Ok, here's the story. II got a pair of 255/50/16 MT ET Street Drag Radials for free off my brothers Camaro because he got slicks. They sat in my garage for about 3 months. I searched and searched for wheels for them so that I could use them, as we thought they were still usable (my other thread expalins this). I finally bout wheels for it, 16 inch waffle wheels off a 95 GT, and mounted the tires Friday. I got a helluva deal on the wheels so I am not out a whole lot of cash, just time and aggravation. Well, anyway, turns out the tires are not usable. I just wish I had inspected them closer BEFORE I went and bought wheels specifically for them.
When I was looking, I considered buying a pair of 17 inch S197 GT wheels for the perfect fit, then just getting new DRs, but figured I'd go with the 16s since I only had to buy wheels that way. Now that I have to buy tires either way, I wish I would have gone the other route.
The reasons for this are that the waffle wheels are (as you know) not a perfect fit, I have not tried them yet, but know that they stick out slightly. Also, 255/50 is the only size MT DR that I can find for them. I know that this is plenty of tire for even a real fast car, but still. If I got 17s, I could run a 275 DR. But, I also know that a 16 will have a taller sidewall for better traction, but at the same time nobody seems to have problems with traction on 17s.
So here are my two choices: Keep the wheels I bought, and buy a new pair of 255/50/16 ET Street DRs. I will obviously stick with the 16 inch rim, have a taller sidewall, but imperfect backspacing. This will allow me to stick with what I already have though.
Choice 2: Sell these wheels. I am sure I could sell them for more than I paid for them, easily (got 4 for 85 bucks). Then buy a pair of 17 inch wheels and get 275 DRs. The benefit to this is that I will have wheels that are the right size and backspacing. I found a guy selling 2 wheels from an 05 for 50 bucks. Or I could try and find a pair of the same wheels I have, so it wouldn't even look goofy. The downside to this is all the wasted effort, and the fact that I will have to sell the other ones and whatnot (I'm not made of money either).
This really pisses me off, I feel like a moron for not checking the tires closely. I really don't want to pay $350 for DRs right now. But I want to decide with path to take for when I am ready to buy them. I was in a hurry to get these mounted by this weekend (going to the track tomorrow), but I guess I'll get more practice with the stock tires. So given the two choices, what should I do?
When I was looking, I considered buying a pair of 17 inch S197 GT wheels for the perfect fit, then just getting new DRs, but figured I'd go with the 16s since I only had to buy wheels that way. Now that I have to buy tires either way, I wish I would have gone the other route.
The reasons for this are that the waffle wheels are (as you know) not a perfect fit, I have not tried them yet, but know that they stick out slightly. Also, 255/50 is the only size MT DR that I can find for them. I know that this is plenty of tire for even a real fast car, but still. If I got 17s, I could run a 275 DR. But, I also know that a 16 will have a taller sidewall for better traction, but at the same time nobody seems to have problems with traction on 17s.
So here are my two choices: Keep the wheels I bought, and buy a new pair of 255/50/16 ET Street DRs. I will obviously stick with the 16 inch rim, have a taller sidewall, but imperfect backspacing. This will allow me to stick with what I already have though.
Choice 2: Sell these wheels. I am sure I could sell them for more than I paid for them, easily (got 4 for 85 bucks). Then buy a pair of 17 inch wheels and get 275 DRs. The benefit to this is that I will have wheels that are the right size and backspacing. I found a guy selling 2 wheels from an 05 for 50 bucks. Or I could try and find a pair of the same wheels I have, so it wouldn't even look goofy. The downside to this is all the wasted effort, and the fact that I will have to sell the other ones and whatnot (I'm not made of money either).
This really pisses me off, I feel like a moron for not checking the tires closely. I really don't want to pay $350 for DRs right now. But I want to decide with path to take for when I am ready to buy them. I was in a hurry to get these mounted by this weekend (going to the track tomorrow), but I guess I'll get more practice with the stock tires. So given the two choices, what should I do?