Wheels-Tires 245 45 17 Sufficient?

[Detroiit]

It almost spring and I need some good tires. I have 17x8 rims at this time so if possible i'd like to save some money and use these rims. I know people say 275's will fit on an 8 inch rim and others say don't do it. I will not put a 275 on an 8 inch rim.. SO... Basically, will a 245 /255 drag radial be sufficient in containing the almost 500 rwhp my stang puts out? Or should I pony up.. (lol) and buy a 9 inch or possibly 10 inch rim? Is a 245/255 series tire capable of a containing a supercharged launch?

 

[A5literMan]

Stick? Or auto? With that much power it's going to be hard to get a 17" wheel/tire to grip.

 

[Detroiit]

Stick? Or auto? With that much power it's going to be hard to get a 17" wheel/tire to grip.

Its a 5 speed manual.

 

[A5literMan]

At the track you're going to need a wrinkle wall tire. The MT pro series is arguably the best. For the track I'd go with some light weight 15" rims and a 275/60-15 Mickey. Running a 245/255-17" tire isn't going to bring very good results.

 

[Mustang5L5]

You probably arre going to want a 15" wheel, with a 275 width rear tire.

If i had to run 17's i'd prob slap a 275 DR on an 8" rim. If you are really into those rims, look into having them widened. I have the same rims and briefly looked into widening them to a 9.5" rim

 

[2000xp8]

A 275 is too much for an 8 inch wheel. I run it on an 8.5 and even that is a bit much.

It's more about the tire itself than it is the width anyway. So if you want to run a 245 drag radial, that should be fine. 30mm's isn't going to make or break you with 500rwhp.
Nothing is going fall into the perfect category on the street.
You just have to learn to drive. I've done it for years and it's fine (when the weather is good). If you are a throttle masher, no tire is good, so...

 

[85rkyboby]

How do you base how much pressure one would need to be in the tire on the track?

 

[2000xp8]

How do you base how much pressure one would need to be in the tire on the track?

Practice, you pick a starting point, then usually let a little out each run, until you find the best pressure. It can be a time consuming endeavor.

 

[A5literMan]

How do you base how much pressure one would need to be in the tire on the track?

I always based it on experimentation. But a bias ply tire likes low press around 12-15#. Always remember though that after you do a burnout and make a pass the tire will gain some pressure(from the heating the tires). I would make a pass noting air press,launch rpm,appx air temps,etc. I usually start @13# with M&H dot tires. Keep track of 60ft times/and 1/4 ET. I'd drop press or add until times were consistent. A bias ply with low press is more unstable at high speeds(end of track) than a radial. With a stick car it's really hard to get a radial to 60ft unless you have a great suspension and really know what you're doing(I don't fit those categories). The radials like more air pressure than a bias ply. My buddy runs 15-18# in his radials and around 10# in the slicks. Slicks are faster but not by much. He ususally runs mid 9's to 9.80 with either tire.

 

[85rkyboby]

@2000xp8 @A5literMan Thanks for going that far into detail! Noted.

 

[Detroiit]

I picked up some Weld's 15x10 with some decent M/T ET Drag Slicks on them for $130. I was told they were on a fox before and more recently on a 99 turbo stang. I gather they dont use numbers like 315 30 19 on slicks? I did measure them from the ground up its 26 inchs. Im assuming they are 26 x 10.5 x 15 but not sure.





I had my bro in laws 315's on the fox and they would of worked with a little work so im hoping the 10 inch wide is gonna be ok.

 

[Detroiit]

A lot of good information here.

 

[A5literMan]

If they have a 6.5" back spacing they should fit and work well.

 

[Detroiit]

If they have a 6.5" back spacing they should fit and work well.

They stick out way to much.. I need something else.. Live and learn

 

[A5literMan]

They stick out way to much.. I need something else.. Live and learn

Oops. Yeah they have to be 6.5" or they stick out. I looked at a pair recently myself. They were 5.5" and wasn't going to work. On a 8" wheel you need 4.5" fyi and I assume 5.5" on a 9" but not positive on that

 

[Detroiit]

Oops. Yeah they have to be 6.5" or they stick out. I looked at a pair recently myself. They were 5.5" and wasn't going to work. On a 8" wheel you need 4.5" fyi and I assume 5.5" on a 9" but not positive on that

Ya the sun did shine on me I picked up 2 brand new 17x9 saleen replica 5 star chrome wheels and 2 brand new MT ET Streets in 275 40 17 all for $500