inch make or 3 or 4... (more so on the rear wheels.)



My rear is only 8 inches, and was curious if it would be bump it up to 9.5 and maybe drop it down to 18" instead of 19" and try and fit a larger compound

[LowFast]

For looks, steam roller wheels get me all excited. And if a sticky compound is good at 8" wide just think of the grip at 12" wide. Will it perform better, in a corner or straignht line? How much power are you trying to put down? Are you willing to suffer the additional weight? These are all questions you have to ask.

[rfalker1]

Well I think if I am lucky i will be getting 400 rwd horsepower and maybe 450lbs of torque. Well its a 68 camaro I am asking about, should I be more concerned about weight or grip? Isn't it true the heavier your movable parts in your drive train the more power it takes to run them? This is more of a pro touring daily driver too!!! So maybe if I can fit a 9.5" rim on it with mini tubing and drop it down from an 19 inch to an 18 inch diameter I can run a fatter wheel and keep the weight about the same with no rubbing issues.

[Bryce]

Too much tire will slow you down when accelerating. But you cant really have too much tire when cornering. But you will have diminishing returns.

[chops101]

275-285 is about as large as you can go with stock wheelhouses, if you nail the backspace just right.
I installed mini-tubs on mine recently (69 Camaro Vert) but my wheelhouses had been patched and needed to be changed anyway.
I run 305/35/18 now and just like the looks of the fat rubber.

[rfalker1]

Ok, so it basically a trade off regardless of what I do, I just need to pick a preference, if want speed, or better handling, maybe a 9.5 rear would be cool, and it would meet me somewhere in the middle

[Chad-1stGen]

No need to minitub to fit a 9.5" width rim on a 68 camaro. If you roll the fender lips you can fit 10"

[FreedomRims]

Many people say that performance is more important when cornering and less weight is more important on the track (for speed purposes). This is the argument that has raged for a long time as people try to decide where their "perfect balance" is when it comes to tires. A few things to consider:

-wider tires means more surface area is touching the road

-some "oversize" tires are just for looks and don't necessarily add any more gain

-make sure you consider your driving habits when buying tires as they are not all created for every instance


Regards,

L.M.
Freedom Rims
Performance Tires

[Vegas69]

Stagger is also a big factor. If you have a 245 up front, does a 335 out back really make sense? It doesn't for handling and chassis balance....

[rfalker1]

so who thinks this would be a cool setup, 18x8 on the front and 19x9.5 in the rear, this is for looks and more a better grip, during acceleration

[rfalker1]

Ordered them!!!! yea

[Bryce]

I run a 17 x 8 and 17 x 9.5 on my falcon. That equates to a 245 and 275 tire. Should be a good setup. It might be a little small on the front depending on your CG height and front end weight.

[DriverzInc]

Like said above, a stock camaro tub will easily take a9.5" wide wheel, and a 275/ wide tire, with the right offset. Only reason to mini-tub is to go wider than a 275, like 295 an greater. The benefit? Looks, and a little performance too, but you'll need all the suspension mods and horse power to go with it. There's a reason why new vettes are coming out with 18/19, and 19/20 combos...

[Cannon]

compound is much more important than width however more width helps a softer compound last a lot longer and is more forgiving for suspension tuning, and as mentioned there is a point of deminishing returns but you also have to take weight into consideration, since a little 2000 lb racecar would be great using something like a 245mm treadwidth while a 3500lb streetcar would need a 335mm treadwidth to get near the same grip givin the same compound, cause of all the extra weight and momentum pushing it around.

[TheJDMan]

A wide rear tire makes the yahoos that pull up next to you at a stop light think twice. The wider the tires the more attitude the car wearing them has.

[Samckitt]

I have 17X8 front & 17X9.5 with 245 & 275 width tires. I would like to with 315s out back & 255 or 265 fronts in the front.

[Jon Clough]

I always been told that you don't want more than a 35mm difference between the front and rear tires

[Vegas69]

Tell that to GM & Dodge. 335/275 345/285 Z06 Viper I agree with you, little is better.

[avgasman]

It's amazing what the Nissan GTR can do with just a 255 front and 285 rear. Makes my 245/275 combo acceptable.

[Vegas69]

Except yours ain't all wheel drive...