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17x7 not wide enough for tracking car?

1K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  cwarner 
#1 ·
I picked up a set of 17x7's (offset 42) for a dedicated race (road course, not drag) wheel setup. Is anyone running the same size wheels? I'm concerned about the width. I plan on buying some R compound tires to go with them, but don't know what's the widest tire I can run on a 17x7 wheel?? 235's, 245's??? Any help appreciated. And yes, I always SEARCH before starting a new thread...
 
#2 ·
surfingbuddhist said:
I picked up a set of 17x7's (offset 42) for a dedicated race (road course, not drag) wheel setup. Is anyone running the same size wheels? I'm concerned about the width. I plan on buying some R compound tires to go with them, but don't know what's the widest tire I can run on a 17x7 wheel?? 235's, 245's??? Any help appreciated. And yes, I always SEARCH before starting a new thread...
Just get 225/45-17's... getting a wider tire isn't always the best idea. If you can imagine it, think about what happens when the tire is too wide for the wheel. In hard cornering, your sidewall will flex and rollover the rim if the tire is too wide. This doesn't help your handling.
 
#3 ·
i have 17x8 bbs rks and i was running 215/45/17s michelin pilot sports on them for a while and no side wall play; Then i ran bridgestone re040 with an even thicker side wall, still no play! Heres the mistake: bought a cheap set of toyo proxes fz4s and i have massive sideway play! so select wisely....
 
#5 ·
I use the stock 16x7 for 225/50/16.

I was told at the track that 7 is too small for a 225 tire, and that I would need at least 7.5 if not 8.

Opinions?
 
#6 ·
If you think about it, tons of Hondas run 7-inch section width wheels on the track. I took my car w/ the factory 16's to the track and they performed fine. I had a pro driver take my car out and he didn't complain about the tires being too skinny (or too wide for the wheel for that matter).

My tires are 225/50ZR16 as well. No problems at all.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Asmodeus said:
I use the stock 16x7 for 225/50/16.

I was told at the track that 7 is too small for a 225 tire, and that I would need at least 7.5 if not 8.

Opinions?
Well, I just had a set of Dunlop SP SportMax tires size 225/50/16 mounted on my stock 16x7 rims. The Dunlop spec sheet on TireRack's web site says that the rim width range for this tire is 6-8" and the measured rim width (of the tire) is 7". So, 7" is the optimal width for Dunlop's tire in 16" size according to the manufacturer of the tire! 8" would be pushing the upper limit and stretching the tire on the rim.

When you go to 17" things change. Dunlop's specs for the 225/45/17 say the rim width range is 7-8.5" with the measured rim width (of the tire) at 7.5". So technically one is within the manufacturer's specs for this tire and tire size to mount a 225/45/17 on a 17x7 rim. However, you are at the lower limit for the rim width for that tire.

My guess is that the person at the track knew about the specs for the 17's and thought they translated to the 16" tire sizes. They do not. One has to look at the specs for each tire.

As to the origional question, check the spec sheets for the tire you are interested in on TireRack's web site. It is all there!

Cliff

P.S. Just checked, the mounting specs above (both 225/50/16 and 225/45/17) are the same for Bridgestone SO3 PP, Dunlop SP 9000 & Sport Max, Michelin Pilot Sport, Pirelli PZero Asimetrico's, Khumo ECSTA MX's, Avon M500's. Looks pretty general.
 
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