Opinions on rim and tire size.

[ranger56528]

I do have a extra set of 15s for my 98,could throw some slicks on those for drag but might look goofy with say 17s on front and 15s on rear.

 

[mcglsr2]

No reason for staggered,this is why I ask......guess I'll go 9 on all four with 255 or maybe 275....if I want to keep it low 17 would be better the 18 right,18 would just fill the wheel well more.

It is not necessarily the case that an 18 will fill the wheel well more. It depends on whether you are keeping your overall wheel/tire diameter the same. IIRC, on my car, the overall diameter is something like 25." Just because I up-size to 18" wheels doesn't automatically mean my overall diameter increases. In fact, you would then usually use a smaller side-wall tire, so as to keep the same overall diameter. The reason for this is the speedo - it's geared (either via an actual plastic gear or electronically, depending on your year) to your "stock" overall diameter. For an 18" to "fill the wheel well" more, this usually means one keeps the same sidewall height but uses a larger wheel, thus the overall tire diameter increases - filling up the gap. Doing this will throw off your speedo though. The speed your speedo says you are doing is not actually the speed you will be doing (with a larger diameter tire, you will in fact be going faster than what your speedo says - watch out for cops).

So don't feel 18's are necessary for the sole purpose of filling wheel gap. The best way to address this is to lower the car a little via aftermarket springs. You *can* go with a larger overall diameter tire, but it might look funny. It just depends. I suspect most folks here keep the overall diameter pretty close to stock, whether they have 16", 17", 18" or larger wheels. It just means the sidewall profile (the ratio part, the "35" in 255/35-17 as a for example) is going to be smaller.

If you are not really familiar with what 255 is, or how the 35 is a ratio, or what that even means, here's a super quick read that explains those terms, how they relate to each other, and how to calculate the overall diameter of any wheel/tire combination: link here.

 

[mcglsr2]

I do have a extra set of 15s for my 98,could throw some slicks on those for drag but might look goofy with say 17s on front and 15s on rear.

Not at all, as long as the slicks on the rear have a taller sidewall (which they should). There are many, many cars that show up to drags with a different set of rims on the drive wheels for that very reason. A lot of them are FWD too. Not just RWD cars. There's nothing wrong with that, and any person worth his/her salt will not criticize a car at the strip because they have a different set of rims on specifically for the purpose of drag racing. Even if the rims are different. And for me, personally, I'm not really into the whole drag racing thing that much, so I tend to like a car on the street with some sweet Enkei's or something like that more than I would something with a set of weld pro stars.

Drift cars do this too - many many many drift cars have completely different sets of wheels on the front then what they run on the rear. You should not stand out. And if you do, it will be for the right reason.

 

[Frank.JD.Perez]

9" is the absolute smallest I would run a 275 tire on. Ideally, you'd have a 9.5" or 10" (or even up to 11") for a 275. Keep in mind that the wider the tire and the smaller the rim, the squishier the sidewall.

i know, im pushing it... im thinking of getting them widened. the 315 wheels (HREs or Welds) will likely be 10.5 or 11

 

[PM-Performance]

Again, i think you need to determine what you want the car to do. If you want to drive it and I mean actually drive it that involves turns, go with a bigger wheel. If you only plan to hit the drag strip and do highway pulls, go with smaller wheels and more meat.
Staggered has its pros and cons. If you are squared on wheels, no sense in the hassle of staggering tires. With the power you will be making, you will need a much better compound in the rear and the width wont hurt either as long as properly done. Dont be one of those guys that says you need a 315, but run a 9" wheel.
Again, I have x9 up front and x10 out back. The fronts have 255's and back have 275's. While the 275's are bigger, they are not super noticeably different visually. I can tell you though with a good compound and when warmed up , they will hook all my power with little issues. The car was a deathtrap on less power and less tire, but i can hook full boost every gear though. And best of all, the car takes turns about as well as an older SRA car can.

 

[ranger56528]

Lot of good info folks and after reading re reading it appears that my best option for running curvy roads and a country road challenge the 17 x 9 rim with a 255/40-17 on all 4 corners will do what I want and I'll just use the set of 15s with a drag tire for when I go to the track witch should be around 6 times a year.
I like to stay around the 4" sidewall witch I think will give me good handling on the curvy roads we have around here and yet will keep the roll over to a minimum and also being a 10" wide tire will give me the traction I'm looking for on the rear and give me the stability around the curves on the front and straight road confidence.
Never knew rims and tires were such a pain to figure out,my lowering springs showed up today so it looks like I have work to do,it looks like my sways and rear controls will be here tomorrow. When this is all installed I'll think about ordering my rims and tires.