Tire width or compound? If you had to choose

[Robs_altima]

I've got my order in for a set of Volk GT-S wheels in 18x10 +27 & 18x11+25 and am still undecided on the tire. I know there's tons of tires out there but if traction on the street is most important what would you choose in my situation? The fronts really aren't a problem with sizing but the rear kind of dictates what brand tire. Looking at getting a 295/35/18 ideally but also considering the Falken 615 in 275/35/18, the only thing close. Granted those are some sticky tire but I don't know if I'll get them hot enough on the street to really get the most out of them.

I've ran Falken 452's and Toyo T1R's on my last car and was thinking of something a little better. What do you guys say? Tire width (295/35) or compound (275/35).

Thanks for the help.

[C-Kwik]

There are plenty of choices in the 295/35-18 sizes. I'd be leaning towards the Bridgestone RE050A's or the Michelin PS2's myself. They are pretty comparable to each other with the Michelin having a slight edge in dry traction. Both are pretty pricey with the PS2's getting darn close to $400 a tire at Tire Rack.

Perhaps you should quantify the important things you need out of the tire and give us some idea of what the conditions they will be used in are (weather).

The only tires you really need to worry about a lot as far as having enough heat are race tires. Most performance tires are able to provide great performance at even moderate tire temperatures.

Lastly, I am assuming this is going on a Z and not an Altima. I bring this up as you list an 08 Altima as your car. That's a whole lotta tire, even for a Z. Let alone an Altima.

[evildky]

are you looking for straight line acceleration or lateral grip? differnt tires for different uses

[inline350]

I would recommend the Nitto Invo they are an overall good tire and they make it in the size you want

+theyre sexy

[evildky]

I'm guessing with 18x11's you want lateral fgrip, the falken 615's offer fantastic laterel grip, and in their 275 width they should be a real good fit on your 11" wheels and will have wider tread area than most more streetable tires in the same size, they suck in the rain but about the only thing better would be the potenza re-01's

[marlin29311]

Are you looking for summer or a/s?

Im a huge fan of the michelin pilots as well - both a/s and summer. The goodyear eagle f1 series is also pretty darn good as well...

[Robs_altima]

Sorry about the profile, it's been updated guess. I guess I'll keep the name seeing how I've been on here for so long.

Anyways, my main concern is traction in dry, the car probably won't see too much wet driving. I plan to bolt on a single turbo kit within a month or two after the wheels go on this spring. To me there's no point in bolting up a turbo kit and not being able to put it to the pavement. Likewise, it may not make sense to get a sticky tire like the Falken 615 if they need a lot of heat before they start to perform better then a good summer tire. I'm sure I'll do some autocross and maybe take it to the drag strip every now and then but don't see myself getting a separate set of wheels just for the track. I'm just not that serious of a track competitor.

I've heard from the tire dealer I'm going through near me that the Falken 615 is a naturally sticky tire in ambient temperature, which he said is why they get oily if really hot. Sounds promising but I want to check on the boards here. Trying to gage grip by how soft the tire are and looking at the RE050E sounds promising, so do the Potenza S-02. Any thoughts on the G-Force T/A KD's?

Sorry about this topic, I really don't want it see seem like another tire question that pops up a lot. Trying to narrow it down and be specific. Can trust the reviews on tirerack. I know everyone has their opinions but always good to hear what has worked well for others in similar situations. Thanks again

[evildky]

the RE-01's offer just a hair more laterl grip than the 615, but both kinds suck if you are wanting to pput the power down in a straight line, 17" wheel would have been a better choice, the lack of sidewall makes straightline traction more difficult, if you want straightline traction you want seomthign with a sioft sidewall, that rules out the RE-01's and the 615's, the G-Force KD's will likely be a better tire for what you want

[inline350]

A lot of my friends have the Bf-Goodrich Gforce the kdw and they all say that they grip insanely crazy. Just warm em up and there sticky. And for a plus the make a bajillion sizes too.the only downside they say is that they make a lot of road noise.

[Robs_altima]

I've never owned a set of KDW2's but I'm very familiar with them. A friend of mine had them on his turbo Scion tC and loved them. He still swears by them up and down as the best tire he's ever owned. I know they'll be much better in the rain if that was a concern. Not as soft as the for mentioned tires though. Tire wear isn't really a concern either. Funny thing is I've never kept a set of wheels long enough to need to change them. As far as 17's, makes more sense but I'm set on the 18's.

Does anyone have any experience with the G-Force T/A KD (not the KDW2)? Lateral traction is definitely what I'm looking seeing how my car will be a street driven, weekend car 99% of the time. Aren't any nice curvy roads to have any fun corning where I'm at. If I get into autocross or drag racing I'll get a specific tire like an NT01 or G-Force drag.
Modified by Robs_altima at 12:00 PM 11/14/2008