Nubby wheel/tire/fitment guy in need of advice 17x9+35

[KevinK121]

Just purchased some RPF1's in 17x9+35 as well as fortune auto 500 series coilovers with the 6/7 spring rate.


Im creating this thread because people size wheels for different reasons and even if/when I do find similar sized tires they might be completely stanced or completely functional or sized a particular way for whatever reason. I've never gotten into these aspects and need a bit of help getting along this part.

That said, Im looking to achieve some middle ground between form and function.




Open 100% to suggestions on every aspect here.




I figured I might be dropping about 2-2.5 inches with a max of -2 degrees in the back and no idea for the front. Was planning on just adjusting it until I found something I liked.
I was really hoping to get some BFG Sport Comp 2's but the only applicable size I can get them in are 235/45. Sounds like it might be a little too meaty.


This car will be my DD in the summer months and will see around 5 track days a season at autox and road course duty.




Thanks in advance for any input to help me along.

[swarb]

1. Read more or copy someone's setup. And then form your own opinions.
2. Get a better tire, again... copy someones setup, and read more.
3. With a drop more than 1.5 inches or so, if you want less than 2 degrees of camber you will need camber correction/adjustment in the rear, like lower control arms, again read more. I have like 2.9 all camber around with 1.5-2inch drop.
4. For a 17x9 wheel, unless you are ok with a bad sized tire/stretched tire/ or lesser performance, the only real choice is 245/40 or 255/40, again... read more.
5. If you want an ideal alignment for tracking, you want more camber in the front than in the rear, you would want camber correction in the front, like camber plates which the fortune 500 coilovers have, but it might not be enough, you may need camber bolts... again read more on alignments and camber bolts at a specific height, for autocross/tracking etc. again... read more.
6. All of this stuff has been discussed before and if you want to be somewhat competitive you want a good alignment and good tires. Form is more about being low. With so many things to discuss, you are better of just reading more and forming your own opinions.
7. LOok at number one.

[KevinK121]

Originally Posted by swarb

1. Read more or copy someone's setup. And then form your own opinions.
2. Get a better tire, again... copy someones setup, and read more.
3. With a drop more than 1.5 inches or so, if you want less than 2 degrees of camber you will need camber correction/adjustment in the rear, like lower control arms, again read more. I have like 2.9 all camber around with 1.5-2inch drop.
4. For a 17x9 wheel, unless you are ok with a bad sized tire/stretched tire/ or lesser performance, the only real choice is 245/40 or 255/40, again... read more.
5. If you want an ideal alignment for tracking, you want more camber in the front than in the rear, you would want camber correction in the front, like camber plates which the fortune 500 coilovers have, but it might not be enough, you may need camber bolts... again read more on alignments and camber bolts at a specific height, for autocross/tracking etc. again... read more.
6. All of this stuff has been discussed before and if you want to be somewhat competitive you want a good alignment and good tires. Form is more about being low. With so many things to discuss, you are better of just reading more and forming your own opinions.

Good direction to start from. Ill keep it in mind moving forward.


I could read all day and find minimal pertinent information. More often than not I find info that doesnt pertain to me or anything Im trying to achieve, so ending everything with "read more" is.... unnecessary. I am reading. Constantly.

But again, thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'll continue with all this in mind.

[mav1178]

I track my car with the same size wheels and after reading your post, I still have no idea what you want to do.

You're worrying about suspension specifics without specifying what you like.
You're worrying about tire choice without specifying what kind of driver you are.

I mean... are you trying to be flush? Are you trying to slam the car? I don't even know what you want to do other than you have parts and you're trying to go fast.

To achieve a middle ground would first require us to know what your extremes are. Given that you're running 17x9" +35, you won't be "stancing" anytime soon. So... what is too extreme for you? Do you want normal driving feel or do you want precision handling? How do you feel about the car tramlining on surface streets? How much are you willing to spend on consumables (tires)?

All this, hence the "read more" comment above.

-alex

[swarb]

Originally Posted by KevinK121

Good direction to start from. Ill keep it in mind moving forward.


I could read all day and find minimal pertinent information. More often than not I find info that doesnt pertain to me or anything Im trying to achieve, so ending everything with "read more" is.... unnecessary. I am reading. Constantly.

But again, thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'll continue with all this in mind.

You decide how much form you want and how much function you want.
Form is more about big wheels and being low, you have already decided your wheels, so go low as you want.
Function is about good tires, good alignment and all the parts needed for it.

Not much to discuss at this point except there is only so many choices you have and all there is left to decide(by reading more) is....
1. What tire you want in 245/40 or 255/40 size. (245 suggested if you want to go low)
2. How low you want to go and the parts you need to go that low(to get a good adjustability range for alignment) and what alignment settings you want.

Or I could tell you what to get and do for your car. Seriously though... READ MORE or copy someones setup.

[mav1178]

Here's what a 235 tire vs a 245 tire will look like on 17x9" +35:

235:


245:


Can't tell the difference? It's a huge difference in driving feel based on the tire characteristics. Sidewall stiffness and tread design are what impacts you on a daily basis from a noise/feel perspective.

-alex

[KevinK121]

Originally Posted by swarb

You decide how much form you want and how much function you want.
Form is more about big wheels and being low, you have already decided your wheels, so go low as you want.
Function is about good tires, good alignment and all the parts needed for it.

Not much to discuss at this point except there is only so many choices you have and all there is left to decide(by reading more) is....
1. What tire you want in 245/40 or 255/40 size. (245 suggested if you want to go low)
2. How low you want to go and the parts you need to go that low(to get a good adjustability range for alignment) and what alignment settings you want.

