Wheel & Tire Advice

DUNE

DUNE

Active Member
Recently I've been diving deep into the deep and complex waters of the aftermarket wheel & tire world lately and I've finally come up with a setup that I wanted to run past the forum and ask for opinions. Here's the setup

Front
Wheel - Hypergram 18x8.5 +35
Tire – Nitto NT05 245x40xR18
Rear
Wheel – Hypergram 18x10.5 +15
Tire - Nitto NT05 295x40xR18

My goblin will be primarily used for street use with the occasional track day. From what I read, the NT05s should fit that purpose pretty well. Tires should be pretty close to flush with rims. According to the fitment calculator I used, the setup will be 13mm (0.5") closer to my struts but I will also be picking up 1" spacer adapters to convert it to 5x144.3 Speedo error is showing to be 8%

Another tire I was looking at in the same sizing was the Falken Azenis RT660. I would love to hear some feedback & opinions from you guys on those two or other tires that you've had luck with. Im fairly set with the Hypergrams but I would be open to suggestions on the tires
 

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Rauq

Rauq

Goblin Guru
Since you're asking for opinions, I'll give mine... I think 295's are way too wide for a Goblin. With a tire that big and a car so light, it'll struggle to get warm and give you all its grip.

I'm running 245 wide RT615K+ and I think that's plenty of tire. I'd guess I'm making low to mid 300s whp now, and unless it's the first 5 minutes of a drive (cold tires) or I dump the clutch, it won't spin in a straight line.
 
C

Chubbs

Well-Known Member
#1, I would double check rear wheel fitment. a +15 offset for a 10.5 wide wheel is going to be awfully close to the strut I think. Just make sure it won't rub. If you're running wheel adapters/spacers it probably isn't a problem, but if you have redrilled hubs it might be. Nevermind, looks like you checked this. I didn't read carefully enough.

#2, we need to define the goals here. Are you going for cosmetics, or performance?

If cosmetics, go for it. Wide tires look awesome on a goblin.

If performance, I think you need to go way smaller. As Rauq said, 295s are never going to heat up on a 1600 lb car with 250 hp. Further, 18" diameter tires/wheels are going to weigh a lot. You'll get much better performance with a lighter and smaller setup.

I personally run 255s rear, 225s front, 17" wheels all around. I would have gone smaller diameter if I could, but tire selection gets tricky below 17".
 
DUNE

DUNE

Active Member
escapepilot said:
I am running Falken Azenis RT615K+. Front is 245 on a 7.5 wide rim. Rear is 295s on 10 wide.
Click to expand...
This is pretty similar to what I was looking for. Does the 245 on a 7.5" rim look pretty meaty? My rears will be pretty flush with rim/tire so I was hoping to keep the fronts the same. How do you like the RT615s?
 
DUNE

DUNE

Active Member
Chubbs said:
#1, I would double check rear wheel fitment. a +15 offset for a 10.5 wide wheel is going to be awfully close to the strut I think. Just make sure it won't rub. If you're running wheel adapters/spacers it probably isn't a problem, but if you have redrilled hubs it might be. Nevermind, looks like you checked this. I didn't read carefully enough.

#2, we need to define the goals here. Are you going for cosmetics, or performance?

If cosmetics, go for it. Wide tires look awesome on a goblin.

If performance, I think you need to go way smaller. As Rauq said, 295s are never going to heat up on a 1600 lb car with 250 hp. Further, 18" diameter tires/wheels are going to weigh a lot. You'll get much better performance with a lighter and smaller setup.

I personally run 255s rear, 225s front, 17" wheels all around. I would have gone smaller diameter if I could, but tire selection gets tricky below 17".
Click to expand...
Yes sorry I should have specified that in the original post. The goal is primarily asthetics. Manitoba roads aren't known for their curvaceous nature haha so I'd probably have to drive like a maniac to properly warm up even the smallest tires. This car will likely be spending most of its time on straight MB roads and maybe the occasional twisty if I take it out for a bit of a trip
 
Ross

Ross

Goblin Guru
Wide (275/295mm) tires don't really get up to temperature on the road or track, and 200 treadwear on those wide tires with a light weight goblin, will make catching a fishtail/drift very difficult, usually impossible. I rarely fishtail on the street, but when I do, I like to catch it, and keep going, without an insurance claim, car accident, or hospital trip. I prefer low TreadWear tires when going wide.
 
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OptimizePrime

OptimizePrime

Goblin Guru
It's that occasional track day that makes you wish you had went with the meats. It's tough to find the sweet spot, I'd say go with whatever driving you'll do most often while giving yourself the flexibility to bolt on a purpose built set at a later date.

You can compensate for your speedo in hptuners if you're concerned with that.

For what it's worth, I have 255/17 up front and 285/19 in rear with r888r's and turned them into butter at the track (in a bad way). I'd want a wider square setup for the track. Daily use they're perfect imho (I like the staggered stance and they're only marginally heavier than a smaller diameter wheel/tire)
 
duthehustle93

duthehustle93

Active Member
I am brand new to goblins but have years of experience racing and tire testing, mostly with Miatas. On a track, and I would imagine you will have similar street results, the NT05 will last almost twice as long as the RT660. However, the RT660 is a significantly faster tire (about 1-2 seconds on a circuit), is more drivable, and doesn't require much, if any warmup. RT660 is one of the fastest compounds run in TA competitions that have a 200TW limit. I see your in canada, and the RT660 prefers the cold more than the NT05.

The fastest tire width vs. wheel width is typically:
205 on an 8" wheel
225 on 9"
245 on 10"

This will result in a slight stretch. You mention you are looking for aesthetics but not sure if you are trying to pinch or stretch? Generally speaking, a square fit-up would be:
205 on 7"
225 on 8"
245 on 9"

Different compounds will run wider than others... Hoosiers for example are usually one size wider than the numbers on the side of the tire.... but generally speaking any street tire will follow those guidelines.

