I am posting here instead of the Wheels & Tires forum because this is specific to the SC300/400...

I have read Iain's treatise on tires on the LSOC forum and am ordering a set for my SC400. I have Supra TT wheels, the same staggered set Iain has, 17x8 front and 17x9.5 rear.

I am ordering 235/45-17s for the front and 255/45-17s for the rear. Iain runs 265/40-17 in the rear, but I want to stay with a 45 sidewall to maintain as much ride comfort as I can. The rolling diameter of the 255/45 is 0.3 inches larger than stock (26.0 vs. 25.7) and the circumference is within 1% of stock.

I know lex400sc and others here also have the Supra TT wheels, and I need some input here.

Tire Rack called me this morning and said they don't recommend the 255/45-17 on the rear because of "interference problems." They say the diameter isn't the issue - they claim the tire is too wide and it "might" rub.

I would appreciate any feedback from anyone (lex400sc? Didn't you get new tires recently?) who is running this setup. Is there any possibility that those tires will rub in back, or is Tire Rack just being over-protective of its valued customer?

 

I have 255's all around on my supra TT rims. They dont rub in the back, and they should be fine up front if you want those too because i have drop and that is pretty far...

you should be fine with 255's in the back.

Kevin

 

Thanks lexcoupe. Are your tires 255/45's? I'm guessing they are, since that size is so close to stock in diameter.

I found some width info at the Kumho site - it says that 255/45-17s are 10.0" wide on 8.5" wheels, so I am assuming they would be a little wider on the 9.5's in back. Stock tires on oem rims are 9.2" wide. I am also assuming that is max width at the sidewalls, not contact patch width.

The reason I'm hammering on this issue is Tire rack will not accept returns on any tires they don't "recommend" once the tires have been mounted.

 

i have 275's on back of mine and they are fine :-\

 

I also run 275/40/17 on the rear with no problems

 

Considering that a couple of guys have run 315 BFG DR's in back on Supra rims, i'm sure they'll clear, even though that's of course too much tyre for a 9.5" rim, but looks great, you've got to admit....

 

Like Dimcorner and Dewsc300, I have supra rims with 275/40/17's on back as well.

I'll actually be selling my supra rims and tires at the end of April if anyone is interested.

 

TireRack is just overly cautious. They were hesitant to sell me Yoko AVS tires because they thought the tires wouldn't be able to safely bear the weight of my car. I convinced the guy to sell me them and everything would be okay, and so they did. I don't think 255/45 will rub on the stock suspension, aftermarket suspensions, or Supra aftermarket suspensions. The Supra wheel offset tucks the front and rears about 15-25mm into the well on the SC. I am even doubtful that the tires will rub with a lower suspension and 25mm spacers installed (which is my plan anyway).

 

255/40/17 in the rear for me and no problems at all. I would recommend a 265 or 275 to you though because perosnally I think my rears look a little off compared to the front where the tires bulges just a bit. Next time I will go with the 265/275 fitment.
Also, your concern about the ride comfort is not warranted (IMHO). You probably wouldn'even notice the difference between a 45 and going down to a 40 sidewall.


Good luck and let us know what you end up doing!

Tim

 

thanks all, and thanks mods for moving the thread here, great response, will report back with pix

 

got 'em mounted today, one short rush hour drive across town so far, no problems!



I LIKE it!

Pix to follow - the rears especially really fill out the fenders nicely - I took a bunch of pix from diff. angles with the old wheels last summer, will take new pix from the same angles as soon as it quits RAINING - -

 

One thing nobody mentioned- the rear tire is almost 3/4" taller than the front. This may affect your ABS and/or traction control... perhaps it won't.

I wouldn't recommend it either, except for old Novas and Camaros with traction bars !

 

You're right. Stock diameter is 25.8 inches. New front is 25.3, new rear is 26.1 - total difference 0.8 inches. But if I understand how they work ( ) ABS basically looks for one wheel that has stopped turning, and TRAC only monitors the rear wheels. I will let you know how it responds the next time I lock 'em up or stomp on the gas on a wet curvy road...