Widest Wheels

[zach44102]

DWS not DW.

 

[RonPorter]

DWS not DW.

Why buy a/s tires where you live??

Anyway:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=124

And:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ExtremeContact+DWS

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ExtremeContact+DWS

Although there were some comments on steering response. OTOH, you can't assume that they are running the proper combo.

 

[zach44102]

Read all the negitive reviews they all will agree with me and note that all positive reviews never once will mention "great steering response and cornering stability" and thats because they bought it for the all season benifits not the performance benifit.

 

[RonPorter]

Read all the negitive reviews they all will agree with me and note that all positive reviews never once will mention "great steering response and cornering stability" and thats because they bought it for the all season benifits not the performance benifit.

Out of 1,068 reviews you found the few negative ones?? The one you refer to is near the top, and that fool was running 30 psi when he said that.

Not saying that certain tires don't have softer steering response than others, but IMO when you don't like a tire that MANY folks view as the top in it's category, as well as the TR test by the TR staff (who do excellent tests on THOUSANDS of tires), I would think about what you want/expect in a tire.

 

[zach44102]

Well Everbody can have their opinions but i know what i have experienced. running 35-45 psi never changed anything for me. Maybe i should of got them in a 215. idk. at the end of the day thats why im getting rid of them tomorow and picking up my bridgestone RE760's.

 

[RonPorter]

Well Everbody can have their opinions but i know what i have experienced. running 35-45 psi never changed anything for me. Maybe i should of got them in a 215. idk. at the end of the day thats why im getting rid of them tomorow and picking up my bridgestone RE760's.

So you have gone from a/s tires to a summer tire. That's an improvement. But the 760s came in 2nd in the TR test 3 years ago, and weren't even included in last year's summer tire test where the DWs came in 1st.

Sorry, I do follow the TR tests, IMO they are the most objective out there.

 

[DJSHO91]

RWD - RWD - AWD, doesn't matter.

Ron- The point wasn't RWD, it was that your comparison was using a rear-engine RWD/AWD vehicle. All tire engineers will tell you that rear-engine configurations bring totally different needs to tire design. Much of the tameness(relatively) in modern Porsche models come about through extensive engineering help from Michelin.

I used to Auto-X a 64' Corvair(110-4spd) back in the late 60's and I found the best tire combination was running a 6.95-13 bias-ply on the front and a 7.75-14 radial on the rear(I could pick them up cheap at the JY). That was the only way I could control the rear end rotation. And they were run on 4.5" and 5" wide wheels.

 

[SHOspazz92]

RWD - RWD - AWD, doesn't matter.

There is a CORRECT rim width for each tire size. That puts the sidewalls perpendicular to the rim. TR uses the 7" for "Measurement Purposes", which determines tread width. From personal experience, 225 is perfect for an 8" rim, and over 5-6 sets of tires on 7" & 7.5" rims, a 215 is perfect for a 7. they publish5" rim. I did not get as good a result with Hankook RS2s in a 215 size on 7" rims as I did on 7.5" rims with the Azenis 615 and the earlier 7.5" Rotas with the Michelin Exaltos in a 215 size.

Track work confirms this more than anything you will see on the street. FWIW, the most horrible track results were with 225 ES 100s on slicers on my '94 SHO, which had Konis, Eibachs, and full subframe connectors. 55 psi HOT wasn't enough to keep them from rolling at Blackhawk Farms.

And I will respectfully disagree with you, as the size of the sidewall will also effect that. The 245/40/17's that were on my 17x8's were an absolute PERFECT fit on the 8'' wide wheel. The sidewalls were perfectly verticle to the wheel and with stock alignment specs they wore perfectly.

We currently have 225/50/17 on Ashley's SHO that have a 7'' wide wheel. They do bulge out slightly because of the taller sidewall. On that exact wheel I had 225/45 series tires and it was a near perfect fit. You also have to consider that if you have 3 different brand tires next to eachother in the same size, that they will all measure differently.

As far as tires rolling, The star specs in 245/40/17 - 8'' Wheel did not even begin to roll through the corners, Unless they were underinflated (About 30-31 PSI). I kept it at 35 PSI (38 Hot) with no problems. The 225/45/17 ES100's I had on 17x7 wheels Also showed no signs of rolling. This was all confirmed by chalking the tire.

-Sam

 

[Jonny Cash]

This argument has to include aspect ratio.

