Naaman

I'm going to be replacing the tires on my Camaro soon and have run into a little issue.


I currently have a square set up: 18x9" wheels with 275/35/18s.


What I'm hoping to understand is the effects that the wheel width (9" in this case) has on the tire's performance.


I know that a wider tire will bulge more on the sides when fitted to a narrower wheel.


What I'm wondering is how much of a tradeoff am I looking at by fitting the 275s to the narrowest recommended wheel width, vs., say, a 265?


If I understand contact patch physics correctly, the dimensions of the tire do not affect the total surface area of the contact patch, but rather the shape of it. But where I am a little confused is how the side wall flex/bulge (assuming proper inflation) will affect the performance and safety of the tire.


I was considering going to a 285 at all four corners, but it seems as though 285s will not fit properly on a 9" wheel.


Any advice? The car is a daily and is used for scenic road trips and canyon carving.


The tires I'm looking at are the Pilot Super Sports or possibly the A/S 3+.

leadfoot4

What year Camaro??

Naaman

1998

leadfoot4

I've always gone with as wide a wheel as possible, in order to provide as much stability to the sidewalls as possible. I've had 3 Camaro/Firebirds in the past. A 2nd gen, a 3rd gen, and a 4th gen. On the 4th gen car, a '96 Z/28, the last set of wheels/tires I had on it, was a 275/40/17 tire, on a 9.5" rim. From what I've heard, you can go as wide as a 10" rim, all the way around, on those cars.

You might find a lot more information on the "LS1tech.com" website.

Naaman

Thanks.

I've learned a lot from the F-body forums, thought I'd throw the question around here and see what came back.

New wheels aren't an option at the moment, so I'll have to run with the 9" wheel. I'll probably just go with 275s as I did originally.