[ira968]

Does anyone have experience with either of these size tires. Please share tire/wheel type used, front wheel/tire combo used, offsets, spacers, ride height and any modifications that were needed to fit the rears. It would seem that the 295 would go on a stock chassis with a 9" 45-55 ET wheel. Not sure about the 315. What rear camber were you able to set?

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[craigawoodman]

I have used a 285/30R18 on the rear. Wheels were off a 996 GT3 and running 21mm spacers (10" wide rims on the rear). These were R Spec tyres and with some camber dialed in, just touched the guards. Moving to a18mm spacer would fix this, but I haven't got these yet.



From memory, the road tyres may be 295's, but once again on 10" wide 18" rims.



If you want 315's - these should be on 11" wide rims.

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[flash]

a 295 is WAY too big for a 9" rim. you need at least a 10" rim to handle that tire. putting it on a 9 will create a lot of sidewall flex that can be dangerous and produce snap oversteer.



i would consult the tirerack site for proper fitment



beyond that, going very wide up front will create a lot of suspension issues. the bushings and suspension components are not up to that task. you will need beefier control arms, monoball bushings (which you will likely have to change at least every 2 years) and beefier ball joints. the hubs are likely also not beefy enough. even the 255 i have up front has proven to be too wide for the bushings, and has worn out a few now. the problem is that it's not just he size, but it's how danged grippy today's tires are.

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[Dubai944]

Everyone wants the widest possible rubber, but without the rim width to support it you don't get the grip the tire is designed for, you will have wear issues and as Flash said a sidewall that is not rigid enough to keep the contact patch squarely on the ground. You will get often better handling with a smaller tire that sits properly on a rim.



I prefer a tire width which closely matches the rim width. You can go wider, but bigger isn't always better. On the race car I run 305s on 12 inch rims and 285s on 11 inch rims. On 10s I run 260 and on 8.5s I run 235s. Those are slicks, but I wouldn't go much wider with road tires either.



If you just want to fill out the arches for looks, use a different offset rim.

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[ira968]

I was more interested if anyone has run either of these tire sizes on a stock suspension and had any fitment problems? I have seen where 944s have run the 295 without issue and the late 944 rears are the same as a 968. Just wondering if anyone with the 968 has run this on the rear and how it worked.

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[Dubai944]

Well, if you are only interested in what physically fits I know of one racer who runs 315 Nitto Nt01s on 17x11 inch rims on all four corners on a stock bodied 944. That's with custom rims. With the right offset you can make it fit.

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[flash]

it makes me absolutely crazy when people say "i've not had an issue" about stuff like this. that means absolutely zilch. i have never been hit walking in front of a bus either, but i'm not planning on testing that.



they have not run it without issue on a 9" rim, i assure you. they just may not be driving fast enough to have it happen though. people do some pretty dumb things, especially when it comes to tires and wheels.



the widest tire you can safely fit on a 9" rim is a 265.



again, i recommend using the tirerack site. they have done extensive research, and worked closely with the manufacturers to provide the best possible recommendations.

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[flash]

then there is the whole issue of needing larger brakes to stop the heavier tires and wheels, and then more power to turn them.



then there is the need for more spring and shock to handle that extra weight.



but those were not the questions asked.



as for fitment, it is really going to come down to the brand of tire (the sidewall profile and width vary from brand to brand within the same size), the ride height, and the camber chosen. i have a 285/30-18 on the rear on a 10" rim, with 52mm offset. it is pushed all the way out. i am lowered 1.25" and am running 1.8 degrees negative camber rear. were i to lower the car any farther, or reduce camber below 1.8 degrees, i would rub on the outside. there is a little more room on the inside, but if i were to increase camber beyond 2.5 degrees, or lower the car farther, again i would rub.

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[flash]

and by the way, i have springs rates twice that of stock, and sway bars larger than anything made for this car, so i have more controlled roll than normal, and less likelihood of rubbing. if my suspension were stock, i'd be rubbing all over the place.

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[ira968]

[quote name='Dubai944' timestamp='1372204519' post='144913']

Well, if you are only interested in what physically fits I know of one racer who runs 315 Nitto Nt01s on 17x11 inch rims on all four corners on a stock bodied 944. That's with custom rims. With the right offset you can make it fit.

