Help me choosing tall 16" tires...

toofastforyou

toofastforyou

2FAST4U
Joined
May 25, 2001
I've just put a set of 16" TA wheels on my car for a GNX-style look and the tires that are currently mounted on the rear wheels are P255-50-16's which look too low for me (approximately 25.5" high)...I think it makes the whole tire/wheel combo appear too small in diameter inside the wheel opening. Is there another size that I could use which would give me something much taller, near 27" or 28" high? I had P275-60-15's (approx. 27.5" high) before and the overall wheel opening looked just right with them and I would like to have the same overall diameter appearance but in 16" dia.
thank you,

Claude :)
 
Looks like you will have to go with 60 series tires to get the height back up to snuff.
For the front I would be looking at these.
BFGoodrich Traction T/A H
And for the rear possibly these.
BFGoodrich Radial T/A
These 265's should be around 9"-9.5" wide and should fit without any issues.
I wasn't able to find any 65 series tires from 245-275 tho. But 60 series should put you in the 27.5 to 28" tall range.

HTH

Patrick
 
The size you probrobly want is 275/55R16 which is about 28" tall. Problem is the only tire I've found in that size are M&H Drag Radials

MandHTires.com

Those 265/60R16's look nice though, thanks Patrick.

Steve
 
After checking the diameter thoroughly, I don't think I want to go much higher that 27" because over that, I'll become worried about tire to fender clearance. I also checked the overall width (not footprint, but overall width including sidewall bulging) of the tires I already have and they are 10.25 " wide and and that's about the widest I can use unless I put on some spacers or have special offset rims made. I know that Brian at GbodyParts.com sells some special widened 16" GNX-style wheels but I don't know if I can get any offset I want...I'll have to call him for that.

Claude :)
 
FYI
I run the GNX (kirban0 wheels
275/55/16 M & H & zero problems w/Bilteins & Eibachs= 28" tires
 
I run 295/50/16 on my GTA rims done by Brian at Gbody parts. He widened them to 10" to match my pecker:D Now back to reality, the 50 series actually comes to about 27" in height and really spreads out on a 10" rim
new.jpg
 
"tbirdv6", do you have some pictures please?

"ttypewhite", you have a great looking car!! :eek:...how much did the widened wheels cost?...Does he sells them outright or if you have to supply them?

Claude :)

P.S: look at the picture I took today...Don't you feel that the diameter is too small?
 
toofastforyou said:
"tbirdv6", do you have some pictures please?

"ttypewhite", you have a great looking car!! :eek:...how much did the widened wheels cost?...Does he sells them outright or if you have to supply them?

Claude :)

P.S: look at the picture I took today...Don't you feel that the diameter is too small?
Click to expand...


Thank you sir, I forget what I paid to get mine done. I was the very first guy to get them done. Contact Brian at G bodyparts, he frequents this board often.
 
Thanks "ttypewhite" for replying. Do you remember if your wheels were the one-piece or two-piece kind? I'm asking this because I'm wondering if the two-piece kind are easier to modify than the one-piece or if doesn't make any difference?...
Also, did you have to supply Bran with the wheels or did you buy them outright?
Thanks,

Claude :)
 
I don't think it makes a difference if its one or 2 piece rim. The center section is removed and welded to new 10" shells. I supplied my own rims when I did it. Pm Bweavy on this board and he will fill you in. Great quaility, and a true gentlemen to deal with.
 
8AV8 said:
Tbird, how do the M&Hs hook?

chris
Click to expand...

10lbs launch with my setup.... ON THE STREET! Also I do not burn out... it just isnt needed. They hook good...

Actually Im sure It would launch harder when I install my bags, but this car is my daily driver so I dont feel like breaking it to test... It looks like Im going to get about 5-6k miles out of these tires. They hook just fine on wet streets, but actual rain is scary because they dont have any water shedding technology.
 
