Front tires on stock suspension - How big can you go?

[TKat13]

In my opinion, for what it is worth, tire compound and construction has a much bigger impact on performance than going from 245 to 275 tires with a non-race compound. (245's are cheaper too).

I plan on running the Road Racing tire from Nitto, the NT-01s, they are DOT approved and grip extremely well. Sure, they don't do 40k miles but for my E-Body that is ok.

For the price difference the Nittos fully delivered to your door 245/315 is 802.00, thats only 238 more than the tires you mention and I am sure the extra grip will be worth it. Besides, go to a couple of auto-cross runs and you will purchase stickier tires, nothing better than being able to throw it through a corner and jump on the gas.

After all that, if it is really a look thing then I respect that as well. I too like the 275 look up front and 315 in the rear but at the same time if that tire combo forces me to spend tons of money on modifying the car then I will go for a smaller tire with a stickier compound.

[TKat13]

btw, your wheels look sharp love to see them on your car....
 

[gomopar440]

I won the auction for the wheels so it's all systems go now!   The tires are scheduled to arrive Thursday and the wheels maybe by Friday. I'll be at the Lone Star Shootout for the weekend so the first chance I'll get to mess with them is the following Monday. If everything shows up on time that is. 

After I get them mounted and bring them over to the storage unit I'll mock them up and take some pics.    Probably won't be Goody quality pics, but I'll try to make them look half decent anyway. I'd like to update my avatar pic someday soon if ya know what I mean.

I may get different tires later (I was actually looking at the NT-01's first) but for now, these will fit the bill. I wanted to get the widest tires I'd ever put on the car for the least amount of money right now. I didn't want to risk buying expensive tires only to find that they might not work. If I can't make these tires work, my potential amount of $$ lost will be smaller.

Also, I needed to get the tires and wheels now so I can measure for the spacers I need to make. The holidays are the best time to get anything done (non work related) in the shop where I work. 

[TKat13]

That's awesome news...  can't wait to see the pics. I am sure your car will thank you for the new shoes.

[gomopar440]

The wheels showed up today!

These things are fricken HUGE!!!     I can't imagine how anything larger would fit under the car. Heck, I'm having my doubts about these. LOL!

[gomopar440]

The tires have arrived!

[gomopar440]

The quick and dirty...

The fronts will need somewhere between a 1/2" and 1" spacer to work. The rim contacts the UCA before reaching full lock to the left (without any spacer). The tire hit the jackstand before reaching full lock to the right. I'll have to reposition it later and check it again (didn't have time tonight). It will need longer studs as well of course.

The rear tires hit the springs just before getting to the center of the wheel well. I'll have to install my 3" spring relocation kit before I can get a measurement for a spacer but a very rough estimate would be between 1" and 1.25". I could use the offset spring hangers and shackles to fit the tires but I already have the 3" relo kit. My lower rear frame rails are rotted out where the relo kit is going to go anyway, so the kit will actually fix two problems for me. Longer studs will also be required here as well. I'l lbe using 2" lowering blocks in back to get the desired final ride height and then I'll match the front to that.

Now, onto the pics...   Theres a short description on each pic.

[TKat13]

what if you put tubular UCA's on? would that give you enough room?

[gomopar440]

what if you put tubular UCA's on? would that give you enough room?

It's mocked up in that pic without any spacer at all. when I make one I 'll be able to tell if that will still be an issure or not.

[gomopar440]

I made a few wheel spacers in different sizes so I could test fit the wheels and check for clearance issues.

I will need a 1" spacer in front for the 275's to clear the UCA. I don't see any other problems with it at that offset (for now).

In back I will be able to use a 1" spacer as well. That will get the tire 1/4" off the springs and 1/4" away from the fender lip. This is just a temporary solution unti I get the 3" relo kit installed though. Once That is completed, I can drop the spacer down to about 1/4" and have 1" clearance on the fender lip and about 1.5"+ to the inner wheel well at the closest point.

If anyone wanted to run the rear 315's on their E-body with minimal mods it looks like it would be possible by just using the 1" spacers and longer studs. That's IF you felt comfortable with just running 1/4" spring to tire clearance and rolling the fender lip. The 1-1.5" mini-tub job I did to my car gives me almost 3" from the inside edge of the tire to the inner wheel well side when using the 1" spacer.  I'd definately recommend running stiffer springs and f&r sway bars to help keep the axle from twisting too much under "spirited" driving conditions though.