2G tire size and recommendations

[jpmxrider489]

I am in the market for tires. I am looking for a set of tires for 500 or less. My car is lowered 2.5. I have koni shocks. I have evo rims which are 17x8 with a 38 offset. Im not sure what will fit without rubbing. I was thinking 225/40 or 45. I was looking into the bridgestone potenza not sure what model. Hankook ventus, Falken azenis, or kuhmo ecsta. If anyone has any other ideas let me know. Also the car is driven only on nice days. Wont be driven on wet roads. And will do some drag and autocross. Want something that grips real well.

 

[turbosax2]

You could go with a set of 245/40-17 Hankook Ventus R-S3 (V2). They're on closeout from TireRack for $489.80/set plus shipping right now.

 

[Black95TSIawd]

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

The best kept secret in summer performance tires. Especially for a "street only" car. Tread looks good. Good wet weather traction. Excellent dry weather traction. Maybe 95% as sticky as the tire that Eric mentioned, but not as high maintenence either. (And much, much cheaper compared to regular prices.) It will be my go to tire for HPDE's.

My brother just picked up a set of 235/40/17's for 445 shipped.

 

[red_devil]

I'll add that the indy 500 are a good choice. Sticky and cheap .

 

[Dhan]

I can't comment on what tire size fits because I don't know the 2g very well. But I can throw out some quick info on tires.

I've had a set the Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 tires. One set on the Talon and a set for my 2011 Ford Taurus. These are pretty good tires for the price. They are plenty sticky for the street for the first 8 or 12k miles but after that they are meh. Still adequate for spirited driving in the warm weather but noticeably less grippy. If you're on a budget, I'd still recommend the Hankooks.

I've also had two sets of the Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500 tires (what kind of name is that WTF) on my Talon. They are great tires for the money. The second set I got was on sale, so keep a lookout for deals on Tire Rack or Discount Tire websites. These are plenty sticky for the street when they're warm. Despite what reviews say, I've found summer wet traction acceptable but nothing incredible. I'm not making gobs of power so I shouldn't be able to break the car loose with these, but I did.

However, if you can afford it, buy Michelin Sport series tires. These are like magnets and you will not be disappointed. You'll probably reach the car's mechanical suspension limits before you lose grip. My dad has a set on his MR2 and my Nissan 300ZX came with a relatively new set. I've never had a brand new set (probably never will) but I can see why they cost what they do.

Of course there's probably a slew of variables that influenced my experiences (tire pressure, vehicle weight, ambient temp and pressure, alignment, etc.) so take what I say with a grain of salt.

PS. all the above is related to summer tires. None of the above can be driven safely in below freezing temps or snow. If you drive in the winter, get a set of Blizzaks or Winterforces for those cold months. Avoid all-seasons if you can.

 

[jpmxrider489]

I was looking into the hankook Ventus as well. Good reviews. Same with the pilot sports. Also read good on toyo proxes and Bridgestone potenza re11. I will look into the Firestone Indy 500.

Does anyone see a issue with 225/45/17 on a lowered car with a 2 inch drop?

 

[Black95TSIawd]

The Ventus V12 is a great all season, but not a good summer tire.

 

[jpmxrider489]

What size tire you guys recommend on a lowered car?

 

[gofer]

My car was lowered ~ 2" and I was running a 225/45/17 on Evo wheels. It required some rear fender modification to the inside lip so they wouldn't rub.

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Then I decided to go with a wider tire, a 245/45/17 on the same Evo wheels, and I couldn't even go into boost (because of the acceleration causing the weight transfer to the rears) without them rubbing in the back. I had to lift my car about an inch to get a 245/45/17 to clear on a Evo wheel.

You can see where the tires had rubbed prior to me raising the car with a different spring.

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If you want to keep your car slammed then a 225/45 is the biggest you should go on a Evo wheel, in my experience. As far as tire, I don't think you can beat the Bridgestone RE760's for the performance/price but I can't speak for them as far as traction goes in the snow since my car has never seen it with these tires.

 

[jpmxrider489]

Gofer, great post. I was looking into the potenza re71. I won't be driving in rain or snow just nice days and the track. The first pic with the 225/45? Fitment looks great.

 

[gofer]

Yes, the top photo is the 225/45 and the 2" drop. Here's another one...

