here is a tire question directed to wolfman

[azkkn]

i have a genral knowledge about tires and the way they work. my question to you is: on a 4th gen fbody, how much tire is too much? i know that a foot print is directly related to traction. and also that wide tires are good to a point, until you get too wide, and the weight of the car is spread out too much on the tire and it hampers traction. what is the best tire wheel combo for getting the most pressure per square inch on the road, with out being left spinning on too narrow of a tire?

[SteveH37Formula]

The wider the tire the more friction it creats. I know it might not seem much but for a handling point you'll notice the Vettes have some what norrower tires in the front (245) compared to the back (275) but you won't be able to rotate them. The Vette has an almost 50/50 weight distribution with its transmission being in the back by the differential.
315 seems to be the max. most people run around here and fit right as long as you don't get any wheel interferance. I can't imagine you'd need Viper sized tires (345). That I think would be too much!

Ken should be able to give you more techical pointers.
Hes the tire man!

[Joe 1320]

The answer will depend on the intended purpose. There will be one answer for straight line traction as in drag racing and straight line braking, there is one answer for cornering.

For drag racing what you want is a contact patch that is longer from front to back. This will mean a taller tire, not necessarily wider. This creates a tread contact patch that is biased from front to rear which is exactly what you want for dragstrip traction or straight line braking.

For cornering you want a tire that creates a side to side bias which will mean that you want a tire that is wider, not necessarily taller. A 315/35/17 is an ideal tire for cornering as it creates a wide footprint from side to side, but not front to back. A 275/60/15 will create a good front to rear contact patch for drag racing, but won't be the ticket for cornering. Does that help?

[wolfdogs]

the posts above me make very valid points and hold good tech content.

for overall performance, on the 4th gen f body, the 315/35/17 on 11" rims in back, and 275 or 285 /40r17's in front make the best all around traction combo. due to the front/rear weight distribution, the v8 f body's rear tends to "slide out" rather quickly...or "break loose". the 315's on 11" rims help it stay planted. they wont work on the front..but..then you dont need them up front.

running the proper tire pressure is the key factor........ unless you are driving high speed for long periods of time... in all the above tire sizes quoted, 30psi rear, 32psi front.......gives the best performance and max contact patch. o.e. placard says "30" front... you get the same footprint with 32, and its more stable in holding the foot print on hard corners. it's hard to "over-tire" cars like the vet, viper, v8 f body, mustang cobra, gt, etc... but i can be done.. on dry pavement... over-tired cars usually do ok...its the wet pavement that brings the danger.

[wolfdogs]

Goodyear says:

"On February 6, 2004, it will be a new day for drivers everywhere. You have our Assurance".

(well sure it will..........it will for everybody........LOL...)

but...they go on:

"Rain will feel less wet, ice will feel less slick, dry roads will feel easier to handle, and rough roads will feel smoother and quieter".


hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

guess we'll find out, eh?