To date, the only ones I'm interested in are the M&H's...but will they fit without rubbing against the frame on stock "front" GTA's ?...Are there any other choices in sticky tires that will also have good road manners? I know I'm asking for a lot...16in's, large diameter, good traction, good road manners, no rubbing anywhere, etc...:rolleyes:
At least if I could get a definite answer about the GTA wheel fitment with tall tires I would know which tires to order!..:(

Claude :cool:
 
Update: I now only have ONE of these tires... I was driving down the interstate on friday and picked up a decent sized piece of metal in my right rear... Not really a big deal, but the hole from the metal actually tore into a larger hole... by the time I found a decnet place the stop(well under a mile) ALL of the air was out fo the tire, the hole through the tread was about 1/2in(the piece of metal was maybe 3/16in wide)... AND the sidewall was destroyed by driving on it and have two different holes in the sidewall... Basically it was a blow out. Now this was all done in under a mile. I heard the initial "pop" and slowed down...

If you're going to pick up drag radials remember they are a lot softer than your average tire and will be more likely to pick up road crap...

I put two BF Goodrich Radial TA KDWS and they seem to be pretty happy for a street tire... they spin but hook while spinning... For 130$ per tire I am pretty happy. Wished they would have had the G-force in stock... Oh well...

So if anyone wants to buy a used M&H Drag radial with well over 75% of it's life left let me know.... It would be a good spare, but DR's just are not in my budget any more... Also when I got where I was going someone decided to Kick the **** out of my RR quarter pannel... thank god for insurance! I help out at a local body shop and Im guessing the damage is about 1500$ worth... All in all it was a rediculously expensive day! I was so mad, I didnt even know anyone at this school I was staying at...
 
I finally made a choice...

Well, I went ahead and ordered two M&H's 275-55R-16's. They're the only manufacturer I found who seem to make that particular size which is the closest in width and diameter to me previous P275-60-15's. The fact that they're drag radials is ok with me because I drive the car occasionally, weather permitting.
Then I called Brian at Gbodyparts.com and ordered two 8in. GTA wheels with a specially made 3.5in. rear spacing, the same rear spacing I had on my previous 15in. wheels.
This wheel/tire combo should look great and provide good traction on the street as well as hooking good if a "competitor" moves up against me although it happened to me only once or twice over the last 20 years...:D

Claude :cool:
 
toofastforyou said:
Well, I went ahead and ordered two M&H's 275-55R-16's. They're the only manufacturer I found who seem to make that particular size which is the closest in width and diameter to me previous P275-60-15's. The fact that they're drag radials is ok with me because I drive the car occasionally, weather permitting.
Then I called Brian at Gbodyparts.com and ordered two 8in. GTA wheels with a specially made 3.5in. rear spacing, the same rear spacing I had on my previous 15in. wheels.
This wheel/tire combo should look great and provide good traction on the street as well as hooking good if a "competitor" moves up against me although it happened to me only once or twice over the last 20 years...:D

Claude :cool:
Click to expand...

NOOOOO! If you're going to order the wheels from brian he has a 10in wide rim also... Wider is better...

Also, if you're interested in a spare I have a tire with roughy 3 passes and 1000 miles. Well over 70% tread left. If you ever get a flat with one of these tires thats pretty much the end of the tire. These lose air like no other if you get a nail or something. I went from fine to tire coming apart in less than a mile because of a SMALL piece of metal. these tires should last you 5-6k miles if you dont do any burn outs... my tires were well on their way to lasting 6-7k miles before the flat.
 
Adam Connell said:
NOOOOO! If you're going to order the wheels from brian he has a 10in wide rim also... Wider is better...

Also, if you're interested in a spare I have a tire with roughy 3 passes and 1000 miles. Well over 70% tread left. If you ever get a flat with one of these tires thats pretty much the end of the tire. These lose air like no other if you get a nail or something. I went from fine to tire coming apart in less than a mile because of a SMALL piece of metal. these tires should last you 5-6k miles if you dont do any burn outs... my tires were well on their way to lasting 6-7k miles before the flat.
Click to expand...




Put me 1st in line for the spare
The only problem w/shipping involved & being a used tire-you have to consider a reasonable price

Shoot me an email on your thoughts
FRED
turbobuick4@yahoo.com
 
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