Tire ?'s

[ck]

I know this topic has been discussed extensively and in the faq, but I wanted to ask for my personal situation. I have a chance to get some wheels and tires at a great deal, but I have to act quickly. By the way, these are for street driving on a 97, and I'd like something that will last fairly long.

The wheels are 17x8 and 18x10. I am considering 215/40/17 or 225/40/17 in the front and 265/35/18 or 275/35/18 in the rear.

1. What are going to be the difference between those sizes? What are recommended by those who have tried both?

2. Brand of tires. I am considering Dunlop Sp9000's and Toyo T1S. What are your opinions on these or any others tires?

Thanks a lot. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Chris

 

[Edo]

215's on the front will be too thin.
You'll probabl want the 225's in the front. I don't know how this will affect the TCS...I just drive without it..
TCS IS FOR SISSIES!!!

 

[nsx4fun]

I agree with Edo, 215's on an 8" rim is too narrow. Go with the 225's. Then based on my calculations, you will have increased the diameter of the front tires by 2% over stock. If you want the least amount of negative effect on TCS & ABS, then you will want to make the change in the rear be as close as possible to the same as the front. Calculating your rear choices yields the 265's give you a 2.4% increase and the 275's give you 3.5% increase. Based on this, I would recommend the 265's.

And now to answer a question, you didn't ask.
I would recommend running the front tires 5% lower in air pressure and the rears 8% lower than what the owner's manual recommends. This will keep the length of the tire contact patch approximately the same while the contact patch will increase in width due to the wider tires. Running the tires at their max rated pressure is overinflated for the weight of the car and will have an adverse effect on the handling.

Also, your speedometer will now read slower than actual speed and lower than actual miles driven (bigger diameters=fewer rotations per mile). I don't know if Acura/Honda makes replacement speedo gears to correct for this or not (When I replaced the stock 15/16's on my '92, I selected tires that kept my diameters stock), but if they do, you can correct speedo errors (or at least reduce the error), I did that on my Ford Bronco when I put 35" tires on it and changed by gear ratios, but I was correcting for an 11% error.

Fritz

 

[sjs]

Originally posted by nsx4fun:
I agree with Edo, 215's on an 8" rim is too narrow.

Actually, using the T1-S as an example, Toyo recommends wheel sizes from 7.0 - 8.5 for the 215/40/17. Of course your risk to the rims increases a bit, but technically it should be close to optimal for handling (for that tire size). The 265 rear would be similarly stretched on a 10 inch rim. The T1-S does not appear to be available in a 225/40/17, so you would need to look elsewhere in those sizes.

 

[randall]

I just put on my new wheels last week,the sizes are 17x8 w/ 215-40,18x10 w/ 275-35.No problems w/ TCS/ABS,but I must warn you about something that I wished someone would have warned me on this thread.
this size combo rides like crap!On the hiway at speeds above 60 mph every little seam or groove pulls me,every little bump feels like a major pot hole!
I'm 3k short and now my NSX feels like a lumber wagon!At least it looks awesome!

 

[sjs]

Sometimes we forget to repeat the most commonly known points, such as extra short sidewalls must be extra stiff to work properly. Try to think of it as a good thing, better handling and better protection of your wheels.

 

[steveny]

I have the Dunlop sp9000's on my car. My opinion is that they are junk. The car feels as though I am driving on marshmallows!

 

[ck]

Thanks for the replys!

So, basically, everyone has their own opinion. 215's are too narrow in the front? But don't 235's rub? And who makes a 225, nitto? Now I'm more confused than ever. Is the ride really that much worse with the 17/18 setup? I guess I'll just have to plunk down the cash to see. By the way, I am selling the OEM blades off my 97 with Bridgestone Potenza RE010in front(75%) and Falken in the rear (90%) asking 2200 obo.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[JChoice]

Falkens in the rears? How are they? I hope they aren't the cheap ones. I don't understand why people would get a car like the NSX and then skimp on tires. No offense to anyone but the tires are *so* important to feel and handling of the car.

 

[nsx4fun]

Steven, What do you mean the sp9000's feel like marshmallows? I've got Yokohama A520's and it seems like I can feel the grooves in the tread, so I was considering trying the Dunlops next time around. I used to have Pirellis and I loved the way they felt, but they didn't make the size I wanted for the front (and I feel the 215 on an 8" rim was part of the cause of my accident that created the need for new tires and wheels). So any more specifics on on the sp9000's would be appreciated.

NSX4FUN

 

[ck]

Jchoice:

I don't know if they are cheap Falkens or not. They are z rated at least. I don't understand why people skimp on tires either. I bought the car with them on it.

Chris