16/17x8- 225-45 = ideal
16/17x7- 225-55 = ideal
16/17x9- 195-40 = put a pink hat on you and call you sally.

edit: looks like sam beat me to my point by one minute, bastard.

 

[RonPorter]

Ron- The point wasn't RWD, it was that your comparison was using a rear-engine RWD/AWD vehicle. All tire engineers will tell you that rear-engine configurations bring totally different needs to tire design. Much of the tameness(relatively) in modern Porsche models come about through extensive engineering help from Michelin.

I used to Auto-X a 64' Corvair(110-4spd) back in the late 60's and I found the best tire combination was running a 6.95-13 bias-ply on the front and a 7.75-14 radial on the rear(I could pick them up cheap at the JY). That was the only way I could control the rear end rotation. And they were run on 4.5" and 5" wide wheels.

Also remember that, in the old tire nomenclature, a 7.75 tire "maybe" had a 5" tread width. The 6.95 bias-ply had less than that.

The Rear-engine configuration is not what you claim. As with any other mfr, they engineer tires to meet all sorts of criteria. The Porsche guys rarely, if ever, run the "N" series factory spec tires.

 

[RonPorter]

And I will respectfully disagree with you, as the size of the sidewall will also effect that. The 245/40/17's that were on my 17x8's were an absolute PERFECT fit on the 8'' wide wheel. The sidewalls were perfectly verticle to the wheel and with stock alignment specs they wore perfectly.

We currently have 225/50/17 on Ashley's SHO that have a 7'' wide wheel. They do bulge out slightly because of the taller sidewall. On that exact wheel I had 225/45 series tires and it was a near perfect fit. You also have to consider that if you have 3 different brand tires next to eachother in the same size, that they will all measure differently.

As far as tires rolling, The star specs in 245/40/17 - 8'' Wheel did not even begin to roll through the corners, Unless they were underinflated (About 30-31 PSI). I kept it at 35 PSI (38 Hot) with no problems. The 225/45/17 ES100's I had on 17x7 wheels Also showed no signs of rolling. This was all confirmed by chalking the tire.

-Sam

The measurements for the same size will vary among mfrs (and even on different styles within a mfrs line), but not THAT much. I've had 5 different 215/45/17s on the LGT so far, and variances were minimal. In fact, the 225/50/17 Icebears on there now are on the smallish side and aren't that far from the 215s I've had (FWIW!!).

Those ES100s you had were also on a 7" rim. HUGE difference from a 6" slicer. As I've said, the difference between 17x7" and 17x7.5" rims is quite noticeable on the LGT, and I've run two sets each of both sides (I go through too many rims!!).

As you know, in general, a lower profile has a stiffer sidewall, which also makes up for other deficiencies. If you keep your treadwidth matching your rim width, you will never go wrong. Can't ever go too wide (within reasonable limits....unless you are a Lowrider!!)

 

[DJSHO91]

Also remember that, in the old tire nomenclature, a 7.75 tire "maybe" had a 5" tread width. The 6.95 bias-ply had less than that.

The Rear-engine configuration is not what you claim. As with any other mfr, they engineer tires to meet all sorts of criteria. The Porsche guys rarely, if ever, run the "N" series factory spec tires.

Ron, it's obvious that you have your ideas and I (among others) have mine. We can agree to disagree.

 

[Phoenix]

And I will respectfully disagree with you, as the size of the sidewall will also effect that. The 245/40/17's that were on my 17x8's were an absolute PERFECT fit on the 8'' wide wheel. The sidewalls were perfectly verticle to the wheel and with stock alignment specs they wore perfectly.

We currently have 225/50/17 on Ashley's SHO that have a 7'' wide wheel. They do bulge out slightly because of the taller sidewall. On that exact wheel I had 225/45 series tires and it was a near perfect fit. You also have to consider that if you have 3 different brand tires next to eachother in the same size, that they will all measure differently.

As far as tires rolling, The star specs in 245/40/17 - 8'' Wheel did not even begin to roll through the corners, Unless they were underinflated (About 30-31 PSI). I kept it at 35 PSI (38 Hot) with no problems. The 225/45/17 ES100's I had on 17x7 wheels Also showed no signs of rolling. This was all confirmed by chalking the tire.

-Sam

100% with you on this one , my star specs are flush like they were meant to use 8 inch. 245 ftw.