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245/50-16 tires


Guest Anonymous

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Guest Anonymous

This subject is like beating a dead dog. I am planning on placing a Centerline Billet Aztec 16x8 wheel with 5.5" backspacing under the rear with a rolled lip and relocated spring perch. Currently on stock tires, I can smoke them at 55 mph by just jamming the throttle. That looks cool, but isn't the safest way to drive. I have been told that 245/50-16 tires will fit. Any suggestions on the manufacturer or the proposed sizes?

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Guest Anonymous

I intend for the car to be used as a strait line rice burner killer. 90% stoplight use and 10% strip use. The spider gears are welded, so it is not the best vehicle for cruising. I would also like the tallest possible tires to raise my top mph. The Pontiac will redline at 5000-5200 and with the 3.36 gear and a TH-350, the top speed will be hurting on the quarter. I am trying to avoid flairs to keep the sleeper image.

 

Thanks

Rick

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My experience in this is such with a '75 280Z: I used the BFG Comp T/As for many years that had 245/45ZR16 tires on them. The wheels were 8" wide, and I had about 3/8" clearance on both sides of the section width (between the stock springs, and the unmodified fender lips). So they will fit, but the wheel backspacing was critical. I basically had 4.5" back spacing on them.

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Guest Anonymous

If you fit 245/45s without coilovers then I should be able to fit a 1" wider tire with the perch moved up and the lip rolled. Or am I delirious?

 

Thanks,

Rick

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Rickybell,

 

I empathize with your dilemna. Even with that size tire, you will be lucky to get 116+ with the 3-spd. I faced the same dilemna with the GN engine trying to get up to 125mph in 3rd gear and avoid shifting to OD.

 

My first tire choice for your use would be the Nitto drag radial. Great traction especially if you can get some heat in them, excellent street tire, good in the rain and 7,000 miles is not out of the norm but you can forget that with the welded diff. Next choice if the Toyo Proxes RA-1. Same traction properties as the Nitto. They come with only 8/32" and get better when they get down to 4/32 or less BUT extreme caution is needed in the rain. They have a 255 not 245. If you want ultimate traction and have no regard for wear or wet weather, then get the BFG DRs. They wear out just looking at them icon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gif , but they are good down to the cords showing icon_eek.gif . I cut a 1.62 with the BFGs having no trace of treads. Once they start wearing, you have to watch for someone in front of you spitting in the road icon_biggrin.gif .

 

As Terry said, they will fit, but the BS is the key. Do not surprised if you need a spacer for the 5.5" BS unless you have coilovers. Is that 3.36 a R-200 or the original R-180? Regardless, wheelspin is what is saving your rear-end up to this point.

 

Options I see you having are: NISMO 3.15 R&P, trans with an OD or a cam kit that will get you another 300+ RPMs.

 

Good luck.

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Hey I run a 245/45/16 on a 16x9 rim with stock suspension...with 3-4 coils cut out..with a mild flare it fit just fine

 

BFG comp TA is what I'm currently running

 

I'm looking to go wider with my new adapters and soon to be installed coilovers.. I've been looking at Hoosiers..thay have a 275/45/16 that will fit....well I have to fill in my new 6" flares some how...

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If you want to hook that thing in a straight line

go for a 15 " wheel with a 60 series. I am going

with 235/60/15's on 7.5 convo pros. The wheels

are VERY light , the taller sidewall helps hook

the sucker out of the hole. I think that with the

torque your motor puts out on the low end you will

fry those 50 or 45 series tires way to easy. In

the front I am going with 15x6's on 195/60's. I

am shooting for 11's off the bottle and 10 on the

gas. Good luck. Also, with the 235/60's you get

a 26.1 inch tall tire that helps on the top end

charge.

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Check out the Wheels and Tires link on my home page - I show how 17x9s and 255/45-17s are the MAX with coilovers and a stock fender lip.

 

I can't see how you'd fit anything wider, even if you went to an 18" wheel, because the fender well is too small a radius and starts turning in towards the center of the car not far above the fender lip.

 

I agree a 15" sounds like a better solution for a bit of tire wrinkle.

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Guest Anonymous

I have a R-200 that I am going to do a cv upgrade. I would like to drop the gearing down a little to allow a higher top end. It is camed plenty for the rpms; however, Pontiacs make their power down low, and have a nasty habit of coming apart at high rpms.

 

Where would be a good place to get pricing for the Nitto's and the BFG's? Also would you recommend a different size?

 

Thanks,

Rick

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Well...

 

There are advertised tire sizes and actual tire sizes. The DOT has certain rules for stating the various dimensions of a tire and standard rim widths that must be used. But, in the real world, things are not what they seem.

 

For example:

 

Hoosier's Sports Car DOT Radial (the S03 series) in size 245/45-16 only has a "245" section width on the DOT specific standard rim width of 8". Hoosier's recommended rim width range is 8.5" to 9.5" with 9" being ideal (because of the 9.2" tread width.)

 

If you call Hoosier and talk with one of their product managers for this tire line (I talked with Jeff Speer) they do not recommend running this tire on an 8" rim. The actual tire size on the recommended 9" rim is 257/45-16.

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Tirenumbers: 245/50 ZR 16

245 is the section width (or the width of the tread??) in millimeters, mm, 245mm/25.4equals 9.64inches.

 

50 is the aspectratio, meaning the height of the sidewall. It is expressed as a percentage of the width ie. 245mm x 50% = 122.5mm. in inches it comes to: 122.5 / 25.4 = 4.82"

 

16 is the diameter of the rim.

 

Tireheight is sidewall plus sidewall plus rimdiameter: 4.82" + 4.82" + 16" = 25.64"

 

Z is the speedrating: 149+ mph (I think)

 

R means Radial (no R means bias ply)

One more example: 255/35 ZR 17

width 255mm / 25.4 = 10.04"

 

Height 255 x 35% = 89.25mm

Height in inches is 89.25 / 25.4 = 3.51"

 

Tireheight is 3.51" + 3.51" + 17" = 24.02"

 

If this will help just one person I think it was worth the effort. (j/k).

 

Thure

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Anonymous

Has anyone actually tried 235/60/15's? I like the extra sidewall wrinkle, but will they fit? BFG says the tire is 9.5" wide on a 7" wheel and 26.1" tall. The Nitto 245/50/16s are 9.8" on a 7.5" wheel and 25.67" tall. The consensus is the 245s will work, but with the smaller diameter rim, will that put the widest portion of the tire below the 245s and into the strut cry2.gif ? If my car ever makes it back from the muffler shop, I will measure it, but until then any ideas?

 

Thanks,

 

Rick needs traction!!!! icon_wink.gif

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