Tire size questions

[widget777]

I have a 78 280Z that has 14 inch mags. I want to upgrade to 15x7 in mags. What tire size should I use? Any recommendations on brand and source of tires and wheels? I have been a Michelin guy for years but I am open to talk about a different brand. My driving will be normal touring and town driving. I do not expect to do any handling rallys but will push the car on the country roads in my town so a good balance of handling and tread wear would be nice. Thanks for your attention

[Arne]

The two most popular 15" sizes for a Z are 205/60-15 and 225/50-15. The 205/60 is very close (within 2-3%) to the height and overall diameter of the stock 195/70-14, and will keep the speedo reasonably accurate. 225/50 is wider, and potentially better handling, but typically harsher riding, and quicker wearing. It is also a bit shorter than stock, and so your speedo will read a bit faster than actual speed.

[plutovitch]

Good question Widgett,

Im in the market for a set of tyres to go with my new Konig Rewings (15 x 7) and was leaning towards the 225/50s. My local Jax (tyres) dealer was horrified that I was thinking of putting 225s on. His opion was that I would have tracking problems with the car, where the steering would tend to follow the surface of the road (pretty rough around here) and recommended the 205/60s. My other concern with the 225s would be low speed turning, Im running 195/65hr14s currently and parking takes some effort, another 30mm on the width cant help.

Anyone had issues with the 225s? Purely street, no track

[sakijo]

Wider tires make for difficult low speed manuvers, especially if you don't have power steering. I have 195/55/15 on the front of my car and it's hard to pull into a parking space. The only reason that I have that tire on the front is for the "rake" - low front/high rear. My rear tires are the "correct" 205/60/15 for the speedo. I would go with the 205/60.

Tire-wise, as a Toyo convert, I am pretty much impressed with the BFGs I recently bought. I suggest giving Tire Rack a call. They are very helpful in tire selection. I was going with a Yokohama (rear) - Sumitomo (front) combination, but they suggested the BFG after asking a lot of questions (driving conditions, expectations, driving habits, etc . . . ).

[Arne]

I plan to stay with 14" to keep the total "period-correct" look, but if I were going to use 15", for street use I'd go with the 205/60s myself.

[zguitar71]

205/60/15 Yokohama ES 100's would be a great tire for you. The right size, not too hard for parking, good compound for handeling and the narrower tire should not follow the ruts as bad (if your allignment is right). If your car is not lowered then they will look better too. The 225/50's would have a gap between the tire and the fender, which (imo) looks weird.

EDIT: And they are not too pricey.

[Darkstar]

Talk about parking problems... My car used to have the orignial steelies with a bit of metal welded to the outside (!) making them a lot wider. The tyres were Dunlops with so few tread that they looked like slicks, there was absolutely no pressure in front tyres, and their width was 225 front and 245 rear... On a stock car. Now THAT was tiring. 225's at the rear shouldn't be that bad, after all there are Supra guys who run 285's or 305's at the rear and don't complain about the ride quality.

[mars23z]

I run 225/50/15 on the back and 205/50/15 on the front no rubbing and it looks really good little fatter in the back but not enough that it effects the handling in a negative way actually it handles better then with the 195/60/14 i had before they are Hankook ventus really grippy and my suspension is stock

[DougN]

I have the 15" American Racing wheels (that look just like the 14" 5 slot mags common to Z-cars) (see my gallery for photos of the wheels). I am currently running 195/60/15's on the car, and will be switching to 195/65/15's (to get a little more sidewall) with the next set of tires this fall.

[240ZMan]

I agree with ZGuitar71's comment about the Yokohama ES100s. I have a set right now (225/50-16) and all in all, they are a very forgiving tire. They break away very gently when pushed too hard, and I haven't experienced the excessive highway noise others have complained about. I don't drive in the wet much, but the few times I was out I was very impressed with their stick. But ... they are pretty soft and are not going to give you a long life. After 2 track days and about 5k miles of spirited driving, they have about 50% tread left. From widget777's description, I don't think you drive as hard as I do, but still, be prepared for a shorter rather than longer tire life.

Of course, the other way to look at it is that you get to try a wider variety of tires:)