Need 17" Tire Advice...

J

~JM~

Wrinkled Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2007
It is time to replace the rubber & I'm looking for advice on 17" tires for our Turbo Regals.

The tires & wheels that are on my car were purchased by the P/O. I don't know the wheel offset at this time.

Current tires are Sumitomo HTRZ II

Front is: 215/45ZR17 87W

Rear is: 255/40ZR17 94W

Wouldn't mind more width & bite on the rear tires if possible.

What tire brands, widths, etc, have you been happy with?

Thank you.

DSC03637.JPG
 
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PS. Are there any quality tires made in the USA any longer?

With a tape measure & some conservative eye-balling, it looks like the front rim is 7" to 7.5" wide & the rear is 8" to 8.5".

Thanks.
 
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Well... Been searching through various threads on 17" tires. Lot of missing links. :( Don't think I'm interested in a Drag Radial. I don't drive much during the winter & try to avoid rain, etc. Looking for tires that are fairly sticky & perform well, with a decent balance between ride comfort & longevity.
 
I would highly recommend the Continental Extreme Contact sport tires.
I myself would go with slightly larger tires (closer to stock height) to give you more rubber on the road.
The Continentals are fairly sticky with a treadwear rating of 340 (Approx. 34000 mi.) and come in 235/45-17 for the front (25.3" tall) and 255/45-17 for the rear (26" tall) for that slight rake.
IMG_4203.JPG


I have the 255/45-17's all the way around my '94 Cutlass Convertible on 8" wheels and the handling is incredible! The staight line traction should be an improvement.
This is what they look like on an 8" wheel.
IMG_2807.JPG
 
I run this size and brand on Simmons Rims.

17X8 fronts
245/40/17 BFG g-Force Sport Comp-2

17X10.5
275/40/17 BFG g-Force Sport Comp-2

Removed the 275/40/17's and mounted these on the rear.
295/45/17 MT Drag radials.

Question for Buick GX1
First off Nice Cutlass...
Are those Eagle 185's rims?
Always wondered what a set of 255/45/17's would look like on a W body.
 
17 is now an oddball size.
i was going to 17 on my cars to have a little cushion (ride comfort) but no one had them, couldn't get them or the size wasn't available. so 18 it was and size and availability was no longer an issue and the tire were actually less expensive over the 17.
 
xtremexnyc said:
Question for Buick GX1
First off Nice Cutlass...
Are those Eagle 185's rims?
Always wondered what a set of 255/45/17's would look like on a W body.
Click to expand...

Yes, Eagle Alloys 185 17x8 +38 offset. Sadly, they have been discontinued for close to 10 yrs now and thank you.
 
1986 Buick GX1 said:
I would highly recommend the Continental Extreme Contact sport tires.
I myself would go with slightly larger tires (closer to stock height) to give you more rubber on the road.
The Continentals are fairly sticky with a treadwear rating of 340 (Approx. 34000 mi.) and come in 235/45-17 for the front (25.3" tall) and 255/45-17 for the rear (26" tall) for that slight rake.
Click to expand...

I can vouch for the Continentals. Not only are they quiet and long-lived, they are absolute magic in wet conditions.
 
1986 Buick GX1 said:
Yes, Eagle Alloys 185 17x8 +38 offset. Sadly, they have been discontinued for close to 10 yrs now and thank you.
Click to expand...

I have the same set on my 2000 Regal GS Always wondered what the 255/45 tire would look like. Currently running 245/45's on it now.

Thank you so much.
 
1986 Buick GX1 said:
I would highly recommend the Continental Extreme Contact sport tires.
I myself would go with slightly larger tires (closer to stock height) to give you more rubber on the road.
The Continentals are fairly sticky with a treadwear rating of 340 (Approx. 34000 mi.) and come in 235/45-17 for the front (25.3" tall) and 255/45-17 for the rear (26" tall) for that slight rake.
View attachment 312480

I have the 255/45-17's all the way around my '94 Cutlass Convertible on 8" wheels and the handling is incredible! The staight line traction should be an improvement.
This is what they look like on an 8" wheel.
View attachment 312479
Click to expand...


I 2nd this, i just put them on my car and love them. 275/40 in the rear on a 9.5" and 245/45 on an 8" in front.
 