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[jpmxrider489]

Did you have any issues in the front with the 245/45? Maybe I could run a wider tire up front being fwd. Sounds like 225/45 is my best bet. I will be purchasing tires in the next few weeks. I keep my shocks in the rear pretty stiff and a little softer in the front. So hopefully I don't have much issues due to weight transfer. But I'm sure autocross will be a different story.

 

[gofer]

Not that I remember but because of how bad the clearance in the rear was I couldn't really test the fronts.

 

[MelloOne420]

235/45/18 with about 1.5" drop. Rolled the lip on the inside of the fender. Stiff suspension. No rubbing (surprisingly).

 

[jpmxrider489]

I didn't buy tires yet. But I'm leaning toward the falken 615 since tire rack has a rebate. But how long do these tires last? Out of the tires we're talking about, people are saying they only last around 3000 miles? A guy at a shop has a 2017 corvette and has tires with a 200 treat wear rating and says he only gets 1000 miles. So how long do these soft tires last?

 

[gofer]

It's all relative to driving style, if you drive like an asshole on the street then your 200 UTQG rated tires won't last long. You said the car's only driven on nice weather days and you plan on doing AutoX and drag racing events occasionally too? I'd recommend a 200 UTQG tire based off of what you're saying you use the car for or are you more concerned about longevity > performance?

 

[jpmxrider489]

I would say performance is greater than longevity. I probably drive the car about 1500 miles a year. So my thoughts was tires would last a few years. And I don't drive her aggressively. From what I read 200utg =20,000 miles. But is that number realistic on normal driving?

 

[Mauispyder]

What's your offset Corey?

 

[gofer]

I would say performance is greater than longevity. I probably drive the car about 1500 miles a year. So my thoughts was tires would last a few years. And I don't drive her aggressively. From what I read 200utg =20,000 miles. But is that number realistic on normal driving?

It depends on the manufacturer of the tires because there is no standard testing that the DOT performs, each company gives their own UTQG rating. So a 200 UTQG from Falken doesn't mean a 200 UTQG from Bridgestone is even comparable, unfortunately.

What's your offset Corey?

Stock Evo IX wheel offset is +38.

 

[Black95TSIawd]

The tires in the 200utg category are all a bit different. I would venture to say that some are probably even less than that, but are advertised as such to meet SCCA Street Tire rules. Bridgestone and BFgoodrich tires are probably the stickiest, but will last the least amount. ZII's and RS3/RS4 will last longer, but will not provide the same level of grip. (but still pretty good grip) The Falken fall in this category as well.

Speaking from autocross feedback.... I run Bridgestones, which have the nickname "hoosierstones". I got about 125 autocross runs and about 2500 street miles on them in 8 months of use. They are about half to 3/4 dead at this point.

Be aware, these tires can heat cycle out, before the tread wears out. Its all about how you use them. One buddy's bridgestones lost a dramatic amount of grip on the autocross course despite looking pretty damn good with wear. His thoughts... the car is ONLY driven on autocross courses and they heat cycled out when being parked out in the sun for sometimes weeks at a time.

 

[jon95dsm]

I have 235/40/17 Sport Comp 2s on 17x8 wheels and love the way they fit and the tire size compared to the wheel width. My car is on Eibach Pro-Line springs and KYB GY2 shocks. I do scrub a little bit on hard cornering or bumps but that is due to how soft the suspension is. With something stiffer like the KYB AGX shocks or some coilovers would be able to keep it from happening. Not sure how your suspension compares. It sounds like you want a stickier tire than I have but it should give you an idea how that size is. Sidewall is pretty much straight up and down.

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[jpmxrider489]

The 235/40 a different suspension setup than with the 2 inch drop? I have the koni yellows that are adjustable. Also worth mentions all my control arms are new. I think I might be to picky with finding a tire. I also believe I have a good enough experience to notice a difference in quality of tires. I think with falken having there rebate thats what I might go with. I will be ordering tires in the next day or two

I know you said in your experience 225/45 with a evo wheel and a 2 inch drop would be best. Do you see any issues having a 235/40 up front with a 225/45 in the rear?

 

[Mello]

The front will be dependent on the amount of negative camber you're running. If you don't have much, less than about a degree & a half 235/40 could still rub (hit the inner plastic fender mounting bolt heads. I ended up raising my car to about 1.5" drop with my DG Konis and this also helped get my lower control arms closer to parallel. I don't have Evo wheels though. You probably won't know till you actual bolt them on. Starting to try & split hairs.