93 replies to this topic

[nolimits76]

What tires do you guys recommend for a combo daily driver/strip car?  

 

I live in Oklahoma, so I see a combo of weather.  Summers are brutal.  Not uncommon to see 105+ temps with high humidity.  Winters is anyone's guess.  Some there is no ice or snow, others we might get 3-5".  It's unusual to get much more.  If it gets too crappy I will drive the Xterra.  But since the Challenger is my primary driver, that is an inconvenience if the roads are passable within reason.  During spring, we see a fair amount of rain.

 

Currently I am looking at the following tires:

 

Cooper Zeon RS3-S (about $625 for set of 4 with current rebates, etc)

 

Continental DWS (about $845 for set of 4 with current rebates, etc)

 

Nitto Motivo (about $815 for set of 4 with current rebates, etc)

 

I am still deciding on rims, but foresee a staggered setup.  Probably run 245/45's up front.  On the rears I can get some 315/35's in the DWS & Motivos.  The Zeon's are only available in a 275/40.  If I run 275's in the rear, I considered just going that way on all 4 corners.  Prices reflect the larger sizes.

 

Anyhow, any experiences with these tires and potential sizes?  Any issues I should be aware of?  Great stories?

 

Years ago, I ran the Zeon LTZ on my Titan truck and loved'm.  The money side is nice, but would prefer something bigger than 275 on the rear, although not a deal breaker.  Also, I think the Coopers are the only "summer" tire whereas the others are more all seasons.

[vhfan]

I also have the Conti DWS tires and they've been excellent.  Would buy them again and recommend them to anyone.  They are pricey (to me) but worth it.

[Goehner]

I also have the Conti DWS tires and they've been excellent.  Would buy them again and recommend them to anyone.  They are pricey (to me) but worth it.

 

Welcome to MMF.

[novawagonmaster]

Conti DWS is a great tire. Lots of good feedback from my customers on that tire (we get plenty of rain and snow here).

[nolimits76]

I need to do more research but is anyone running the Conti's in a 315/35 on the rear? Fitment okay or did you require rolling fenders or other mods to get them to fit? I've heard of 315's fitting but thought they were a bit finicky. FYI my RT is running SRT springs and shocks. All other components stock.

Also, are these bi directional? Running a staggered setup i would like to at least rotate left/right if possible.

[novawagonmaster]

Contis are asymmetrical, so there is a "inside" and "outside" to the tread. They are not directional, so you can rotate as desired.

[TA340]

Conti's but I am biased since I work for the company. But seriously the Extreme DWS is a great all around tire. Ran thru two sets on my old SRT Grand Cherokee.

[Goehner]

I need to do more research but is anyone running the Conti's in a 315/35 on the rear? Fitment okay or did you require rolling fenders or other mods to get them to fit? I've heard of 315's fitting but thought they were a bit finicky. FYI my RT is running SRT springs and shocks. All other components stock.
Also, are these bi directional? Running a staggered setup i would like to at least rotate left/right if possible.

What size rim are you running, that would worry me more if you were 20x8

[TimeWaitsFNM]

Kenny, you hook on those DWS? I was thinking they'd be my next set when the Nittos are done.

[nolimits76]

What size rim are you running, that would worry me more if you were 20x8

 

I wouldn't push an 8" rim that far either.  I haven't decided 100% on the wheels, but heavily leaning towards a staggered set of 20x8.5's for the front & 20x10's for the rear.  I think 10" is the minimum recommended width for that tire size according to the Conti website data.

[nolimits76]

Conti's but I am biased since I work for the company. But seriously the Extreme DWS is a great all around tire. Ran thru two sets on my old SRT Grand Cherokee.

 

That is cool.  I didn't realize we had a tire guy here.

 

What kind of mileage did you get out of the DWS?  The website shows them as 50k tires.  I'd be happy to see 35-40k.

 

My stock Michelins are practically gone, and I just turned 20k.

 

Maybe I drive too aggresive.  

[TA340]

You will get 40k no problem. I replaced my first set on my Jeep at 40k but could have got another 10k easy (and I drove that car the way it was meant to be driven ). I only changed them because I get them for free and it is already a challenge in the snow running 275's in the front and 315's in the rear so I wanted max tread. They are quiet, balance nicely, and do well in the rain and snow. Have a cool tread and are really a good deal price wise for the performance you get.

I am actually not in the Tire Division, I am in the brake group (calipers, boosters, ESC systems, etc) but I know a lot of the tire guys.