Whee did you find this size at.?i can't find it on any vendor site

295/45/17 MT Drag radials.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I was searching & reading reviews on this board & Tire Rack last night. Unfortunately the P/O of my car didn't perform his homework as well as he should have on a few things. The wheels & tires are one example. They look nice, but the wheel widths & backspacing are probably not ideal. The front tires are a 45 series & the rear are a 40 series. Front looks good. The rear could use more tire in both height & width. I just performed a search on Tire Rack using 45 series front & rear.

EDIT: Tire Rack search results link doesn't work.

I see two designs by Continental. One is an All Season tire & the other is a Summer Performance tire. The summer tire has longitudinal grooves that remind me of a rain tire. Don't know which design would provide the most rubber on the road & grip the best.

I am also looking at the BFG G-Force Sport Comp II. I've owned various BFG tires on cars & 4x4 trucks. Always liked them & thought they were a great tire. Only complaint was that they usually didn't last as long as I would have preferred.

How much attention should I be paying to the "UTGQ" ratings?

I see the Continentals have a rating of:
UTQG: 560 AA A & UTQG: 340 AA A

The BFG is:
UTQG: 340 AA A

Interestingly enough, the Sumitomo tires that I currently have on the car popped up in that search also. They are rated at: UTQG: 360 A A

The Sumitomo HTR Z II tires seem to flat spot easily & the rear tires will smoke during the second gear shift without much effort. My engine is fairly stock.
 
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~JM~ said:
Thanks for the replies.

I was searching & reading reviews on this board & Tire Rack last night. Unfortunately the P/O of my car didn't perform his homework as well as he should have on a few things. The wheels & tires are one example. They look nice, but the wheel widths & backspacing are probably not ideal. The front tires are a 45 series & the rear are a 40 series. Front looks good. The rear could use more tire in both height & width. I just performed a search on Tire Rack using 45 series front & rear.

EDIT: Tire Rack search results link doesn't work.

I see two designs by Continental. One is an All Season tire & the other is a Summer Performance tire. The summer tire has longitudinal grooves that remind me of a rain tire. Don't know which design would provide the most rubber on the road & grip the best.

I am also looking at the BFG G-Force Sport Comp II. I've owned various BFG tires on cars & 4x4 trucks. Always liked them & thought they were a great tire. Only complaint was that they usually didn't last as long as I would have preferred.

How much attention should I be paying to the "UTGQ" ratings?

I see the Continentals have a rating of:
UTQG: 560 AA A & UTQG: 340 AA A

The BFG is:
UTQG: 340 AA A

Interestingly enough, the Sumitomo tires that I currently have on the car popped up in that search also. They are rated at: UTQG: 360 A A

The Sumitomo HTR Z II tires seem to flat spot easily & the rear tires will smoke during the second gear shift without much effort. My engine is fairly stock.
Click to expand...


Unless you're racing, you're overthinking it.

The treadwear ratings generally correlate to life expectancy and stickyness. But the manufacturer sets their own standards, so a 340 BFG can't be directly compared to a 340 Continental. However, something with a rating above 500 is almost never to be considered a performance tire. They'll last five years, though.

Do you ever drive the car in sub freezing temperatures or in the snow? If you don't, then don't worry about all season. Just look at the summer tires. It'll narrow your choices and make it less overwhelming.

The Continental EC Sport is the easy button right now. They perform well, wear well, and I can't stress enough just how amazing they are in the rain.
 
I run 245/45's up front and before I went back to DR's 275/40's, I ran 255/50's Nitto 555's on the rear.


GN4.jpg
GN8.jpg
 
Hmmm... Well I've been calling around the local tire shops trying to find out the price & availability of these Continental Extreme Contact Sport tires. You would think I'm talking about extra-terrestrials by some of the replies that I have received. :confused:

Anyone know what the width increase would be between a 215/45-17 & a 235/45-17? Is it 20 millimeters, or about 7/10's of an inch?

Any other tire that I should consider?

Thanks.
 
~JM~ said:
Hmmm... Well I've been calling around the local tire shops trying to find out the price & availability of these Continental Extreme Contact Sport tires. You would think I'm talking about extra-terrestrials by some of the replies that I have received. :confused:

Anyone know what the width increase would be between a 215/45-17 & a 235/45-17? Is it 20 millimeters, or about 7/10's of an inch?

Any other tire that I should consider?

Thanks.
Click to expand...


Sears Auto center carries them, I am right next door to one.


Other tires to consider? Nitto's?
 
I like Nitto NT01. They are dry weather only pretty much, and soft. 245 40 17 up front 275 45 17 out back. Lately I've been thinking of going back to a M&H 275 50 17 drag radial out back.
 
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