You Need Wider Tires...Mmm No I Don't

So this past Saturday I was discussing the Foxbody Mustang In am buying with a friend.

When I told him it had 17" wheels he said "you can't get tires for them"

I said "tire rack has 235/45-17s"

He said "you need wider tires, at least 305s"

I replied "Mmm no I don't"

The car isn't meant to be a competitive autocross car or at time trials. It's simply a car to have some fun in. 

I find the idea that somehow a car becomes uncontrollable because it's on skinny tires; 1930s to 1950s GP cars seemed to be fine. 

I will admit that I am skewed because I am racing a car on 6" wide bias ply tires and also raced motorcycles that could spin the rear tire comping off 85 mph corners.

Cars on relatively skinny tires are fun. 

Compound trumps size, pretty much all the time.

I'll just post this here to back up Tom

https://youtu.be/HPh90yNX-mY

Chris Harris AMG C63 experiment on space saver spares

Insane grip on public roads isn't fun until you start going insane speeds.

I'd go for the skinnier tires. And find it extremely perplexing that we now consider 235's 'skinny', even if only relatively.

my DD has 185s.  I sometimes think about putting on 195s or 205s for MOAR GRIP!!!!  But then, the car is a little sketchy in the wet as it is.  Wider tires will just make it worse.  

(Yes, I should probably get some better tires for the car, but I'm cheap.  insert "good tires but not great tires" image)

"At least 305s"

Surely he can't be serious. A C7 Stingray doesn't even use 305s.

brandonsmash said:

"At least 305s"

Surely he can't be serious. A C7 Stingray doesn't even use 305s.

 

It does if it is racing. 315 seems the go to for most corvettes. Street cars, get whatever.

235s aren't exactly skinny

I've fallen down that trap before. My trans am runs 305s on all four and it looks amazing, but is way more grip than I'd ever need on a pure street car.

While 235s are a bit on the skinny side for a domestic, it's totally reasonable to want to learn the chassis dynamics.

I have wider tires on my BRZ. Just a smidge though. 

I like skinny tires and short skis. 
 

I don't need to win anything, I just want to have fun. 

My first NB Miata came with the stock 185/60/14 tires. My recently purchased ND-RF came from the previous owner with 225/45/17 Continentals on 17x8 rims. Does it stick? Why, yes it does. Can I drive it on local roads and utilize that much stick....Nope!....the trees are much too close to the road if something goes wrong. I'm actually thinking of buying a set of 17x7 wheels that will fit the ND (big brake calipers) and my MINI so that I can have a set of travel tires for road trips. I already have two sets of 205/45/17 tires to put on them, but the wheels won't fit both cars.  

As long as it's not my money, everyone needs wide, expensive tires 

In reply to theruleslawyer :

Sorry, I should clarify. The C7 Stingray *stock* does not even use 305s, and that's putting down a lot more power and has much more handling capability than a Fox-body Mustang unless the Mustang has been improbably modified. The C7 Z51 only used 285s out back.

this is right up there with the "you need a 3" lift" crap in the 4x4 world. No you don't. I also don't need 35" tyres. 

There is a guy on youtube I follow "the road chose me" and he builds sensible jeeps that he literally drives around the world. Mostly stock, but nicely upgraded. The hate in some of the comments just makes me shake my head.

Think you should take it to the next level with some skinny snow tires.

Olemiss540 said:

Think you should take it to the next level with some skinny snow tires.

My dream race car is a Pre-war Bugatti or Alfa......cuz skinny tires.

In my friend's defense he is a National Champ and always thinks along those lines.

He is also perplexed by my love of 70s motocross bikes.

If 235s are skinny, you need a smaller car.

Wide tires handle horribly on the street, unless you are a tramlining enthusiast.

Wide tyres are for grip, skinny tyres are for fun - especially on the street. Way back in the dawn of time I had a (homemade) Ford Econobox Mk1 RS2000 and I had two sets of wheels / tyres for it. Usual set were 215/60 x 13 on 8 inch rims, spare set were 165 x 13 (rally tyres) on 5 inch rims. The big wheels were on it most of the time but the rally tyres saw a decent amount of use as they used to go when I was servicing for real thing ... 

Just below my work at the was a large roundabout with excellent visibility all round... Skinny tyres you could drive it at 45 mph or so with no fuss or drama, 60 was an almost certain trip to the verge and anything between those speeds was escalating levels of "fun". The big tyres upped the no fuss speed to around 70 but 75 - 80 was an off - and the worst aspect was that it was inconsistent as to understeer / oversteer.

R

I looked long and hard for 215mm rubber for the van.  It already handles like crap, and if it saved me a little noise and 0.5 mpg, it would have been worth it.

I spent 25 years punishing my Impala SS on 255/55.  I once swapped to 285/50 and didn't notice anything other than they looked kinda nice.

In reply to RichardNZ :

I am fairly sure that 13x8s with 215/60 are visually perfect for a dogbone!

Tom1200 said:

My dream race car is a Pre-war Bugatti or Alfa......cuz skinny tires.

Mine is currently a pre-war Frazer Nash. Skinny tires, no differential, chain-gang transmission... So wrong it's right.

One of the things I always thought was interesting about Darrel Padberg's multi-time national champion CP (Fox) Mustang I used to see at autox'es, was how narrow of tires it ran compared to most of the other CP cars.

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

I like skinny tires and short skis. 
 

I don't need to win anything, I just want to have fun. 

There is a not politically correct (or just unkind) joke about a moped near this here I think.