[lokutus1]

hmm...doesn't look like the rt615s come in 235/45/r17. should i just stick w/ 225/45/17s?

[Rac10000]

^^ Yea man, that will be fine. I don't think it would be possible for you to notice the miniscule difference.

Just so you all know, Ben uses r-comps size 225/45/17 on 17x8.5" rims on the HSPN racecar! Yes, 225's on a 8.5" wide wheel!

[nhsilversti]

i run the falkin azien 245/45/17 on stock wheels and have tein flex coilovers, no rubbing. per gps my speedo is about as close as you can get to reading exactly correct. the biggest drawback to having these on stock wheels as mentioned is the extra sidewall flex you get. other than that, they work fine

ted

[ucbsti]

Originally Posted by Rac10000

^^ Yea man, that will be fine. I don't think it would be possible for you to notice the miniscule difference.

Just so you all know, Ben uses r-comps size 225/45/17 on 17x8.5" rims on the HSPN racecar! Yes, 225's on a 8.5" wide wheel!

is the 225 limit because of class restrictions? No one will CHOOSE to run a narrow tire if they cnat help if. If evos/stis could run 255s in STX they certainly would

[Rac10000]

Originally Posted by ucbsti

is the 225 limit because of class restrictions? No one will CHOOSE to run a narrow tire if they cnat help if. If evos/stis could run 255s in STX they certainly would

No, he just does a ton of HPDE's.

Maybe this pic will help explain it. This is the same size tire (225/45/17) on the stock 8" wheel and on a 8.5" Enkei RPF1.


Here is Ben's responce when someone asked him:

225's on an 8.5"?!?!?! Why? Left overs?

Originally Posted by Ben

The section width of the Dunlop Super Sport race tires are that of a normal 235 tire. It's also worth noting that 225 is the recommended tire size for 8.0 and 8.5 inch wheels anyway.

You also have to keep in mind that tires stretch and compress when you mount them on a wheel. Can you put a 245 or 255 tire on these wheels? Sure. Would it be as effective as a 255 on a 9.5 inch wheel? No. When you compress a 255 tire to fit on these wheels the sidewalls are billowing outward and the tire doesn't fit right. You're not really benefiting from the 255 tire like you should be. The same is true for a 225 or 235 tire. If you put it on a bigger rim is it the same size? No. It stretches, just like your 255 compresses. A 225's contact patch is actually going to be bigger on an 8.5 inch wheel than on an 8.0 inch wheel and the steering response is going to be better.

For autocross it may be different, but on the track you have to weigh out the pro's and con's.

A 255 tire is heavier, creates more friction / drag / resistance, and probably rubs. The only pro is slightly better traction. Unless you mount a 255 tire on a 9.5 to 10 inch wheel, you don't even fully benefit from it and get that better traction. So for me, it's a no brainer. I've found my lap times are better with the "smaller" tires.

Many people like to think that "bigger" tires are going to make them go faster, or that "bigger" brakes will make them stop faster. Bigger isn't always better, atleast in my experience.

I hope that clears some stuff up.

[T3h_Clap]

he makes very strong points, but he's is talking about track only.

he makes up for the tiny tire with the better grip of the R-comps.

if someone were autoxing the biggest tire you can fit is what you need to be running, at least to compitetive nationally.

street is totally different, on my "Street" wheels they only see 235s and they are an 8.5" wheel. If they were serving double duty street/track they'd have wider wheels to make up for the lack of grip the street tires have.

he mentions you have to weigh the pros and cons, which is the truth with all things car related.

you also have to weigh in what you're willing to do to make it work.....