Or I could tell you what to get and do for your car. Seriously though... READ MORE or copy someones setup.

When people ask something on a forum why is it your business try to be as disrespectful and rude as possible. I told you to lay off and tried to be grateful for the good info I sifted through your ****ish attitude.

There are a few examples here. I went through them. Didnt find anything difinitive and wound up still confused. I created this thread for a bit of general discussion.


Thanks again for the points to keep in mind. I'd appreciate it if you didnt comment any further or if you do so, drop the attitude. Please.

[KevinK121]

Originally Posted by mav1178

Here's what a 235 tire vs a 245 tire will look like on 17x9" +35:

235:


245:


Can't tell the difference? It's a huge difference in driving feel based on the tire characteristics. Sidewall stiffness and tread design are what impacts you on a daily basis from a noise/feel perspective.

-alex

Is this you? The second picture almost looks staggered.

Honestly either look just fine.

Whats your opinion on feel between the two?

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by KevinK121

Is this you? The second picture almost looks staggered.

Honestly either look just fine.

Whats your opinion on feel between the two?

Yes it's me.

My opinion is that size alone is not the sole determinator of tire performance. You can run 235s on 9" wide but you're stretching the tires, so sidewall stiffness is enhanced and while you may feel the car to turn better, it does nothing for actual cornering performance.

Falken Azenis (235) has square-ish sidewalls and tend to run wider than the size suggests. The Hankook RS3 (245) has soft sidewalls and tend to feel more comfortable on the road, but also at the expense of excessive roadnoise.

Don't worry about alignment settings until you speak with someone about how you drive vs. what you want out of the car. Tramlining (or tracking) is also a serious issue and an aggressive alignment will make your car annoying to drive on some streets.

-alex

[KevinK121]

Err

[KevinK121]

Originally Posted by mav1178

Yes it's me.

My opinion is that size alone is not the sole determinator of tire performance. You can run 235s on 9" wide but you're stretching the tires, so sidewall stiffness is enhanced and while you may feel the car to turn better, it does nothing for actual cornering performance.

Falken Azenis (235) has square-ish sidewalls and tend to run wider than the size suggests. The Hankook RS3 (245) has soft sidewalls and tend to feel more comfortable on the road, but also at the expense of excessive roadnoise.

Don't worry about alignment settings until you speak with someone about how you drive vs. what you want out of the car. Tramlining (or tracking) is also a serious issue and an aggressive alignment will make your car annoying to drive on some streets.

-alex

What is your preferred tire size and/or how do you feel about 235/45? I feel like the 45 ratio might be a bit tall in terms of the sidewall roll. I wouldnt have though that 235 is stretched. I figured it'd be as close to square as possible with the overall wheel width without having to stretch(235 being 9.25in). Im only going to be running with larger exhaust components for the rest of this season and likely the beginning of next, so contact patch at this point might be better off on the skinny side. Im mostly curious what ratio youre running.

Im not ever really concerned with road noise. Im oblivious to the term tramlining. Im new to this whole thought process. Thank you for all the good info so far.

[swarb]

Originally Posted by KevinK121

When people ask something on a forum why is it your business try to be as disrespectful and rude as possible. I told you to lay off and tried to be grateful for the good info I sifted through your ****ish attitude.

There are a few examples here. I went through them. Didnt find anything difinitive and wound up still confused. I created this thread for a bit of general discussion.


Thanks again for the points to keep in mind. I'd appreciate it if you didnt comment any further or if you do so, drop the attitude. Please.

Calm your nuts bro.
Waste all the time discussing whatever you want, you will end up going back to my advice. And then you will realize I was right all along.

[swarb]

Originally Posted by mav1178

I track my car with the same size wheels and after reading your post, I still have no idea what you want to do.

You're worrying about suspension specifics without specifying what you like.
You're worrying about tire choice without specifying what kind of driver you are.

I mean... are you trying to be flush? Are you trying to slam the car? I don't even know what you want to do other than you have parts and you're trying to go fast.

To achieve a middle ground would first require us to know what your extremes are. Given that you're running 17x9" +35, you won't be "stancing" anytime soon. So... what is too extreme for you? Do you want normal driving feel or do you want precision handling? How do you feel about the car tramlining on surface streets? How much are you willing to spend on consumables (tires)?

All this, hence the "read more" comment above.

-alex

To the op.
Discussion requires that you respond to questions instead of just giving information and asking questions. Respond to those questions and we can help guide you in a direction.

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by KevinK121

What is your preferred tire size and/or how do you feel about 235/45? I feel like the 45 ratio might be a bit tall in terms of the sidewall roll. I wouldnt have though that 235 is stretched. I figured it'd be as close to square as possible with the overall wheel width without having to stretch(235 being 9.25in). Im only going to be running with larger exhaust components for the rest of this season and likely the beginning of next, so contact patch at this point might be better off on the skinny side. Im mostly curious what ratio youre running.

Im not ever really concerned with road noise. Im oblivious to the term tramlining. Im new to this whole thought process. Thank you for all the good info so far.

I think you're stuck on too many details and technicalities... nothing is going to get you close to stock so you need to consider the recommended width ranges (not tire width, no one cares about that) and the wheel it is going on. Some will be taller than stock, some will be shorter.

You really need to stop with asking for recommendations and start with understanding tire, tire sizing, and alignment basics if you want to go about this DIY route. Tire Rack's database is a good place.

Tramlining: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=47

Again: figure out what you want/don't want out of your setup, and then start figuring out details. This includes NOT sticking to a specific tire size if you don't understand how tire roll factors in to performance.

-alex

Edit: I had 230/40-17 & 245/40-17. 235s were out of necessity because my previous wheels were 17x8"