a 275/40r17 on the rear of an e36 M3? with just a fender roll.

i think it can be done with a fender roll, and taking a hammer to the inner wheel well...............but you're better off asking the "Track Junkies", they'll know for sure.....

I don't think it's possible without flaring the fenders. Rolling them wouldn't be enough IMO.

Maybe with additional camber as well as a bunch of hammering, but then again, that kind of defeats the purpose of wider tires.

you may have to have a bodyshop grind down/smoothen the inner reinforcement lip to make room for the extra meat. Running 275s will throw your diff ratio off. Whats wrong with running 245s or 255s?

There are no good drag radials available in a 245 or 255 size on a 17" rim.

Steve

Try a 16" cragar or US wheel steelie.

That is, if this is for strip visits only. If its for street.,......yer kinda stuck.

i was taking a look around in there and it will be tight as hell with a 275. i think a 255 is the way i am gonna have to go. right now i run a 235/40 on an 8.5 rim with et 31. and that is snug.

If you want 1/4 type tires, I say do what you gotta do. But otherwise going that wide with standard street tires might not make the difference you are expecting. Besides that you will be much further away from stock overall diameter with 275/40/18s then with 265/35/18s...

I have 265's in the rear with a rolled and hammered fender.... 275s will not fit on my car.

Les

There are no good drag radials available in a 245 or 255 size on a 17" rim.

Steve
i dont think Drew's looking for drags.

i dont think Drew's looking for drags.


that is correct i have been looking at a set of the bf goodrich g-force T/A KDW's. i want good traction in wet and dry. i like driving my car all the time and would hate to not be able to drive in anything except snow.

In that case, I would certainly agree that 275's are probably overkill, other than the fact that they would look pretty cool!

In that case, I would certainly agree that 275's are probably overkill, other than the fact that they would look pretty cool!


i just still have the mentality that wider is better.

That's ok, you are allowed, as long as Michael (Techno550) doesn't hear you say that!!!

:D

And Drew...you'll have a fast car, with good grunt, but you won't enough torque to totally overwhelm a good street set of 245/40-17's on dry pavement, even if you drag launch out of the hole.

The turbo/TS guys bag on the "lack of torque" aspect of a CF blower all the time...me, I think it's a positive when it comes to putting the power down to the ground.

But some people like melting tires in third gear. Different strokes, and all that.

As far as looks, yeah, more meat in the back looks badass (if you can make the sheemetal cooperate). Based on what the SM guys run, big meat is the way to go for autox. But that's for cornering, not for hooking up out of the hole...too much rubber will tend to slow you down in terms of acceleration.

I guess you have to ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish. Are you wanting to autox? Are you just wanting to look good or more unique?(nothing wrong with that).

If so, go for it.

But if you're worried that your Vortech setup is going to put you sideways when it rains, don't be. It can, but so can a stock 318. With quality summer performance tires in stock (or plus) sizing, you shouldn't have any worries as long as you respect the laws of physics as applied when you depress the fun pedal and/or turn the tiller.

And in the snow, all bets are off, so 275's won't do you any more good than 235's.

And Drew...you'll have a fast car, with good grunt, but you won't enough torque to totally overwhelm a good street set of 245/40-17's on dry pavement, even if you drag launch out of the hole.

The turbo/TS guys bag on the "lack of torque" aspect of a CF blower all the time...me, I think it's a positive when it comes to putting the power down to the ground.

But some people like melting tires in third gear. Different strokes, and all that.

As far as looks, yeah, more meat in the back looks badass (if you can make the sheemetal cooperate). Based on what the SM guys run, big meat is the way to go for autox. But that's for cornering, not for hooking up out of the hole...too much rubber will tend to slow you down in terms of acceleration.

I guess you have to ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish. Are you wanting to autox? Are you just wanting to look good or more unique?(nothing wrong with that).

If so, go for it.

But if you're worried that your Vortech setup is going to put you sideways when it rains, don't be. It can, but so can a stock 318. With quality summer performance tires in stock (or plus) sizing, you shouldn't have any worries as long as you respect the laws of physics as applied when you depress the fun pedal and/or turn the tiller.

And in the snow, all bets are off, so 275's won't do you any more good than 235's.


that is a great answer. the truth is i like spirited street driving. with the once a month to the drag strip and maybe an autocross or two. so i think a set of the KDW's in 228/45 up front and 255/40 in the rear would be fine for what i am looking for.

That's ok, you are allowed, as long as Michael (Techno550) doesn't hear you say that!!!

:D
:devillook

Drew, my thoughts specifically for drag racing:

With a high horsepower car you're going to need all the rubber you can fit to optimise your launch.

Whoever said that you won't break traction with 245 R17 tyres isn't talking about a high horsepower car. Maybe a stock M3.

Here are the facts about drag racing and tyre choice.

There are no two ways about it, a large profile tyre will clobber a small profile tyre every time. Drag radials will outperform street radials. Slicks will outperform drag radials.

If you want to harness the peformance of your modified car then fitting up slicks is the only meaningful answer. Ask Ulysses!

To fit slicks you need to fit 15" wheels on both front and rear; NHRA rules prohibit mixing slicks on the rear with radials on the front.

For the fronts you want a 15"x4" wheel with narrow hard front runners. Something like Mickey Thompson "ET Fronts".

For the rears you want the tallest, widest slick you can fit inside your wheel well. For an E36 M3 with unmodified bodywork (but perhaps with rolled guards) it seems to me that the biggest slick you're going to fit is Mickey Thompson ET Drag in 26" x 8.5". That would fit on a 15" x 8" wheel or thereabouts (7" - 9" wheel width).

The 26x8.5 has a sidewall width of 9.9". The next step up is 26x10 which has a sidewall width of 11.6". I don't think it would clear your bodywork, especially with low pressure and a hard launch.

If you don't go with a slick but want a drag radial, then stay with a 15" wheel and get MT ET Street Radials. The 19", 18" and 17" alleged drag radials are that in name alone. You cannot get a hard launch without a good sidewall to flex and the low profile rubber just does not have much sidewall. All they offer is sticky rubber which can never compete with a nice sidewall.

The MT ET Street Radial in P235/60R15 fits on the same 15x8 wheel and has a sidewall width of 9.5" which should fit.

Hope this helps.