Running 275's on 8 in. rim

[04silvergto]

I want to know how many guys are running 275's on the stock 8 inch rim. From what I read the only issue is rubbing the fender which i'm not concerned with. I know idealy you want more rim for a 275 mm, but i dont want to buy all new rims. Is anyone having any problems when doing this.

[3WheelGTi]

I have 275/40-17s on my stock rear wheels right now and it will rub with a ton of stuff in the back, 2 people in the car, and high G on-ramp cornering. Otherwise, it's OK.

I have Goodyear Eagle GS-Cs off an old Vette for now, and they mounted AOK. The one guy at Discount Tire was not super happy about doing it, but then another said it would be fine. The second guy was right.

[04silvergto]

TTT. No one else. I need some reassurance before I purchase a set.

[GTOMYGOD]

the only ones i havce personally seen running 275s have 8.5 or 9. Sorry man.

[HeadHunter]

Good rule of thumb is to have your rim width be very close to the tread width. Goodyear recommends 9-11" for a 275. I presonally would not mount a 275 on an 8" rim.

[Doric]

For street driving, I'd never do it. But for a set of Nitto drag radials, a number of people are doing this.

[Nemisis]

I have the Nitto 275/40-17 on mine, they have yet to rub anywhere! I've been meaning to get a pic for you folks on here but just keep getting tied up with other things when I get home from work. The thing to remember about the Nitto's is their not a true 275 tire, more like 255. The don't bulge out a much more than the stock 245's.

[LIVEVIL]

I have 18x8's and I only wanted 255's and was told even they were too big.

[VR42GTO]

I ran Nitto 275's last summer, but was getting fender rub. Plus with the 275's on the rims it looked like I was losing contact patch as the tire was more "rounded" on the corners.

This year I bought a set of 245 size nittos. They fit much better obviously, no rub, and they grip just as well as the 275's did.

Honestly I wonder how much of this "275 tires are better", is actually fact or just in people's heads. They don't fit the stock rims well, they fit but it's obvious they bulge out. I was rolling the 275's out of the garage the other day and they where wobbly as hell, again due to the rim size. With the 245's on there they rolled straight, not a scientific test but kinda reinforced my opinion that on the stock rims 275's are too wide.

I really wanted the 275's to work due to all the folks running them, but I have no complaints running the Nitto 245's.

[04silvergto]

I ran Nitto 275's last summer, but was getting fender rub. Plus with the 275's on the rims it looked like I was losing contact patch as the tire was more "rounded" on the corners.

This year I bought a set of 245 size nittos. They fit much better obviously, no rub, and they grip just as well as the 275's did.

Honestly I wonder how much of this "275 tires are better", is actually fact or just in people's heads. They don't fit the stock rims well, they fit but it's obvious they bulge out. I was rolling the 275's out of the garage the other day and they where wobbly as hell, again due to the rim size. With the 245's on there they rolled straight, not a scientific test but kinda reinforced my opinion that on the stock rims 275's are too wide.

I really wanted the 275's to work due to all the folks running them, but I have no complaints running the Nitto 245's.

Do they make a 245 in the 555r? I don't see it on their website.

[24v]

I run 275 kdws' on the stock wheels in the rear. They don't look funny, and work fine. Ask the people following me through our recent canyon run how they work. They are not unsafe, in my opinion, at all.

[badgoat@gate.net]

I just had a pair of BFG KDWS 275/40's installed on the rear of my 04 on Friday and they are perfect. If you check the BFG fold out brochure at the tire shop you will see the 274/40 has the same height as a 245/45. They don't bulge out at all, they actually look nearly identical to the fronts. The only gain is an 8/10" gain of tire to road. Installing them was VERY hard at the shop. It took 3 guys, the Cheetah air tool, and a few crowbars to seat the beads, but it did get done for both rears in 1 1/2 hrs. Considering the KDWS has a treadwear of 400, traction rating of AA and temp rating of A, I thought it was a great deal for the price. I am sure it would never hook up like a Nitto but the Nitto has a treadwear of 100 and I needed to have a tire that would last for normal street driving. If I find myself at the track often, I would opt for a set of sticky tires. In conclusion, I have the 275/40's and love them with no rubbing and no problems. I can take a few pics if you would like to see what they look like, but if I didn't tell you they were 275's, you would never know or see a difference.

[24v]

I can take a few pics if you would like to see what they look like, but if I didn't tell you they were 275's, you would never know or see a difference.
Look again. The tread comes further around the sidewall.:)

[VR42GTO]

Do they make a 245 in the 555r? I don't see it on their website.


Nitto sure does make a 245/45/17 555R drag radial. Bought mine from Discount Tire.

Only negative is that they cost a little more then the larger 275's.

[04silvergto]

Nitto sure does make a 245/45/17 555R drag radial. Bought mine from Discount Tire.

Only negative is that they cost a little more then the larger 275's.

Well then my question is will the extra 30 mm on each tire really make a difference?

[DVS]

only reason I bought 275's was the price difference from the 245's--about $30 a piece at the time--but when I replace them I'm going with the 245's because the 275 tread shoulders bow in to meet the skinnier rim, probably diminishing any pro's from a wider tire...

[Transam12sec]

275s are worth it.

My dad has gone as far as mounting a 295/50/16s on an 8 inch wheel. Granted the sidewall is much taller, but it works. This wasn't on a GTO.

[VR42GTO]

only reason I bought 275's was the price difference from the 245's--about $30 a piece at the time--but when I replace them I'm going with the 245's because the 275 tread shoulders bow in to meet the skinnier rim, probably diminishing any pro's from a wider tire...

Yep my thoughts exactly. You lose probably nearly all that 30mm due to the bow in the tire. Plus it has made me nervous taking corners aggressivly with the 275's because to the way they fit the rims.

[BlueFlyingGoat]

Follow the rim width guidelines. Or die unexpectedly with a failed tire. It's you're call. NFW for my vote...

[badgoat@gate.net]

Here are a couple of pix to show you how the 275/40's look on the 17x8 rim. Maybe I just got lucky or havent put enough miles on them yet to see any problems like the others mentioned? They may be right, I am not sure, but so far they have given me a perfect and stable tight ride. If that changes, I will post to let others know.
http://www.geocities.com/zx1991300/gto275tires.JPG
http://www.geocities.com/zx1991300/gto275tires2.jp g
http://www.geocities.com/zx1991300/gto275tires3.JP G

[04silvergto]

Yea I think I am going with the 275 nitto's just because I saw a thread where compared to another 275 they are smaller. It will also save me 30 bucks.