[/quote]



Thanks, I don't think I will be putting 315s up front. I have 255s there but could use more rear grip (and a <acronym title='Limited Slip Differential'>LSD</acronym>) for autocross. A local 968 person who is one of the fastest racers in the area suggested either 285s or 295 Kuhmo XSs. BTW... he has run 285 R1s on the rear of his 968 for over 10 years with 7.5" wheels and finishes top 5 every week. Another top driver with a big budget GT3 has to work hard each week to beat him - last week by only 1 tenth. The 968 can still get it done!

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[Tom030]

For street application the magic numbers are 90 to 95% wheel width to cross section. If you look at tire spec sheets from just about any manufacturer you wiil find a cross section measurement in millimeters, a "measuring rim" spec. and a rim range. For maximum performance as far as turn in and steering response the ratio should be in the 90 to 95% range. From here you start experimenting with alignment and air pressure. Example a factory 968 wheel with the 17" option is 9" wide, the recommended fitment is a 255 cross section which converts to 10 inches giving you a 90% rim to cross section ratio for lack of a better phrase. If you were to go to an 8" wheel your ride would improve but response etc. would fall off.

~tom

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[dwsjung]

I have BFGoodrich gForce Super Sport 235/40R18 front and 275/35R18 rear, installed by the previous owner. Looks great, but ride is pretty harsh (especially in Michigan), and noisy. I am thinking about changing tires. Any tire recommendations...quieter and softer ? Also, does anybody know what tire pressure I should set my current BF tires ?

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[Rap]

Does it say it on the tire?

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[dwsjung]

Max 50 psi is what's on the tires. The previous owner told me he set them around 28 psi. I asked BF and they recommended same as the original tires - at 36 psi.

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[az968]

I'd go with what BF said. I put a set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's this summer and they are very nice.  Great grip, nice ride and not noticeably noisy. Discount Tire has them in your size. They also have Super Sports. You are running pretty big tires so I would suspect that's part of the ride issues you mention.

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[dwsjung]

Great. Thanks for the help.

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[Inkedupfatboy]

Hate the Michelin Pilots - Noisy, don't grab as well as I would like and I hate the way they look.

The tread comes over the side wall and it remids me of truck tires.

In addition, they flat spot and it takes about ten to 15 miles of driving to get them hot enough to get rid of them.

 

They are 225/50ZR16's and 205/55R16's

Pilot Sport AS+

 

All told I am out $737.72 plus mount and balance costs for tires I don't like. This was in April of 2013.

I should havbe gone with something else like a Pirelli or a Yokohama.

 

I only have about 4K on them and don't want to waste the cash to swap them out. At the rate I drive they will dry rot first before the tread wears out.

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[flash]

there are a lot of variations of the pilots.  let's be sure we are talking about the same tire.

 

i can't speak to the all season variety, as i would never buy one of those for a fun car (and as i live in socal, pretty sure i wouldn't buy them for anything), but the pilot super sport has been the quietest tire i have ever had, and the grip is phenomenal.  i had a really hard time shaking the SL550 loose on those.  i am hoping that i get them on the targa.  it is one of the tires they put on those.

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[az968]

I tried to find some pilot super sports but couldn't find them in the right sizes for my wheels (17") so I ended up with the Sport PS-2's and have not a complaint against them, other that more $ than super sports. very grippy on the mountain roads around here.

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[Inkedupfatboy]

I had run Mischelin's on my truck for 200,000 miles and never had an issue.

That's why i bought them for this car. Huge mistake...

 

What I said is what is on the car. I ordered the Pilots, and this is what I got. If there is a better version, then Tire KIngdom screwed me and I didn't catch it until now. I won't be dealing with them again. They scuffed up one of my truck rims prior to this purchase so that was why I simply ordered the tires and didn't let them mount them. I was pretty insistant on good date codes which is maybe why I didn't catch the AS thing. I would not have put an all season tire on this car as it doesn't snow in Florida and the car never gets driven in the rain or on wet roads.

 

Well, another expeinsive lesson learned. The new owner can change the tires, I am not spending any more cash on this car. Yes it's still for sale. I started a new business and can use the cash and I want to finish my Volvo restoration.

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