I know that 17x9" wheels with 255/40 tires are a popular, "meaty" set up which is exactly what I'm going for.

On my particular setup, I'm going to have very little room to work with so I want to go with a tire that has the smallest sectional width. I looked at all the numbers on Tire Rack but was hoping I could get FIRST HAND experiences on these tires (pics of the tires mounted would be a major plus).

RE11s and RS3s have sectional widths of 10.2" while Dunlop Star Specs seem to be the fattest at 10.4". I'm not entirely sure how accurate these numbers are, which is why I don't want to rely on just numbers.

For a 17x9" wheel, what tire would you recommend that runs the least wide and has the least amount of sidewall bulge? Any other comparable tires not listed? I can step down to 245/40/17 but it's not exactly ideal since the sidewall is too short.

Pics would be great! Thanks in advance

 

why not a 245/45/17?

 

I have 17x9 255/40 all around and i dont have any bulge

ive had nt05s star specs and rs3s on these rims

 

It's too tall, it's a little over 15mm taller than 255/40 which is already pushing it.

Relative to the actual 9" wide rim, how much wider is the widest point of the 255/40 tire? I think my 17x9" rim is just barely going to slide under the fender with some camber, so the tire can't be too fat or bulge in the middle of the sidewall.

 

Then run 245/40/17. Common size.

 

What is the offset of the wheels you are trying to fit? If you are that worried about bulge I would go the 245/40 route. If you do that, I would recommend getting one of the tires that run wide (like star specs) so you can maximize traction.

 

Going 245/40 is my last resort, which is why I want to try and make 255/40 work.

If I can confirm that one of these 255/40 tires do not run too wide and have a stiff, straight up and down sidewall - then I think it should work. Can anyone comment on which tire would be best for my situation? RS3, RE11, Star Spec, etc.

Some close-up pictures from the front of the wheel to show the width and sidewall characteristics of the tire would be VERY helpful. I'm looking for pictures like this one:



^ That's a 255/40 Nitto NT01 on a 17x9". You can see that it runs way too wide and the sidewall bulges too much...


Regarding 245/40, if I did end up going this way, I'm curious to see if I can run a R888. I'm wondering how wide a R888 in 245/40 would be on 17x9.

 

best i can do, thats a star spec

 

RE11 appears to be the most narrow from all that I've seen and it has a very round profile vs the more square profile of the Star Spec and RS3.

 

I'm curious as to why 245/40 is too short of a sidewall for you? 255 changes the gear ratio and speedo from factory just fyi.

I'd be more concerned with tire compound and what your using it for. If it were me id get the most traction for the size. I guess I’m unclear of what the motive is in selecting a narrow 255, this would be helpful.