Tyre Dilemma - Ruf - Speedline 17x9 and 17x10

[Mike D'Silva]

Need some advice. 

The car I have currently is an SC with added turbo guards.

The rims are the RUF 17x9front and 17x10 rears.

Current tyres are 245 40 17 front and 275 40 17 rear.  

Rear axles have 28mm spacer. 

 

I need new tyres. Intended use is street 99% and track 1%. I never drive when its wet.

The original stock sizes were 205 55 16 front and 225 50 16 rear. I've been looking at tirerack.com and also a tire size comparison chart.

 

 

According to the images, the current front tyre is 0.8% smaller than stock but the current rear is 3.2% larger (not ideal).

I'm not glued to the sizes that are currently fitted but can confirm not one tyre shop has come back to me with any suggestions. 

Some sizes that seem to be commonly available are 225 45 17 front and 255 40 17 rear but it feels wrong to put that narrow a tyre on.

Here are pics of how the car currently sits on the RUF with the 245 and 275 tyres.

 

 

One brand that I have seen available in a size that seems to suit is the Nankang CRS....

They make a 245 40 17 and a 275 35 17 rear.. but I'm unable to find convincing enough information relating to how they are on the street, if they are noisy, what they are like on a wet road for that 1 time I get caught out etc.. 

 

I'm open to suggestions.

 

[LeeM]

 You've probably seen this Mike

https://rennlist.com/forums/racing-and-drivers-education-forum/1314453-nankang-cr-s-feedback-vs-ar-1-991-2-gt3.html

 Probably useless information for you, but going by the more track focussed AR1's I had on my SC, I had no problems in the hills when it was wet

 

[Mike D'Silva]

36 minutes ago, LeeM said:

 You've probably seen this Mike

https://rennlist.com/forums/racing-and-drivers-education-forum/1314453-nankang-cr-s-feedback-vs-ar-1-991-2-gt3.html

 Probably useless information for you, but going by the more track focussed AR1's I had on my SC, I had no problems in the hills when it was wet

 

Yes, have seen that thread.. lots of glowing reports but mostly track users. I'm curious to see how they feel for majority street and "canyon carving"...

 

[Raven]

Just remember Track bias tyres like R spec tyres offer fantastic grip but they wear very quickly obviously due to them having a soft compound.

Generally to they perform poorly in wet conditions due to them being a semi slick design , but there are a number of R spec tires like Toyo proxes r 888 that have reasonable wet performance .

Something with a wear rating of 150 to 180 is considered a pretty soft and grippy road tire,, my 3 RS has the Cup 2s and the wear rating is 150 on them .

Michelin pilot sport 4 s  dont know if they come in the sizes you are after or if that fit your budget ,,,but they are a exceptional all round high performance road tire , one of best currently on market worth a look 

Tyre review on them 

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/michelin-pilot-sport-4-s-review-the-new-top-dog-of-the-tyre-world/

 

 

[Mike D'Silva]

1 hour ago, Raven said:

Just remember Track bias tyres like R spec tyres offer fantastic grip but they wear very quickly obviously due to them having a soft compound.

Generally to they perform poorly in wet conditions due to them being a semi slick design , but there are a number of R spec tires like Toyo proxes r 888 that have reasonable wet performance .

Something with a wear rating of 150 to 180 is considered a pretty soft and grippy road tire,, my 3 RS has the Cup 2s and the wear rating is 150 on them .

Michelin pilot sport 4 s  dont know if they come in the sizes you are after or if that fit your budget ,,,but they are a exceptional all round high performance road tire , one of best currently on market worth a look 

Tyre review on them 

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/michelin-pilot-sport-4-s-review-the-new-top-dog-of-the-tyre-world/

 

 

Love Michelin. Budget is not the issue. The Nankang are not cheap!

But the only Michelin that comes in rear size is PS2. Great tyre but is it old tech now?

And the only front tyre is the Pilot Sport 5. Not very well matched.

