I did a search on the board and didn't find anything. Has anyone played with their tires yet. Would like to know if anyone has actually tried and fitted a 305 or larger on the back yet and whether or not they like it? Or knows someone who has?

Thanks

flipmo

A friend of mine has Nitto 555R 305/45/R18s on his. They look pretty good. Sorry, no pics, but I have this crappy video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAjfcIxi7qs).

A friend of mine has Nitto 555R 305/45/R18s on his. They look pretty good. Sorry, no pics, but I have this crappy video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAjfcIxi7qs).

Thanks PREZ. Hey, any idea whether or not the back tires will actually fit on the front, as is? I think the profile would look good with 285s on the front and the 305s on the rear.

Thanks Again

flip

Thanks PREZ. Hey, any idea whether or not the back tires will actually fit on the front, as is? I think the profile would look good with 285s on the front and the 305s on the rear.

Thanks Again

flip

I don't know if the backs will fit on the front. I don't see why not. The rim size is the same, and it doesn't look like there are any clearance issues. Give it a try.

A friend of mine has Nitto 555R 305/45/R18s on his. They look pretty good. Sorry, no pics, but I have this crappy video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAjfcIxi7qs).

I was thinking something close to that 305/30/18s when I need new tires. If I could have some 12" Wheels made so they wouldn't protrude out of the fender very much.

His 305 Nittos are on the stock rims, so i don't think you'd need to go to a 12 rim.

30s are a lot wider then 45s! I used to think 50s were wide.

30s are a lot wider then 45s! I used to think 50s were wide.

30, 45 and 50 are all the measurement of the tire profile, not the width. It's the "305" number that is the width value. 305/45/18s are the same width as a 305/30/18...both are 305 millimeters wide. The profile value is a percentage of the width. A 305/45 has a profile height of 45% of the width or 137 mm, whereas a 305/30 has a profile height of 30% of the width or 91.5 mm.

Ok 315s will work!! I'm not into 19 wheels though. I'm sure someone makes a 305/30/18 I've seen them on Corvettes. A 315 will work in a pinch.

Our tires P285/40/VR18s approved rim width is between 9.5 and 11"s.

P295/35/VR18s would need a 10 to 12" wide wheel.

http://www.goodyeartires.com/goodyeartireselector/display_tire.jsp?prodline=Eagle+F1+SuperCar&mrktarea=Performance

I Don't have to have Goodyear!

Hey guys,
Just a bit of useful info....
I've had my car out on the track (road course) twice. The first time was fun but the understeer was awful. At the second outing I had this great idea....
We swapped the front and rear tires and the car was (almost) neutral. Surprised a couple of Porshe 9xx's! Awesome! No rub with the 285's even under extreme use.

Next week the FRPP Handling kit goes on which lowers everything about 1-1/4". We'll see how that works as far as clearance goes. I'd sure like to go 285's front and 305's rear after I wear these OEM's out (which shouldn't be long!)

Racers I know using the 2005 body style run 275/40/18's front and rear but then, that's race rubber. Depends on what you want to do; I love the w-i-d-e-r look (and bite) for the street!

Thanks for the info about what works and what doesn't. I love this forum!

Hey guys,

I have 275/40/18 Toyo Proxes T1R's on reproduction shelby wheels (chrome) on the front of my GT500 and I recently had my car in for an oil change, and to have it inspected because I just wanted to make sure everything under the car is in good shape. While up on the rack I noticed that there was a mark on the inside of my left front tire that went all the way around the tire. I looked around to see what was causing this mark, at first I thought it was rubbing on the strut housing but that was not the case. On closer inspection I found that the tire was rubbing on a piece of plastic on the inside of the fender well, near the front of the engine bay. I took a couple of pics and yes I know the car is dirty underneath. Just something to consider if you plan on getting larger tires in the front.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f395/2elet4u/My%20GT500/honeymoonpics400.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f395/2elet4u/My%20GT500/honeymoonpics436.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f395/2elet4u/My%20GT500/honeymoonpics435.jpg

Hey guys,
Next week the FRPP Handling kit goes on which lowers everything about 1-1/4". We'll see how that works as far as clearance goes. I'd sure like to go 285's front and 305's rear after I wear these OEM's out (which shouldn't be long!)

