[Shotimes] 235x45x17 tires

Tue, 16 Sep 2003 15:40:28 -0400

If anything, the 911 is MUCH more sensitive to tires with it's shorter
wheelbase and lighter weight.

I was driving back from Chicago one day in a heavy rain. I-94 in western IN
is a rough road, and the left lane is quite rough. Traveling at 75-80 in the
rain, the car never lost composure when I hit puddles and/or rough spots in
the road with standing water. They were far better than the Dunlop D40M2s
that they replaced, although the D40s were getting worn.

Some of the "older folks" may remember the old Goodyear Eagle GTs that were
standard on many performance cars in the mid-late '80s. These were the most
god-awful tires in the rain!! In my '85 Vette, the '86 Z28, and my wife's
'89 GT 5.0, those cars would almost switch lanes when you hit any kind of
standing water.

I hope that, when folks speak of rain abilities, they aren't talking about
traction from a dead stop. To me, rain abilities deal with the
abovementioned "standing water" traction, as well as braking & cornering
abilities.

Another thing is that 235/45/17 tires on a SHO are just not going to be very
optimal in bad weather due to the lack of flexibility. FWIW, the 911 handles
better on the road with 225/50/16 Nittos on 16x8" rear rims than the
original D40M2s in a 245/45/16 size on 16x8 rims. I don't believe it's the
tires, but the taller sidewalls allow more compliance on "real world" roads
that more than make up for the narrower 225 (versus 245) width. I believe
that SHOs are the same way. For the weight and the quality of roads that
most of us drive on, I feel that a 225/55/16 will outhandle a 235/45/17 with
all else being equal.

Ron Porter

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael [mailto:molsen@excite.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 2:10 PM
To: ronporter@prodigy.net; shotimes@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: [Shotimes] 235x45x17 tires

It's interesting to see the polarized views about Nitto 450 traction
abilities.  Perhaps the Nittos behave differently on a RWD 911 than they do
on a FWD SHO?

94MTX,green,BOS+

 --- On Tue 09/16, Ron Porter < ronporter@prodigy.net > wrote:
From: Ron Porter [mailto: ronporter@prodigy.net]
To: shotimes@autox.team.net
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003 11:55:35 -0400
Subject: RE: [Shotimes] 235x45x17 tires

There have been a number of people using the 712s (on the 911 list
also), and they have various good & bad points, but the key thing seems
to be that they are truly summer-only tires. In the summer-only realm,
there have been, and currently are, tires that are very good for that
usage and in that price range (under $100). I will be interested
to see how the Nittos do when they wear down more (which may take years
on the 911), but I also found them to be very good in heavy rain, and I
have had the car out on cold, clear days and they felt fine in 30-degree
weather. If I only had one set of wheels and had to live with one set of
tires year-round on the SHO, I would go with the Nittos also. Ron
Porter -----Original Message----- From: Paul Nimz
[mailto:niks@dialnetwork.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 1:47
AM To: Ron Porter; 'Kirk Doucette';
1badsho@mail.tnh.net; shotimes@autox.team.net Subject: Re: [Shotimes]
235x45x17 tires I have the Kumhos 712 245/45/16s, and at Summit
Point could not get them to break lose (once I learned how to drive).
IMHO they are a great track tire, one of the first silica based tires,
excellent in rain, no good below 40F but I had a very difficult time
balancing them. I got about 20k on them. I also have the Nitto 450s
(225/50/16). Again IMHO this is a great highway and everyday use tire.
Good in the rain, rides nice, no balance problems, usable all year (but
not a snow tire), good at the strip and very good, even wear. I am
at the point where I need new tires for the '97 and I probably will
go with the Nittos. Paul Nimz '97 TR '93 EG
mtx _______________________________________________ Shotimes mailing
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