[tomo]

1 hour ago, Mike D'Silva said:

Love Michelin. Budget is not the issue. The Nankang are not cheap!

But the only Michelin that comes in rear size is PS2. Great tyre but is it old tech now?

And the only front tyre is the Pilot Sport 5. Not very well matched.

I had trouble getting the right tyre/ size combination for the 964 it had 17 " rims on it, So I ended up with Kumo  3 's to get back on the road, This is some years back but they ended up being a bloody good tyre , Did about 20000 ks on them ,Never gave a reason to complain, wet or dry.

[OZ930]

Have you considered a 315/35/17 for the rears?

 I have seen Nitto 315 tyres on Ruf 17x10” rims with no “bagging”.

[Mike D'Silva]

54 minutes ago, OZ930 said:

Have you considered a 315/35/17 for the rears?

 I have seen Nitto 315 tyres on Ruf 17x10” rims with no “bagging”.

no I havent... looking at the dimensions, the 315 35 would be 3% larger circumference than stock (albeit it would be the identical to my current 275 40)

Kinda surprised the extra 40mm width wouldnt spill over the rim?

[tomo]

1 hour ago, Mike D'Silva said:

no I havent... looking at the dimensions, the 315 35 would be 3% larger circumference than stock (albeit it would be the identical to my current 275 40)

Kinda surprised the extra 40mm width wouldnt spill over the rim?

That's 61mm , Stretching a freindship me thinks.

[OZ930]

Here you go

[P-Kay]

I had the NT01 275/17 on Betty and that was used for spirited driving. Like you, never drove in the wet (intentionally) and I quite liked the way they handled.

[Mike D'Silva]

2 hours ago, P-Kay said:

I had the NT01 275/17 on Betty and that was used for spirited driving. Like you, never drove in the wet (intentionally) and I quite liked the way they handled.

I hadnt really considered the nitto at this stage. The NT01 is a 100 UTQG rating... I think the Nankang CRS is a 200.. in theory should last a little longer? So you ran the NT01 primarily on the street? Was that style excessively noisy or is that a moot point in these old cars of ours?

[MFX]

I used to have 235's front and 275's on my 17x10 rears going through the same thought process you have. The issue is that the diameter is too big, they rubbed like crazy on the guards and bubbled the paint. Most of all they just looked too big for the car. 

Then I had a chat with Tim Vo and he also has 17x8's and 17x10's (I know you have 9's and 10's but I think my sizes will still work for you). I now run 225/45's front and 255/40's and it is now perfect. It looks and handles better. I thought the 255's would be too stretched on the rear but they sit nicely.

I am running Hankook RS4's which I actually like and they are now a bad value. On the track I get the best times in the first couple of laps and then they get too hot and drop off a bit, but still way better than what I was running previously. They are also wearing well. Still look good after driving over to Adelaide, doing the Adelaide Rally and driving home as well as going to Luft and the track day and a bunch of other spirited driving.

Tim Vo was running the same sizes but with AD08R's from memory which he liked. 

 

Here is a pic of 255's on my 10" rears. I don't think they look too stretched.

[P-Kay]

G'day Mike - As far as noisy, I honestly cannot recall. However, I can only recall the front when I put on RE71R and I only took my car for spirited drives.

To Jeff's point above, you have WAY more choice with 255 and much less chance of rubbing! 

[wilburforce]

I have a set of 17" in 8" and 10" which I run A050 in 225/45R17 and 255/40R17 which fit perfectly on my widebody SC. I also have a set of 15" (8" and 10")  running TB15 in very similar sizing.  https://www.instagram.com/p/CJww-rWl_KA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg== 

Worth keeping in mind that different tyre models have different shoulder profiles, and therefore all width specs are not equal on paper.

A050 aren't really suitable for the road, but I would check out AD09 (which you can get in above sizing) or, ideally A052 if you can make the fronts work at 235/45.