Let me know how that works out for you. I have the FRPP kit on mine, and with full lock to either side, the stock front tires look pretty close to rubbing. If you find differently, I would consider putting the rear tires up front, and 305s on the rear.

Hey guys,
Just a bit of useful info....
I've had my car out on the track (road course) twice. The first time was fun but the understeer was awful. At the second outing I had this great idea....
We swapped the front and rear tires and the car was (almost) neutral. Surprised a couple of Porshe 9xx's! Awesome! No rub with the 285's even under extreme use.

Next week the FRPP Handling kit goes on which lowers everything about 1-1/4". We'll see how that works as far as clearance goes. I'd sure like to go 285's front and 305's rear after I wear these OEM's out (which shouldn't be long!)

Racers I know using the 2005 body style run 275/40/18's front and rear but then, that's race rubber. Depends on what you want to do; I love the w-i-d-e-r look (and bite) for the street!

Thanks for the info about what works and what doesn't. I love this forum!

This is exactly what I was looking for. I'm doing my swap this weekend and going with the 305s on the rear (maybe 315s if they will fit).

Thanks Again

flip

This is exactly what I was looking for. I'm doing my swap this weekend and going with the 305s on the rear (maybe 315s if they will fit).

Thanks Again

flip

Don't forget to post pics.:)

Don't forget to post pics.:)

Harley, I will definitely do so. I'm anxious to see the profile myself.

flip

it should look great, 305's is what I am looking at too. I will be excited to find out if they fit or not

Hi all. Dang, somewhat disappointed. I spent the first part of the morning going to 5 different tire shops in town, but to no avail! No one in town carried a 305/45/18 tire at all (at all). All had to order it which will take a about a week (NITTO also).

Didn't think the tire would be that hard to find. I did a Google and the only thing popping up in this size is a NITTO. I remember this thread topic about 2 months ago, if not mistaken. Still suprised to see that no tire dealers have came on board yet and produced this tire. Am I missing something here?

Thanks Guys

flip

Just rec'd my 20" Shelby Chrome Razors. With the lowering springs, I've been advised 255X35 front, and 275X35 rears..... ??? hope thats right...:eek:

If the rears fit on the front with no issues, I wonder why Ford did not put them all the way around so they could be rotated front to back? The look would be different though.

>>>If the rears fit on the front with no issues, I wonder why Ford did not put them all the way around so they could be rotated front to back? The look would be different though.<<<

Just a few thoughts here... The factory will never put the maximum size tire on a vehicle simply because they want the comfort of dimensional tolerances. Also, have you driven your car at 100+ yet? It feels stable and I think that may have someting to do with the tire choices. Additionally, the 255 front dials in plenty of understeer which is what the manufacturers want. It's safer for the masses!

More info about tire sizes... The 285's have a section width of 11.4" IMO any more than that would be asking for trouble in the front. Although a 295 may actually work if you went to a smaller diameter, say 295/35/18 instead of 285/40/18.
Rear max has yet to be determined (by us) but I believe 305 would be no problem and 315 may work too. I think the thing to be concerned with when getting wide in the rear is rim width. The stock wheels are 9.5 inches wide. That will only contain so much rubber and then you start doing weird things to the sidewalls. You need to start thinking about 10"+ rim width. The tire mfr. usually lists a min and max recommended wheel size for each tire size.

I did a little checking and you are right flipmo. The 305 width is not very popular with the mfrs. They offer much more in 315's. But hey, watch out for those 305/45/18's. Did you notice they were 28.8" diameter? That's 1-3/4" more than stock!

The Tire Rack (and others) are a wealth of information on the subject. A friend with a tire store and an afternoon with the tire machine would really be cool!

One final comment. Steeda, Roush, etc. may be a source of tire size expertise although I have noticed those guys normally like one size in all four corners, the 275/40/18 being pretty popular.

