Tire Size

[ThermoDust]

So, I was thinking of installing wider tires onto my N/A and just wondering what size do you think would be the biggest I could go. And if I do go bigger I loose turning ability don't I?

[HCProgramr]

Tires are a delicate balance that relies just as much on driver style as it does car type. A Civic with uber-huge tires tells me that it's either drag modified or the driver has no idea how to corner. I know I'm not great, no need to announce it like that. Wider tires will increase overall grip, although at the costs of A) Additional rolling friction, which lowers speed, and B)Additional unsprung weight, which increases acceleration, deceleration, and steering response times [slower].

To be fair, B) won't add enough weight to be really noticible unless you either go mega-huge compared to stock or are running under race conditions.

I'm not sure, but I think wider tires also means shorter sidewalls. Sidewall height, IIRC, is a fraction of the width. That should offset the steering response times, and possibly even all of B). If you do, though, make sure they give you a set matched to the stock circumference, otherwise your speedometer will be innaccurate.

Hope that helps, at least until the vets get here.

[transamstealth]

so if i was to put 17 by 8 on my car it would be ok?

[Jeremy C]

The absolute widest tire that can fit a 3S in the front without sticking out of the wheel well is a 275.

What size rim do you have? I can give you some good choices to stuff on it while keeping the over all diameter close to stock for ya. :)

[Iceman_ii]

Something that hasn't been addressed is that breaking loose the tires is not necessarily a bad thing.

When you put a butt-load of torque to the wheels, breaking them loose keeps the full instantainious jolt of torque from hammering the drive line, where it could break something REALLY expensive.

[Jeremy C]

With wrong-wheel drive nothing short of Mickey Thompson E/T's will stop wheel spin. :D You're not going to get a street radial that will hold on our cars just because of the soft suspension and open diff.