Hello,
I have 18x10 rims in the rear, and I currently have 295/35/18 BFG TA/KD tires on them. My stang is a 2002 GT auto with no performance mods, and has the stock suspension. However, I've almost convinced myself to get a Kenne Bell 9 pound intercooled blower
I was wondering if I could get taller-diameter tires on the rims, to get better launches, and sacrifice some cornering firmness.
I don't want to get a special set of rims for the track, because I prefer not to change rims that often, and I'd like to be able to hook better on the street (I think), so I was wondering how close to the front of the wheel well you can come before the tires start hitting the front of the wheel well on hard launches. Also, I wouldn't mind having a taller-looking tire in the back.
My current tires are about 2 inches from the front of the wheel well at the closest point (near the very bottom of the front of the wheel well), and are 26.1 inches in diameter, according to this website:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html
I was thinking about maybe getting 295/45/18 tires (Nitto 555), which would be 28.5 inches in diameter. These would therefore be about 0.8 inches from the front of the wheel well. Is that too close?
Edit: I also saw a 305/45/18 Nitto 555 R. That would be 28.8 inches in diameter, or about 0.7 inches from the front of the wheel well. Is that too close?
Or, I was thinking about 315/40/18 tires, which would be 27.9 inches in diameter, which would make them 1.1 inches from the front of the wheel well. Is that too close? Also, I can't seem to find any tires that size at www.discounttiredirect.com or www.tirerack.com. I also can't find 305/40/18 or 295/40/18.
Does anyone have any advice?
Also, are 295/35/18 tires good enough for hooking on the street? I must say I've never revved and tried to launch on the street (although I may try it sometime), and I've never really broken loose on the street.
Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Am I an idiot for even thinking of getting a taller tire?
Is there any other way to get better hooking/launching, while keeping my 18x10 rims?
Edit: Would an aftermarket suspension decrease the recoil, and lessen the odds that the bigger tires would hit the front of the wheel well on hard launches? I'd like to avoid upgrading the suspension, for now, but I was curious.
Edit: Maybe I should just get 17x10.5 rims in the back and be done with it. But then which tires should I get for those? No one seems to have 315/40/17 or 315/45/17. 315/35/17 (4.3 inch sidewall) seems like it would not be much better than 295/35/18 (4.1 inch sidewall) or 315/30/18 (3.7 inch sidewall) for hooking. I did find some 305/35/18 (4.2 inch sidewall) Nitto drag radials. Maybe that's about the best I can do with 18x10 rims, or even 17x10.5 inch rims. Is that right? I do know that 17x10.5 would have less moment of inertia, because the metal would be closer to the center, but I'm not as worried about that, for some reason.
Update: Now I'm just thinking about putting some Weld Draglite 15x10 or 15x12 on the rear and calling it a day. Or maybe some other brand, if I can find nice ones in a 16x10 or 16x12 that are better for cornering (still trying to have my cake and eat it too). However, I'll probably do the blower first.
I have 18x10 rims in the rear, and I currently have 295/35/18 BFG TA/KD tires on them. My stang is a 2002 GT auto with no performance mods, and has the stock suspension. However, I've almost convinced myself to get a Kenne Bell 9 pound intercooled blower
I was wondering if I could get taller-diameter tires on the rims, to get better launches, and sacrifice some cornering firmness.
I don't want to get a special set of rims for the track, because I prefer not to change rims that often, and I'd like to be able to hook better on the street (I think), so I was wondering how close to the front of the wheel well you can come before the tires start hitting the front of the wheel well on hard launches. Also, I wouldn't mind having a taller-looking tire in the back.
My current tires are about 2 inches from the front of the wheel well at the closest point (near the very bottom of the front of the wheel well), and are 26.1 inches in diameter, according to this website:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html
I was thinking about maybe getting 295/45/18 tires (Nitto 555), which would be 28.5 inches in diameter. These would therefore be about 0.8 inches from the front of the wheel well. Is that too close?
Edit: I also saw a 305/45/18 Nitto 555 R. That would be 28.8 inches in diameter, or about 0.7 inches from the front of the wheel well. Is that too close?
Or, I was thinking about 315/40/18 tires, which would be 27.9 inches in diameter, which would make them 1.1 inches from the front of the wheel well. Is that too close? Also, I can't seem to find any tires that size at www.discounttiredirect.com or www.tirerack.com. I also can't find 305/40/18 or 295/40/18.
Does anyone have any advice?
Also, are 295/35/18 tires good enough for hooking on the street? I must say I've never revved and tried to launch on the street (although I may try it sometime), and I've never really broken loose on the street.
Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Am I an idiot for even thinking of getting a taller tire?
Is there any other way to get better hooking/launching, while keeping my 18x10 rims?
Edit: Would an aftermarket suspension decrease the recoil, and lessen the odds that the bigger tires would hit the front of the wheel well on hard launches? I'd like to avoid upgrading the suspension, for now, but I was curious.
Edit: Maybe I should just get 17x10.5 rims in the back and be done with it. But then which tires should I get for those? No one seems to have 315/40/17 or 315/45/17. 315/35/17 (4.3 inch sidewall) seems like it would not be much better than 295/35/18 (4.1 inch sidewall) or 315/30/18 (3.7 inch sidewall) for hooking. I did find some 305/35/18 (4.2 inch sidewall) Nitto drag radials. Maybe that's about the best I can do with 18x10 rims, or even 17x10.5 inch rims. Is that right? I do know that 17x10.5 would have less moment of inertia, because the metal would be closer to the center, but I'm not as worried about that, for some reason.
Update: Now I'm just thinking about putting some Weld Draglite 15x10 or 15x12 on the rear and calling it a day. Or maybe some other brand, if I can find nice ones in a 16x10 or 16x12 that are better for cornering (still trying to have my cake and eat it too). However, I'll probably do the blower first.