[sharkcohen]

Good to hear all the positive feedback on the DWS. When it comes time to replace the factory Eagles, I'm going to get the Contis.

[nolimits76]

Thanks for all the feedback. Sounds like the DWS is exactly the tire I need and want. A little pricey compared to others but getting 40k of wear when you beat on a tire and can run it year round is stellar.

I appreciate all the advice.

Now I just need to decide on the damn wheels so I can get everything bought.

One last question....TA you mentioned you ran a 275 and 315 setup. Any cons to that? I've heard some guys running that same setup on Challengers although a 245 on the front is more common. Not sure that 245 would help much in the front when in crappy weather when you have that fat 315 in the back but I could be wrong.

My initial thought was the 245 and 315 setup. If I have fitment issues with the 315 I will drop down to the 295/40 for the rear.

[TA340]

There is really no con to running a 275 in the front (if you run a 315 in the rear on a rear wheel drive car driving in the snow will be challenging regardless of what is on the front. ). A lot of guys do it and there does not seem to be a fitment issue with such a large tire on the front although you will be close to the upper control arm ball joint stud but this is also dependent on wheel offset as well. I also ran the 275 in the front and the 315 in the rear because I always want the same rolling radius front to rear. You can vary this by a couple of percentage points but when you go more than 2 or 3% the ESP and ABS can start to perform a little different (means false activations).

[sloan1]

I have 315-35-20 on the rear and 275-40-20 on the frt of the conti. extrem contact DWS and they dont hit at all. I had some bridgestone of the same size and they hit the inside rear fenders wells a lot. Here's a pic of the Extrem contacts-
 car3.JPG   88.32KB   39 downloads

[nolimits76]

There is really no con to running a 275 in the front (if you run a 315 in the rear on a rear wheel drive car driving in the snow will be challenging regardless of what is on the front. ). A lot of guys do it and there does not seem to be a fitment issue with such a large tire on the front although you will be close to the upper control arm ball joint stud but this is also dependent on wheel offset as well. I also ran the 275 in the front and the 315 in the rear because I always want the same rolling radius front to rear. You can vary this by a couple of percentage points but when you go more than 2 or 3% the ESP and ABS can start to perform a little different (means false activations).

 

 

Glad to hear someone else believes different radius of tires are bad.  I've heard and believed that for years myself.  It just makes sense, especially with all the "new" computers that are onboard.  Plus it was big taboo when I had my Jeep Wrangler.  Any time you have a 4x4 transmission it's important to keep the tires all the same radius....unless you enjoy replacing transmissions.

 

Plus, and maybe I'm in the minority, but visually I never cared for the raked look.  Although in fairness, very minor differences most people cannot visually notice...most people.

 

By the way....the front rims I am looking at are 20x8.5 with a +20mm (5.5" backspace).  The rears are 20x10 with a +18mm offset (6.25" backspace).  I think that will be cutting it tight, but thus far that is one of the better fitting set of wheels I've found (that also appeals to me visually).

 

 

I have 315-35-20 on the rear and 275-40-20 on the frt of the conti. extrem contact DWS and they dont hit at all. I had some bridgestone of the same size and they hit the inside rear fenders wells a lot. Here's a pic of the Extrem contacts-
car3.JPG

car2.JPG

 

Sloan....am I seeing correctly...are those the stock Alcoa rims and you are squeezing a 315 on the back?  I thought those rims were only 9" wide?  Any issues?  Premature wear I am guessing?

 

 

I went with the 295/40/20 on the rear because they have a taller sidewall, my thinking was the extra sidewall would absorb some of the shock with a 6spd car and help hooking it up, seems to have worked.

Now with that said, the only down fall I have found is with the taller sidewall the tires are only rated for 168mph which turned into an issue for me running the Texas Mile so I bought another set of tires & rims that are rated to 198mph just for running the Mile races.

 

Interesting theory.  I have a 6-speed also, so I am all ears to this.  

 

Running the math, it appears there is a 15.5mm (just shy of 5/8") difference in height between the 295/40's and 315/35's.  That difference is both the "top" and "bottom" sidewall pieces of the tire (assuming the rim is the "center").  I would think only the "bottom" half matters as it's the part that will flex when the tire is put in force.  So really we are talking a difference of 7.75mm (or just shy of 5/16...just a hair over 1/4").    

 

Am I looking at that right?  And if so, will that small of a difference equate to more (noticeable) wheel hop?  Mathematically it doesn't look like it would, but I realize real world application trumps that.  Have you ever had a chance to run 315's (same tire) to see how they compared?