Anyone tried a 9" wheel with 255/40/17 tires on the front on a 996 narrow body for track days with ROW/M030 suspension. Looking at some options for carrying a bit more speed...

tia
Jeremy

forgot to add 17" wheels

 

I believe a 255 will rub the wheel well. I use 9x18" wheels and 245/40/18 RA1's on the front with no issues at all.

 

I'm going to try 9.5 soon

 

Heavy,

I'm thinking 9.5 for my next set also. Nitto NT-01 makes a 275 that I think will go in there nicely with the right offset dimensions. I have a pretty good idea what they should be but want to run it past John at CCW before I do anything. Thinking 12.5 for the rear.

 

WOW, 9.5 with 275's, that's a lot of tire. I dont think that will fit.

Why would you want 12.5 in the rear? Dont the 12's rub already?

 

I think I've figured out a way to make the 275's fit with 9.5 wheel. In the rear I am rubbing now but have figured a way to gain more clearance.

 

But I was thinking you werent having traction problems, other than the drag strip, which was camber related.

 

I'm thinking about the track and getting a bigger contact patch on the asphalt. Should give better braking and cornering capabilities in the hands of a skilled pilot.

 

Well if you go bigger let me know, I might be interested in buying your wheels and powder coating them. As I have talked to CCW about some RS14's. Speaking of which, did you ever have mike do anything to your wheels.

 

by going 275 and 9.5" up front will increase understeer and limit your ability to get more neg camber. unless you widen the fenders to increase clearence.

 

Heavy,

I don't plan to sell my OEM wheels. Mike is supposed to powder coat my new wheels sometime in January.

Oak,

Thanks for that input. I am at a little over 3 now and that's about all I plan to run on the street, since this is a combo street/track car.

I don't understand why the larger tire would increase my understeer. I would be grateful if you would take the time to explain that for me.

 

al, with -3 neg how can you go 275 and 9.5"? curoious as to how you will acheive this with out modified fenders.

generally the wider you go upfront increases traction and has a tendency to "push" on turn-in if you don't increase -neg camber. this would be almost impossible with out some type of major modifications to the fenders and internals. me's think the geometry will not support 275's on 9.5". but hey, what do I know... keep us posted as I would be the next to do this if you pull it off.

 

Oak,

I didn't get e-mailed that you had responded, so I'm tardy with my response. CCW is sending me a 9.5 wheel with a 275/35 tire of some kind mounted on it. This will give me a reasonable idea as to whether or not this will work. I'll be gone over the Holidays, so won't have a chance to try it until after the first of the year. I'll post results.

 

9.5X18 wheel with Hoosier 275 mounted and that is supposedly the widest X-section of all tires in the 275 department.

I will receive the mock-up January 2, and should have answers by the following weekend. I will keep interested parties up to date. If it requires anything other then inner-liner modifications, I will not be a player. We have those little louvers to the front and Neil Orton says I can cut those out and mesh the area thus gaining about 4mm of extra clearance.

Next project will be to get 12.5" wheel in rear with Hoosier 335 attached. Think I can do that also.

Oak, I still don't understand the understeer issue with more front-end contact patch on the road. I always thought that with high-powered AWD cars (such as mine), the more rubber the better.

 

al,
with the front to have a tendency to push, going wider will seem to increase understeer with out gaining much more neg camber. to gain more neg camber with 275's seems like you will start to hit your springs/strut. unless you plan on redoing your front to 2wd and rs suspension carriers and gt arms and wider fenders you will be limited on max neg camber to get the most out of 275's up front. but hey, let me know if you pull it off!

wider isn't always better unless you can dial out the push with more neg camber.