Decisions, decisions!! Happy hunting!

>>>If the rears fit on the front with no issues, I wonder why Ford did not put them all the way around so they could be rotated front to back? The look would be different though.<<<

Just a few thoughts here... The factory will never put the maximum size tire on a vehicle simply because they want the comfort of dimensional tolerances. Also, have you driven your car at 100+ yet? It feels stable and I think that may have someting to do with the tire choices. Additionally, the 255 front dials in plenty of understeer which is what the manufacturers want. It's safer for the masses!

More info about tire sizes... The 285's have a section width of 11.4" IMO any more than that would be asking for trouble in the front. Although a 295 may actually work if you went to a smaller diameter, say 295/35/18 instead of 285/40/18.
Rear max has yet to be determined (by us) but I believe 305 would be no problem and 315 may work too. I think the thing to be concerned with when getting wide in the rear is rim width. The stock wheels are 9.5 inches wide. That will only contain so much rubber and then you start doing weird things to the sidewalls. You need to start thinking about 10"+ rim width. The tire mfr. usually lists a min and max recommended wheel size for each tire size.

I did a little checking and you are right flipmo. The 305 width is not very popular with the mfrs. They offer much more in 315's. But hey, watch out for those 305/45/18's. Did you notice they were 28.8" diameter? That's 1-3/4" more than stock!

The Tire Rack (and others) are a wealth of information on the subject. A friend with a tire store and an afternoon with the tire machine would really be cool!

One final comment. Steeda, Roush, etc. may be a source of tire size expertise although I have noticed those guys normally like one size in all four corners, the 275/40/18 being pretty popular.

Decisions, decisions!! Happy hunting!

Cajun, great write-up. Definitely a lot to consider. Would love to go with the 305s -vs- 315s though. My problem is the tire companies around here considers those tires a special brew. Guess I'll just have to wait or simply go with NITTO. Currently "Sole Searching".

Thanks

flip

Hey Flip

What's the word on your new tires? Have you done it yet?

Hey Flip

What's the word on your new tires? Have you done it yet?



Flip sold his Shelby and now he is AWOL.:confused:

Hey Flip

What's the word on your new tires? Have you done it yet?

Hey Cajun, got the Chrome 20" Razors put on 2 days ago with 255X30 and 285X30 BF Goodrich G Force KTW, (I believe the letters were KTW), the New Tread version . Had a real time deciding what to put on. Really liked the Razor Wheels, but had to go to 20". And they had to remanufacture those to clear the caliper. Bought them fro Shelby in NV. But American Racing makes them. Yeah, American Racing, but the boxes are marked "made in china". That was a disappointment, but really like them. So far all is good!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

Did some investigating on tires, looking for some drag radials. Nitto were the only ones that I could find but talking to Pauls HiPerformance in Jackson when he tried to put bigger tires on his GT he found that the 305 would rub but also he had to add 1 3/4" to the stock rims to stop the side wall from bulging on the rim. Just some food for thought. Mustangnut

Thanks M-nut

Have you noticed the tread width on the front 255's is much narrower than the rim width and the 285's fill out the rim nicely and stick past slightly. I'm pretty sure the offset of the stock tires are pretty close to perfect for the inside so any additional width will have to go out. I wonder what size rims Paul's HiPo actually used and, like was mentioned earlier, the 305/45's are 28 3/4" diameter which really fills up a fender well well! Well, well... after much deliberation, we may be better off staying in the 275 - 295 range. Roush offers a 10" rim but recommends 275/40/18's on them. Bottom line is, if I spent $300 per tire and had a rub, that would really "rub" me the wrong way :D

I'm not really after the drag race launch but I know a lot of folks are. If the tires are just for weekend or "special occasion" use, clearance concerns may be a little different than a setup for everyday street driving.

As for me, now I think I'll probably stay with 275's or 285's all around and stick with the stock rims. Believe it or not... I like 'em! I even used them on my race tires (Hoosier 275/35/18)