Your selection is very wide... there's a such thing as too much tire. Also pinched tires drive very very poorly. For miatas (2000-2400#) we've found that a 205 can be faster than a 225. We'll generally run a 225 on our endurance miatas to keep them colder/lasting longer and a 205 on TA miatas.

A couple people mentioned the RT615k... it's a solid, cheap, good driving tire. They're typically known to be a budget endurance tire for cold-moderate temperatures. They're very antiquated but the fact that they're still being used says that they're a bit of an oldie but goodie.

Grassroots has a very accurate and objective test on different compounds: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/track-tire-buyers-guide/
 
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Rauq

Rauq

Goblin Guru
I went back and forth between the RT615K+ and the V730 because both are bidirectional, so they can be swapped left and right on the car. I went up to a 245 in the rear because I toasted the old 225s when I went twincharged but will be putting 245s on the front next time they need replacing. Then I can rotate all the way around the car.
 
DUNE

DUNE

Active Member
duthehustle93 said:
I am brand new to goblins but have years of experience racing and tire testing, mostly with Miatas. On a track, and I would imagine you will have similar street results, the NT05 will last almost twice as long as the RT660. However, the RT660 is a significantly faster tire (about 1-2 seconds on a circuit), is more drivable, and doesn't require much, if any warmup. RT660 is one of the fastest compounds run in TA competitions that have a 200TW limit. I see your in canada, and the RT660 prefers the cold more than the NT05.

The fastest tire width vs. wheel width is typically:
205 on an 8" wheel
225 on 9"
245 on 10"

This will result in a slight stretch. You mention you are looking for aesthetics but not sure if you are trying to pinch or stretch? Generally speaking, a square fit-up would be:
205 on 7"
225 on 8"
245 on 9"

Different compounds will run wider than others... Hoosiers for example are usually one size wider than the numbers on the side of the tire.... but generally speaking any street tire will follow those guidelines.

Your selection is very wide... there's a such thing as too much tire. Also pinched tires drive very very poorly. For miatas (2000-2400#) we've found that a 205 can be faster than a 225. We'll generally run a 225 on our endurance miatas to keep them colder/lasting longer and a 205 on TA miatas.

A couple people mentioned the RT615k... it's a solid, cheap, good driving tire. They're typically known to be a budget endurance tire for cold-moderate temperatures. They're very antiquated but the fact that they're still being used says that they're a bit of an oldie but goodie.

Grassroots has a very accurate and objective test on different compounds: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/track-tire-buyers-guide/
Click to expand...
Thanks for the detailed response, I can tell you really know your stuff. The aesthetic I am looking for would be more of a square to meaty look. The calculator that I used https://www.willtheyfit.com shows the 295 to fit close to flush with the 10.5 rim. Picture below. I understand that the 295 will be too much tire for peak performance. If I do end up getting more into the autocross scene I can see myself purchasing a smaller setup, but for the time being, I am comfortable sacrificing a few seconds on the lap times. I have also considered dropping down to a 285 but some of my tire choices were limited in that size and going down to a 275 would give me more of a stretch fitment according to the same calculator. See second picture. With my front being square, I'm not sure how I'd feel about a slight stretch on the rear
 

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duthehustle93

duthehustle93

Active Member
DUNE said:
Thanks for the detailed response, I can tell you really know your stuff. The aesthetic I am looking for would be more of a square to meaty look. The calculator that I used https://www.willtheyfit.com shows the 295 to fit close to flush with the 10.5 rim. Picture below. I understand that the 295 will be too much tire for peak performance. If I do end up getting more into the autocross scene I can see myself purchasing a smaller setup, but for the time being, I am comfortable sacrificing a few seconds on the lap times. I have also considered dropping down to a 285 but some of my tire choices were limited in that size and going down to a 275 would give me more of a stretch fitment according to the same calculator. See second picture. With my front being square, I'm not sure how I'd feel about a slight stretch on the rear
Click to expand...
I think the last set of wheels I got were 17x9.5 and had 275's pinched on them... they looked pinched but I think that's what you're going for. So going up 20mm and 1" would give you a similar pinched look if that's what you're going for. 275 on a 10.5" is technically square, perhaps with a hair of stretch. Compound also makes a huge difference.. you may want to try googling pictures of X size tire on X size wheel.. that'll give you a better idea than that calculator.
 
Ross

Ross

Goblin Guru
I'm running 275 R888R's on my 10.5" wide Cobra wheels. The white pipe is set against the wheel to show the little bit of stretch there is. Someone has completely worn the corners off of my tires, and they are almost bald at this point, which kind of accentuates the stretch. The tires looked barely stretched when they were new.
42002
42003
 
Desert Sasqwatch

Desert Sasqwatch

Goblin Guru
Ross, stop leaving the Goblin keys lying around and letting your wife/kids/relatives/friends/neighbors drive it like they stole it and your tires will last longer...tsk, tsk. :oops::cool:
 
DUNE

DUNE

Active Member
As I mentioned before, I am planning on purchasing some 5x144.3 adapters. With that I assume I will also have to purchase new Rotors since the DF ones are for a 5x110? Is there anything else I will need to modify/purchase to make that work? I assume since there is 1" more space between the hub and wheel I will also have to extend the bolts going to the brake Caliper?
 
Ross

Ross

Goblin Guru
DF sells new redrilled to 114.3 rotors.
The brake rotors don't move, as the adapters go on after the rotors, so only the wheel moves over 1". No need to move the calipers.
 
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