brandonGT Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 so i'm in the process of buy 4 new tires for my 06 legacy gt with stock rims. I never see snow, roads are very good where I live, and I'm not into taking turns at high speeds. I really want the yokahoma 215/35R17's for max acceleration so my question is will this be an ok size tire to drive on a daily basis? Also, it will fit the stock 17 in rim, correct? any help would be great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 That's going to be like a rubber band! I replaced my stock tires with 215-40-17 Kumhos, and I thought I was pushing it. But they were an awesome deal so I went with them. 35 series will not be forgiving at all. Every bump will feel like you've blown a tire and your hitting the bare rim on the ground. OEM size is 215-45-17. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polo08816 Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 215/35/17 is just crazy. Why would you want to do that? It's probably more a more expensive tire size as well. If you want more acceleration, then you should get an AccessPort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandonGT Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 215/35/17 is just crazy. Why would you want to do that? It's probably more a more expensive tire size as well. If you want more acceleration, then you should get an AccessPort. I already have a tune for my car and I have to replace all 4 tires so I figured I would try to improve the acceleration even more. But if it really is that bad then I guess I'll reconsider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Just think of how harsh the ride will be and then decide if that's something you want to live with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 so i'm in the process of buy 4 new tires for my 06 legacy gt with stock rims. I never see snow, roads are very good where I live, and I'm not into taking turns at high speeds. I really want the yokahoma 215/35R17's for max acceleration so my question is will this be an ok size tire to drive on a daily basis? Also, it will fit the stock 17 in rim, correct? any help would be great! It will fit on the rim, BUT I doubt the tire will hold up for long cuz of the load capacity of the tire.. you'll be overloading the tire and stressing it out. It's ok for race use for short periods of driving-time or short stints like autocrossing or 1 or 2 laps of time attack, but not for daily driving, especially with potholes.. you can try and find something closer to a 225/40/17, and yes it can fit on the stock 17" rim. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandonGT Posted October 30, 2009 Author Share Posted October 30, 2009 It will fit on the rim, BUT I doubt the tire will hold up for long cuz of the load capacity of the tire.. you'll be overloading the tire and stressing it out. It's ok for race use for short periods of driving-time or short stints like autocrossing or 1 or 2 laps of time attack, but not for daily driving, especially with potholes.. you can try and find something closer to a 225/40/17, and yes it can fit on the stock 17" rim. Are you sure 225/40/17 fits the stock rim? Every tire I've seen that size says it's only for 7.5-8.5 in rims Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krzyss Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 What about load index? It is important too. Krzys PS Crossposting from nasioc ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandonGT Posted October 30, 2009 Author Share Posted October 30, 2009 What about load index? It is important too. Krzys PS Crossposting from nasioc ;-) what should i look for in load index? I don't know much about tires:redface: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krzyss Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 read this http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=33 and this http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35 Tires must be able to support car's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). Read this about GVWR: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_vehicle_weight Legacy already has quite low payload (900 lb if my memory servers me right) which means 5 adults without any luggage my overload the car. Now OE tires have load index 87 (Max Load 1201 lb) (read http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tirespecskey.jsp#maxload) but two tires available at tire rack in your selected size have load index 79 or 83 (963 lb or 1074lb). Legacy GT 2006 curb weight is 3435 lbs (GT Ltd Auto), weight distribution (taken from here http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_0602_midsize_awd_sedan_comparison/specs_price.html) is 57/43 which means that front tires must support 3435 lb *.57 = 1957.95 lb. Each front tire must be able to handle ~980lb even before the driver takes the seat. It disqualifies load index 79 as it cannot support empty car, unless you plan to remove the engine. Index 83 may support the car and you (depending on your weight but you may need to ask friends to walk). Let's assume that 900 lb payload is distributed equally between axles. It means that we need to add 900lb/4=225lb to load carrying capacity on each corner: 980+225=1205 It seems that original load index of 87 is 4lb short of my computation so I made somewhere wrong assumption (like F/R load distribution when loaded) :-) Now short take. Do not use tires with load index lower than OE. Many tire places will refuse to mount tires with lower load index as it may make them target of litigation in case of tire failure. Krzys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Are you sure 225/40/17 fits the stock rim? Every tire I've seen that size says it's only for 7.5-8.5 in rims yea, it's 235 or 245 that won't fit well.. I've done this fitment on my Subarus that I tried running on the GT to help improve the acceleration and grip.. for a 215/35/17, it's only good for the launch or drag style racing.. by no means it's good for anything else. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 What about load index? It is important too. Krzys PS Crossposting from nasioc ;-) I already stated that earlier about it's load capacity.. we need tires that can handle 1500 lbs.. I dont think 215/35/17s even go past 1300 lbs.. