Update as of 9/20/2011

I took the tires to Discount Tire last week and they confirmed they were terribly out of balance and the tire pressures were way off.
So, after they rebalanced the tires and adjusted the pressure, the car feels much better.

To top it off, I installed new Eiback spings last week which ride very smoothly and give the car a much better stance.
I had a chance to take the car to a 4 hr SC/NC mountain run this Sunday afternoon, and all I can say is WOW.

This wheel/tire combo is truly awesome, and with the new suspension enhancements, the car handles way better than stock.
I am now very happy with my wheel, tire and suspension choice, and would recommmend it to anyone.
Yes, I know there are better handling tires out there, and better looking lighter wheels as well as better suspension, but this setup really did it for me and fits my needs perfectly (daily driving with an occasional mountain run)

Thanks!

Here are some pics of the new setup:

S2K w/ TSW Nurburgrings/ Conti DW and Eibach

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Hello fellow members!

I just recently decided to replace my OEM Ap2v2 wheels and worn out Bridgestone Re50 tires. After much research, I decided to go with a new set of TSW Nurburgring/Continental DW.
Below are the specs I chose:
Front : 17x7.5 ET45 w/ 225/45R17
Rear: 17x9 ET 63 w 255/40R17

I thought this setup would handle great, but after proper installation the steering now feels much looser and less responsive.
I know going from the stock 215 to 225 would have an effect on the handling, but I wouldn't have thought it would be this much.
I ried to stay with the staggered setup to avoid any handling issues since my car is a daily driver.

If anyone hads any similar experiences or input on what I should do please let me know.

Thanks!

 

my guess would be that the continentals have a 340 treadwear which is pretty hard. plus they may have the oily film on them that will wear off after a couple hundred miles. how many miles have you put on them so far?

just for comparison- a lot of us prefer dunlop star specs (200 treadwear) and hankook rs-3 (140 treadwear) so you see why I said 340 is high. good call on the nurburgrings- those are quickly growing on me.

 

I also just installed the same rims but with front 225 and rear 275 Toyo R888 tires. The car handled fine but I did have to raise the front (via coilovers) slighty as they rubbed at Big Willow race track. Steering felt fine. I like the rims.

 

Based on what I have read from reviews about Continental tires, they are known to have soft sidewalls, compared to the RE050's which have very stiff sidewalls. This is probably the cause for the change.

When I bought my ap1, It had all seasons with very soft sidewalls. Combine that with the ap1's twitchy handling dynamics, and was pretty unnerving when pushing the car. You could try adjusting the tire pressure and see what affect that has.

 

Thank you guys for all the feedback. I have only put about 20-30 miles on these tires, so if the oily thing you mention is the case I guess I can wait. Otherwise i was going to be calling Discount Tire and seeing if i can get some different tires.
I did n't want to go too wide since I will be lowering the car about 1 inch on eibachs and didn't know if that was going to be a problem.
I was going to wait until after installing my new springs before re-aligning the car to see if that made a difference.
Oh, and I picked these tires based on the reviews which seem pretty favorable based on treadwear, quietness, adn grip in the dry/wet.

Thanks!

 

Different tires is probably the way to go... different sizes of the same tire is not the way to go. I don't think you should consider that.

Full thread depth will slow the response time from the "squirm". That added to the softer sidewall of the tires you picked probably make the car feel like its numb compared to what you're used to.

If anything, a larger tread patch up front should increase handling responsiveness, but perhaps feel a little heavier on the steering inputs (thats what I notice when I got from 225 all seasons to my 255 summer tires for autocross)

I have the 17x9 +63 TSW nurburging all around with hankook rs3 tires for my autocross set-up. I love the combo.... unless it rains... or is under 60 degrees out. Then the hankooks get a little scary.

 

THe DW's will not be as responsive as the RE050's... I have them on my car, but they will get more responsive after you put a few hundred miles on them, plus some more air pressure helps. BUt realize that although you will not have quite the responsiveness or dry grip, you will have MUCH better rain performance and ride quality. the DW's are pretty much the fastest street tires in the rain according to Grass Roots Motorsports Magazine (even faster than the top tier summer tires). So I would give it a few more gas tanks and some more PSI, and go from there.

 

Try running a little extra tire pressure and see if that helps.
Try 36psi per tire.
I have DWSs and they did feel a little floaty on centerline, but, are still responsive to steering input, and grip well in turns.

 

New tires ALWAYS feel loose and squirmy before they fully break in. Combine this with a slightly softer tire than your previous tire, and it explains what you are feeling.

 

Thank you for all the suggestions. I hope the tires do feel better after a few miles.