How Much Does Wider Tires=Less Wheelspin?

D

drledford93

Member
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Mazdaspeed 3
I've got stock rubber on my car and am considering going to ~235 tires on 7 or 7.5" rims. How much less wheel spin can I expect? For those of you who have done this mod, what are your experiences?

FYI, I only have a CAI currently, but am looking at lighter wheels and exhaust work to increase power in the future.

Thanks!

Daniel
 
A wider contact patch can work wonders for wheelspin and cornering force, but going too wide on a given wheel can do more harm than good. A 235 series is hanging on for dear life on a 7" wide rim. It's desirable to have the sidewall as close to perpindicular to the ground as possible. If it's stretching inward on a narrow rim, handling and safety can be compromised. Hard cornering on a tire that's already stretched to the limit can cause it to come off the rim, or at least break a bead. Don't go overboard.
 
go with either a 235 on a 7.5", or a 235 (maybe a 245) on an 8" wheel.

If you're going with a 7.5", you'll likely need a 42-45mm+ offset or more. With an 8", you must be very careful with offset! The RX-8 wheels fit, though. They are 18x8 with a 51mm offset, I think. You have to keep the offset pretty far positive (48mm or more) with an 8".

There is a tire calculator on my signature for you.

Keep in mind, wheelspin is due to lack of traction. You can get a wider wheel, and yes, make a larger contact patch, but what if the tire is of a lower grip level?

If you go bigger, make sure to get a tire that is grippy as well, to make sure your gains aren't lost.
 
BlackCherry06 said:
A wider contact patch can work wonders for wheelspin and cornering force, but going too wide on a given wheel can do more harm than good. A 235 series is hanging on for dear life on a 7" wide rim. It's desirable to have the sidewall as close to perpindicular to the ground as possible. If it's stretching inward on a narrow rim, handling and safety can be compromised. Hard cornering on a tire that's already stretched to the limit can cause it to come off the rim, or at least break a bead. Don't go overboard.
Click to expand...

I tried to get 235s on my stock rims and Discount Tire would not even do a test fit for this reason.
 
When autoxed back in the late 90s, my DSM Eclipse GSX had a 6.5" wheel and I ran 235 series R compound rubber with no problem. I've even seen a Hoosier 245 squeezed on one of those rims with no problems. (peep)

I was just trying to find a solution to the problem that the MS3 front end has while cornering under power--hooking up. Especially as mods are added, I imagine that this is going to become more and more of an issue.

Daniel
 
I have 235s on my car.My local shop said not to worry about the 235 on my stock wheels when I asked.THey said as long as they dont rub they dont have a problem with it.Mind you this is a shop that if you buy only 2 new tires they will only put them on the back of your car/truck.That is the way they have to do it because of safety reason they told me.So Im thinking I should be fine.
The 235 seems to have alot more traction since I cant spin the tires as easy as before.I did also go to a Good Year F1 all season tire so its not as good of a tire as the stockers on dry pavment but they seem to hold better.
 
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majority of places wont touch a 235 on a 7'' wheel.. i am running them on mine! Some places are like hell no (gtfo).. others are like..what the hell, why not!
There are guys running 245 r comps on their 7" wheels.. I am moving up to 8.5" wheels with 265 or 255 tires up front

oh and i got 100$ crappy 235/40 all seasons and they out handle the s*** out of the stockers and the ride is sooo much smoother and the crazy added traction is great!
 
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