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 what should i look for in load index? I don't know much about tires:redface: You need to be in the 91 and up..(there's a chart for that on most tire manufacturers, but more importantly, it's actually stamped on the sidewall of the tire that tells you how much the tire can handle in weight). I believe OEM tire weight limit is around 1350 lbs give or take a few lbs. So you need a tire that is around that or higher to prevent your tire from failing, especially when this weight number is actually related to the tire pressures you have in the tire... normally this load capacity weight limit is measured when you have the max tire pressure stated on the tire sidewall.. some will say "maximum load capacity is 1350 lbs at 51 psi". Not all of us fill our tires up to 51 psi, but again, there's a formula for that online if you want to really know what is the minimum weight capacity is for the GT. If you had to run those tires, my guess is that you need to fill them up to 51 psi or so to get the most of the load capacity that you can get out of it. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 read this http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=33 and this http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35 Tires must be able to support car's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). Read this about GVWR: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_vehicle_weight Legacy already has quite low payload (900 lb if my memory servers me right) which means 5 adults without any luggage my overload the car. Now OE tires have load index 87 (Max Load 1201 lb) (read http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tirespecskey.jsp#maxload) but two tires available at tire rack in your selected size have load index 79 or 83 (963 lb or 1074lb). Legacy GT 2006 curb weight is 3435 lbs (GT Ltd Auto), weight distribution (taken from here http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_0602_midsize_awd_sedan_comparison/specs_price.html) is 57/43 which means that front tires must support 3435 lb *.57 = 1957.95 lb. Each front tire must be able to handle ~980lb even before the driver takes the seat. It disqualifies load index 79 as it cannot support empty car, unless you plan to remove the engine. Index 83 may support the car and you (depending on your weight but you may need to ask friends to walk). Let's assume that 900 lb payload is distributed equally between axles. It means that we need to add 900lb/4=225lb to load carrying capacity on each corner: 980+225=1205 It seems that original load index of 87 is 4lb short of my computation so I made somewhere wrong assumption (like F/R load distribution when loaded) :-) Now short take. Do not use tires with load index lower than OE. Many tire places will refuse to mount tires with lower load index as it may make them target of litigation in case of tire failure. Krzys just remember that load capacity of the tire is directly related to the amount of tire pressure you have in the tire. Of course there is such thing as overfilling the tire to the point it will break the bead or not maximizing the tire grip. If anyone really want to make the GT into a drag setup, I would tell you to swap the front brakes off the GT and replace it with the 2.5i brakes (smaller) and run 16" rims and get a tire that is short (23" to 23.5" tall) and go wide... like a 16"x8" rim and fit something that has about a load capacity index of 88 "XL" (XL means extra load based on how the side walls were constructed) and just fill the tires up to 49 psi to 50 psi. Most tires actually fail or fall off the bead at 100+ psi, but I didnt tell you guys that Stunt driving where you see the cars drive on two wheels have their tires filled to 110 to 120 psi to be able to do that kind of driving.. oh and it helps that their tires also have some tall sidewalls). Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krzyss Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 You need to be in the 91 and up OE was 87, I was surprized to see Impreza WRX using 91 flavour of the same size when larger Legacy GT was using 87 (SL vs XL load . I bet it saved SOA a few dollars per car. Krzys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnout8488 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 You have a GT and are trying to improve acceleration with smaller tires? C'mon. It's gonna look goofy as hell, straight up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 or he can get a forester final drive parts and get it to 4.44 instead of 4.11.. if he wants top speed, he can get WRX final drive parts to make it a 3.91. I rather get the 3.91 to get better gas mileage and lower my cruising RPMs Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 OE was 87, I was surprized to see Impreza WRX using 91 flavour of the same size when larger Legacy GT was using 87 (SL vs XL load . I bet it saved SOA a few dollars per car. Krzys 87 for WRXs right? That's a lighter car.. Tirerack said the RE92 OE spec for Subaru was 91W-XL I think. Yea, they do save a ton of money that way.. figured at 4 tires x 150,000 cars sold a year and save $10 to $15 a tire? Yea..... Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krzyss Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 2005 Legacy GT Ltd -> RE92 Load Index 87 215/45R17 2007 (I think) WRX -> RE92 Load Index 91 215/45R17 XL AFAIK Krzys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandonGT Posted October 30, 2009 Author Share Posted October 30, 2009 Ok thanks for all the info, I somewhat get it now. I think I'm going to go with the Nitto NT555 in 225/40R17. It's load capacity is 1323 lbs and since it is shorter than OEM I should see improved acceleration. What do you guys think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Good tire. GO with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Ok thanks for all the info, I somewhat get it now. I think I'm going to go with the Nitto NT555 in 225/40R17. It's load capacity is 1323 lbs and since it is shorter than OEM I should see improved acceleration. What do you guys think? inflate to at least 48 psi up front and 40 in the rear for that size. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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