Stepping up to 17's

[Sean37]

I've decided that I would like to get some new wheels soon, and I'm thinking 17" wheels would be the best for me. I don't want to lose any performance if that is possible. My current setup is 16x8 5-star wheels on 225/60/16 michelins. The wheels I'm looking at are 17x8.5 chrome Y2K C5's on Ebay for $740, or I can get the polished ones for $580. I'm kinda leaning toward the polished ones to save some money and they look just like chrome anyways. I usually keep my car clean and don't mind a little extra work on the wheels to keep them looking good if necessary. What are the advantages/disadvantages of polished and chrome wheels? Is there any weight difference? Also, what would be a good size tire to put on these to retain a total diamater that is close to my stock setup? I want my speedometer to stay correct and I want to keep the weight of the entire wheel close to stock or lighter if possible.

[Sean37]

I just thought of something - I have installed a Y87 PCM unit in my car for the 3.42 rear end that was put in, so if the PCM is tuned for a 235/55/16 size tire then I need to try to match up with that.

[DARK SDE '02]

No you just have to have the same overall height. So if you go with 275/40/17's for tires you'll be fine. That's the stock height on the V8s with 17" rims just in case you were wondering. The important number to look at of course is the 2nd one. That's the ratio of sideway on the tire. I have 255/50/16s on my car now so my speedo is probably a tad off but its not that big a deal. I wanted much wider tires and now it looks so mean I love it! I believe people go as high as 315/40/17 but that's a little overkill if you ask me. Get the stock V8 size like I said above and you'll be considerably wider and much lower profile, a great combo!

Chrome is a little heavier than polished but not really noticable. Polished is the hardest to keep clean too. Your arm/wrist will thank you for buying chrome because you only have to polish them once or twice a year!

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by DARK SDE '02:
No you just have to have the same overall height. So if you go with 275/40/17's for tires you'll be fine. That's the stock height on the V8s with 17" rims just in case you were wondering. The important number to look at of course is the 2nd one. That's the ratio of sideway on the tire. I have 255/50/16s on my car now so my speedo is probably a tad off but its not that big a deal. I wanted much wider tires and now it looks so mean I love it! I believe people go as high as 315/40/17 but that's a little overkill if you ask me. Get the stock V8 size like I said above and you'll be considerably wider and much lower profile, a great combo!

Chrome is a little heavier than polished but not really noticable. Polished is the hardest to keep clean too. Your arm/wrist will thank you for buying chrome because you only have to polish them once or twice a year!<hr></blockquote>

275/40ZR 17 will not mess with your speed, you can even go 18 inch if you want with a 245/40-18 or 275/35-18 or 19 rims and 245/35-19 i would go with the 17 or 18s IMO im getting the Eagle GS-D3's too

[Sean37]

I'm thinking something like 255/45/17, remember this is a 8.5 inch wide wheel, kinda unusual size. I don't mind polishing the wheels as long as it doesn't need to be done like every week, that wouldn't be too bad.

I'm probably gonna get Kumho 712's since they are so cheap and get good reviews, unless there's something much better for &lt;$150?

[95DGcamaro]

Well I here that Yokohama AVS ES100 are great tires and they are $140 a piece from discount tires. That is what people seemed to like when i asked, and had better treadwear. But i personally do not have experience with these tires, for I am buying them in a month.

[key2emptiness]

I tried upgrading to 17 inch SS rims with the stock tires that come with em, and it through my steering off pretty bad. Any bump I would hit and it would pull right. When I stepped on my brakes it did the same thing. Put back on my 16 inch tires and everything was fine again. What happen?

[firebird1]

how wide were they?

most tires on cars arent wide at all, meaning that the grooves in some roads are too skinny, thats why the car will "chase" them....

gets a little scary above 60mph.

yokohama's kick [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[key2emptiness]

They were 275/40/17 I believe. Going wider will help this "chasing" problem?

[MustangEater8251]

yeah I noticed it too its just because of a wider tire...


I went form stocker, with factory tires to painted Zr1s...

275/40/17 Kuhmo 712s... $107 from tire rack, $472, shipped ot my door.

Either way go aorund and get some quotes form local dealers, before you go tirerack... Once when I was looking at Kuhmo V700 victo racers(autocross tires) I found it to only be $2 more expensive to get them local, and I woudl be paying like $50 for shipping so it woudl be better to get them local.

But when I researched my Kuhmo 712s, they were between $38-45 cheaper a piece online, thats almost a $200 difference for the set, so save about $150 with a $50 shipping charge.

as for the kuhmos, I hear they suck in snow, but so far, they are the best tires I have ever had in the rain, also they are the best tires I have ever had in the dry... I have never had anything as wide as a 275(245 was my widest) but damn these things grip, especially for the price. But once agains I never really had an "expoensive" tire on my car.

I have a pic of the wheels on my car in the link in my sig...


and I also here are some comparison pics...

my originals are 16X8s, 235/55/16
new ones are 17X9.5 275/40/17

http://www.mustangeater825.50megs.co...s/IMG_0180.JPG

http://www.mustangeater825.50megs.co...s/IMG_0181.JPG

http://www.mustangeater825.50megs.co...s/IMG_0195.JPG

[Sean37]

So, anyways, is 255/45/17 a good size for a 8.5 inch wide rim, or should I go with something else? I don't think a 275 would fit.

[zlexiss]

255's will be perfect on the 8.5

[4thGenBill]

If you are looking at a wheel/tire combo, you can't beat the special that SLP is running. They have 10-spoke SS "take-offs" (brand new GM NOS) with Goodyear P275-40-17s already mounted and balanced for $799.00 (all four!). I just ordered a set since my summer tires need replaced and I needed some rims to dress up the car anyway (I just have the steel wheels with the plastic bolt-ons now).

Now people will really think they are seeing double when I have both of my Camaros parked in the driveway!