New Tire Dilema

[Ernest]

Its time for new tires, all four corners, but i've got two different rims sizes, 17x8(rear) and 17x7(front), not sure on the backspacing, i havent checked since i've had the malibu.

All four tires are of the same brand, TOYO(PROXES STIII), but i've read online that they are a bit rough when it comes to road noise, so im looking for a different/cheaper/reliable brand, but because of the two different sizes, it lQQks next to impossible to get them with all the same brand like i want, and i dont plan on mixing with two different brands, thats a big no-no in my book.

The rears are sporting 275/55 and the fronts are sporting 225/55, i plan on keeping the front tire size the same, but going down a notch on the rears with 255/55 to move the backside of the tire away from the frame and from the top of the fender well lip, even though both have been rolled in from the previous owner, im just looking for a good 4yr life span tire, the car is a weekend only when i get the chance driver, it will only be taken out in good weather, hitting the cruise spots, swap meets, etc and zero track/racing use.

I've always prefered cars with the same size rims on all four corners to avoid this type of conundrum.... but im working with what i've got to keep thje cost at a minimum since this car is not a daily driver.

BTW, heres a nice Tire Size Calculator/Comparison/etc i came across, real informative - https://tiresize.com/


Any suggestions?

 

[airboatgreg]

Lot of great tires. I like coopers

 

[clean8485]

I have 17" by 8" on the front of my '80 Malibu, and 17" by 9" rears on the car. I went with Nitto Invo tires, 245/45/17 on the front, and 255/50/17 on the rear. I just installed the rims and tires last fall, so I don't have many miles on them just yet. So far though, I've been happy with them. Not sure of pricing now though. I've heard that getting some tires can be difficult because of supply chain issues. I got the front tires from a local dealer here in Ontario last summer, but I had to order the rear tires from Summit Racing, because no stock anywhere in Canada. Even ordering them from Summit, I got 2 of the last 4 that they had available at that time, and it took a month to get them here and delivered.

 

[Ernest]

The best i can find so far is from a local discount tire place just down the road from me, all same brand(NITTO/NT555 G2) on all four corners, 255/50 for the rears and 225/45 for the fronts.

If i decided to go with these particular tires it, for the rear, i'll lose a good 2" in height, from 28.9" to 27", lose the width from 10.8" to 10" and sidewall, from 6" to 5"... and for the fronts, i'll lose just over 1.5'' in height, same 8.9" in width and go from 5" to 4" on the sidewall.

The though had crossed my mind on having the same size wheels on all four corners, less hasle when mix matching, 15"x 8" w/4" offset on 255/60 BF Goodrich tires, they should fit the rears no problem, but not so sure on the fronts, the touching the frame is a possibilty when clocking the steering wheel fully left to right and vise versa.

Any thoughts?


Thanks

 

[mikester]

The best i can find so far is from a local discount tire place just down the road from me, all same brand(NITTO/NT555 G2) on all four corners, 255/50 for the rears and 225/45 for the fronts.

If i decided to go with these particular tires it, for the rear, i'll lose a good 2" in height, from 28.9" to 27", lose the width from 10.8" to 10" and sidewall, from 6" to 5"... and for the fronts, i'll lose just over 1.5'' in height, same 8.9" in width and go from 5" to 4" on the sidewall.

The though had crossed my mind on having the same size wheels on all four corners, less hasle when mix matching, 15"x 8" w/4" offset on 255/60 BF Goodrich tires, they should fit the rears no problem, but not so sure on the fronts, the touching the frame is a possibilty when clocking the steering wheel fully left to right and vise versa.

Any thoughts?


Thanks

Sizing tires is a pain in the butt. Thats why Im not driving my wagon yet. I cant figure out whats going to fit. As far as fronts, make sure they wont hit the inner fenders. My wagons dropped 2". The previous owner put 205 60s on the front due to the tires wearing through the inners on both sides.

 

[tkruger]

I cannot speak for the size as I have the same on all corners. I have been running Cooper Cobras on my Monte Carlo and been happy with them. I have used both Cooper Grand Touring tires on my Mazda 5 and General tires on it with good results. The same Coopers I have on my van are also on my 09 MINI Clubman. On the MINI they hold the corners real well for a road tire.

I had Mastercraft on a focus in the past and they offered a comfortable ride but wore poorly and did not grip well. One car I bought had new Black Lion tires on it. Those where dangerous when the road was wet. Not grip at all and a poor ride.

 

[Ernest]

Good info, but my malibu is running stock hieght, i have ZERO plans on dropping it, the factory stance is good enough for me.... anyone else care to chime in what they are running on all four corners, same size wheel wise and the respective tire sizes?


Thanks

 

[SS_Malibu]

I have a set of Cooper Cobra's on my 79 Malibu. 235/60/15 on all four corners. The rims are what ever came stock on the 78 Corvette. I've had no issues with rubbing or anything. As far as I know I'm at stock height which looks good to me so I plan on leaving it alone.

 

[Ernest]

Those 235/60/15(26" tall/9" wide) sit good.... my plan is to go with exact same wheels i have, polished version as well, but 15x8 with 4.5" backspacing and 0 offset riding on BF Goodrich 255/60/15(27" tall/10" wide).

I'd like to keep the same wheel/tire size all around, im sure i wont have any problem with them in the rear, but im not so sure about in the front from steering lock to lock, has anyone had that particular size in the front and had any issues?

I plan on just buying two wheels and tires at a time, figure i can have them set up, then mount them on one side of the car and see how they'll look and check the clearence for the front.

 

[565bbchevy]

On my Regal I installed 17" x 8.5" mesh wheels all around but put Nitto 275/50 on the rears and 235/50 on the fronts, I have always liked the look of bigger rear tires on my Gbody's.