Tire Gurus? I Need Help

[DevilMB3017]

I bought some 5Zigen wheels because I got a decent deal on them. They're the 17x8 +35 in 4x114.3 for my S13 240SX. I'm pretty sure I want to do 245/40R17, at all four corners.

I did the tire size calculators on the internet, and that should keep my speedo correct and my milage not too far off. These tires seem to be pretty common and easy to find too. I'm also pretty sure that they won't rub against my fenders or anything.

Can anyone confirm or call me stupid please? This car WILL NOT be daily driven, but I want to be able to drive it on the street and some track/auto-x. I'm a beginner, so please help point me in the right direction. I'm putting down over 300rwhp, or so the guys at Enthaply told me, so that's also another factor. I'd also like to keep it under $200 a tire.

I've been looking into the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW2 on TireRack.Com and they seem to have good user ratings and are only $158.00 a tire. Is this a good idea or no?

Thanks for the help guys.

[evildky]

if you plan to autocross the falken azenis rt-615's are fantastic (you gotta get these from tires.com), as are the new bridgestone re-o1R's are a tick fater in testing, and just behind the falken was the Kumho Escta MX

[whiterps13]

Ive always wanted to run the BFG's, but havent had a chance yet.

Like the guy above me said, both the RT-615 and the Khumo MX are really good dry-grip tires and are considerably less than the BFG's. Ive personally run the MX's and currently am rollin the 615's with great success. Check out citytireonline.com for good deals on the Falkens.

As far as your tire sizing goes, I would personally run a 225/45/17 instead of your planned 245/40. In my opinion, a 245 width on an 8 inch wheel will have too much buldge and sidewall flex. I am running 225''s on an 8.5.

[DevilMB3017]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm really debating between these three tires now. I'm kind of leaning towards the BFGoodrich because they have the highest wear rating, and I won't be auto-x'ing or road racing these tires as much as the next set I buy.

I'm going to agree that I should really look into 225/45's, but now I'm thinking about staggering the size. Is that not a good idea? I don't know too much about tires yet.

[whiterps13]

I would not stagger tire sizes on identical sized wheels.

Back in the day when I knew nothing about wheels and tires, I staggered 205/40/17 and 225/45/17 on identical 17x7 wheels. The car was very twitchy in the corners and the rear felt very floaty due to the higher sidewall. I would never do it again.

Plus, rotating your tires is a huge benefit that people often overlook.

[DevilMB3017]

Okay, thanks for the help whiterps13.

I'm going to order either the Falken RT-615s or the BFGoodrichs, which ever I can get shipped cheaper, in the 225/45/17 size for now.

[whiterps13]

I run the same sized RT-615's and got the best deal from citytireonline.com from their ziIvia.net special. I really wish NICO had a good tire sponsor.

They were one of the few online retailers that sold Falkens.

[DevilMB3017]

Yeah, I just placed the order from that website.

Just the tires, no replacement plan, no valve stems, etc. came out to $481.00

That's a pretty good deal in my book. Thanks again for you all your help whiterps13.