Looking for advice on new tires (good ones) & new rims (cheap!)

[MikeM]

OK, so I am thinking that I will take the factory tires & wheels off the car while there is still a bit of tread left . . . that way I will always have the "original tires" and also I won't have to dismount them from the original wheels.

So, I need some advice on good performance tires (summer only) that would be good for all-around driving, but will hook up if I decide to put the hammer down at a green light.

I only care about dry-pavement traction & handling; wet weather is something I try to avoid with this car whenever possible.

Regarding size: I still have the factory 16's right now . . . not opposed to going larger, but I definitely don't want to modify anything else, so I'm looking for something that will fit the factory setup. Can you put 18's on a 4th gen without changing anything else?

And finally, any advice on cheap, decent-looking rims to put these on? I'm not overly concerned about style, but I don't want something fugly. And just so you know, I dislike Corvette-style wheels on an F-body . . . I like 'em on Corvettes, but something just rubs me wrong when you put them on a Firebird. (No offense to those out there who disagree with me! It's just personal preference.) I'd be happy with another set of factory rims, except that I might want to go bigger with the tires which would rule this out.

I'm OK with used rims if anyone knows of any for sale out there which fit the criteria.

Thoughts? Any opinions you have would be much appreciated!

[BP_Z28]

You can fit 18's perfectly fine. Just need to make sure they are the same bolt pattern and the backspacing will work.

You can fit some 255's fine on a 16" rim. Even a good 245/50/16 will work for you.

[Formul8d]

I'm one of the fbody guys running vette rims, and I'm running 18x9.5 rims with 275/35/18 tires with zero rubbing issues. Your backspacing will be the biggest make it or break it though.

Sent from my broken out Pantech Breakout using Tapatalk

[BP_Z28]

Dont forget offest... wheels will make or break your car. Chose wisely

[JoeliusZ28]

I recommend riken raptors for street tires. They have treated me very well on my 18s.

[Darren]

Fred is selling his trans am wheels if you wanted to keep that look...

I second Riken raptors no complaints with mine on my 17's. although I haven't put that many miles on those wheels....


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[ryanwarby01]

I have 18x10.5 w/ +53mm offset. No rubbing and no spacers. I used to have goodyear supercar f1 tires and they wouldn't hook at all. These are new and look like they have some potential: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MTT-90000001600/

[jetice]

Hmm, didn't know the raptors came in 18s. Saaaaweeeet!

[Formul8d]

I'm sure you can find them, but about a month ago when I ordered my Falkens everywhere I looked they were out of stock on the Riken Raptors in the size I wanted. They are awesome tires though, I used to run them on my bolt on LS1 trans am and could barely break them loose from a dig with a 3600 stall. I personally went with Falken FK452's and was pulling 2.0 60' times with these tires last weekend while others were pulling 2.3's for the most part.

[nascarnate326]

Nexen N3000 is what I have on my car, love them. I would go with a standard sized 275 40 17.