225 enough tire for upgraded power?
 

Despite suggestions I've received to go for 17x9 RPF1s, I found a really good local deal on 17x8s, and I'm on a limited budget. About to pull the trigger, but the shop I spoke with tried to steer me toward 17x9 in the event I upgrade from stock power, so that I could run 245s.

Although I'll likely run stock power for a while, if/when I add some bolt-ons/cat-back/ECU tune or even FI down the line (unlikely), will I be limited with 225 width tires? Thanks.

Tire compound is more important than width. If you aren't serious about tracking, 225 is more than enough. You can also fit 245's on 8inch width wheels. Read the specs from the tire manufacturer and decide which tires work best for your wheels.

Must resist trolling urge...

Lol I'm on E85 with Sprintex with Intercooler with 69mm pulley on stock wheels and original tires. It's fine

Eh, when I get out of autocrossing I'll probably sell my 17x9's and go to some 8 or 8.5" with 235 for a CARB supercharger (~230-240 whp), you're in California like me so you can run <200TW summer tires year round without issue. Maybe the car will be a little under-tyred, but I figure it will be like going back to stock with the Primacy's.

But that's just my hypothetical.

Edit: Wait, bolt-ons and tune only? Yeah 225 in a quality compound will be great. If you're in a position to start dropping $5k on FI then spend the money to get the right rubber once you've got experience and hopefully a bunch of people to copy.

Compound will be everything though, could end up with less grip than stock if you go cheap.

I've ran 225s on a car with 230 WHP and 300 lb/ft of torque. You can make it work with good compound.

This i learned the hardway..bought some cheap 255s, still spin them like butter in 1st and 2nd.

At last measure I was at 233 WHP/ 217 TQ. I'm running 225 section (9" at the tread) BFG Gforce Sport Comp2s. For the street this is way more grip than is safe to explore in public.

For the track compound and tread width are much more important than section width. From what I understand, at our cars low weight, 225s could actually be optimal for the track. For AutoX I've read, the wider the tire, the better if you're trying to compete. For fun, it don't matta'.

Tire compound is more important than width. If you aren't serious about tracking, 225 is more than enough. You can also fit 245's on 8inch width wheels. Read the specs from the tire manufacturer and decide which tires work best for your wheels.


Compound will be everything though, could end up with less grip than stock if you go cheap.


Compound is key!!! Their right.

As others say, if you are sticking to NA power levels and low end forced induction, 225s in a good compound should be perfectly fine for anything you'll do. Also note that a 17x8 can take most 245 sized tires although this is not optimal for that rim width because sidewall flex reduces responsiveness a bit but is perfectly fine.

255 is the way, thats the sweet spot for our cars.

Even 225 bf Goodrich GeForce rivals I can't put alL my power down and putting 200 hp 160 tq to the wheels at the most. Great tires though. I have tried engaging tq gradually but still had grip issues.

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Sorry for the poor grammar, I'm typing on a tablet.

Not sure if this helps, just wanted to share my thoughts.

As most have mentioned in this thread, 225 is more than sufficient and if you decide you want more tire you can fit 245 size tires on the 8" wheel (verify with the specific tire brand/model).

As an aside, there is a difference in the way the wheel looks in a 17x8 vs a 17x9 which would be more of a deciding factor to me.

wheel directory for 17x8: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37136
wheel directory for 17x9: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15160

17x8
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...ps391e1ef2.jpg

17x9
http://tigermack.zenfolio.com/img/s1...53450947-4.jpg

Seeing a side by side difference sure rustles my jimmies. Gotta get that x9 fitment stat!