[winkawak]

My 16k miles stock pirelli is started to wear out, Im in the market for new tires. This will be my first time buying tires, i was wondering how high can my sidewall be before i start to lose performance? Also what materials should i look out for if i want comfort and performance?

 

[PMDmustang13]

performance in what way? Change the o.d. of the tire and then you change your speedometer reading. Cornering you want less side wall height. Drag strip sometimes you need more sidewall depending on the type of tire and how much wrinkle to absorb the shock.

 

[xarius]

This is all personal preference and intended use, like PMD said. I run a somewhat lower profile tire. My 305/30/20 and 265/35/20 are both 27.2" tall respectively (.2 taller than the 19" OEM tire), and have a 3.6" sidewall compared to a 4.0" sidewall on the 19" OEM tire. For me, street/spirited driving performance is greatly improved!

I live in an area where almost all roads are decent, so I don't have to worry about horrible potholes, or big-city driving where a lower profile tire might put my wheels at risk.

 

[2014_GT]

I'll echo what others have said/asked: when you say performance, what kind are you looking for? Is your vehicle just a D/D that you want to be able to corner in it occasionally? Do you drag it on the weekends? This will help with recommendations.

 

[winkawak]

Its 99% DD or street car. I like to take hard corners and goof off at the lights from time to time. Im also kinda concern with comfort, stock pirelli were not so good. I was wondering if i can do something like 60R instead of 45R. My cousins new 13' charger has 60R stock tires and they are so comfortable but not sure if tall sidewall effect performance.
about

 

[jbt56]

With car speedometers typically reading high, going to a taller-overall tire can usually correct the speed reading. It's more difficult now, with the generally available tires, but going to a tire that's up to one inch taller can net you a speedo that's just about 100% accurate.
In the old days, I would typically go from, say, a P205/70R15 to a P235/70R15, ending with a tire both wider and taller than stock. That would eliminate (or lessen) the speedo error.
That small tire size difference is hard to notice on the street even in a modern car, although if anything, the ride would be very slightly softer- maybe 1-2%.

 

[Blackpenguin69]

With car speedometers typically reading high, going to a taller-overall tire can usually correct the speed reading. It's more difficult now, with the generally available tires, but going to a tire that's up to one inch taller can net you a speedo that's just about 100% accurate.
In the old days, I would typically go from, say, a P205/70R15 to a P235/70R15, ending with a tire both wider and taller than stock. That would eliminate (or lessen) the speedo error.
That small tire size difference is hard to notice on the street even in a modern car, although if anything, the ride would be very slightly softer- maybe 1-2%.

i really doubt that.

 

[kn7671]

First, you need to understand what those numbers mean.

Let's take the 245/45ZR19 that come on the 2010-2014 GT Premium.

245 = Tire Width in mm (millimeters)
45 = Aspect Ratio, or a Percentage of the Tire Width to Sidewall Height.
ZR = speed rating
19 = wheel diameter

Now let's dig in on the Aspect Ratio of 45:

245mm x 45% (or 0.45) = 110.25mm <---- sidewall height in millimeters

Let's convert the 110.25mm Tire Height to Inches:

110.25 divided by 25.4 = 4.34" <---- sidewall height in inches

Now let's add the sidewall x2 to the wheel diameter:

4.34" x 2 = 8.68" <<---- Total Sidewall Height

8.68" sidewall + 19" wheel diameter = 27.68" <<<------- TIRE HEIGHT

Go look at the tire specs on www.TireRack.com for a 245/45ZR19, and you will see that almost all are 27.7" tall, as the manufacturers simply round to the closet 1/10th of an inch.


Now to your question, how tall of a tire can a Mustang accommodate on stock suspension, and secondly, while maintaining handling and performance.

The rear of the Mustang can accomodate a 28.5" tire, but it's dependent on wheel offset and width. If you are using the stock wheels, there will be no problems. The front of the Mustang can handle up to a 28.2" tire before you worry about rubbing under the right conditions, but again, dependent on the wheel being used.

One last thing, every tire made has an approved wheel rim width, and the specs are available on the tire manufacturers website or on www.TireRack.com. For example, the 245/45ZR19 tire that came on the 2013 Mustang GT Premium can fit wheel widths between 7.5" to 9.0". Ford uses a 8.5" wide wheel with the 245/45ZR19 tires.

Where does that leave us? We need a tire that is a little over 28" that will fit on a 8.5" wide wheel. The only tire that fits the bill is a 255/45ZR19 at 28.2" tall, just 1/2 taller overall than the stock tire. Lastly, this small difference will not affect performance or the speedometer a great deal.

 

[winkawak]

First, you need to understand what those numbers mean.

Let's take the 245/45ZR19 that come on the 2010-2014 GT Premium.

245 = Tire Width in mm (millimeters)
45 = Aspect Ratio, or a Percentage of the Tire Width to Sidewall Height.
ZR = speed rating
19 = wheel diameter

Now let's dig in on the Aspect Ratio of 45:

245mm x 45% (or 0.45) = 110.25mm <---- sidewall height in millimeters

Let's convert the 110.25mm Tire Height to Inches:

110.25 divided by 25.4 = 4.34" <---- sidewall height in inches

Now let's add the sidewall x2 to the wheel diameter:

4.34" x 2 = 8.68" <<---- Total Sidewall Height

8.68" sidewall + 19" wheel diameter = 27.68" <<<------- TIRE HEIGHT

Go look at the tire specs on www.TireRack.com for a 245/45ZR19, and you will see that almost all are 27.7" tall, as the manufacturers simply round to the closet 1/10th of an inch.


Now to your question, how tall of a tire can a Mustang accommodate on stock suspension, and secondly, while maintaining handling and performance.

The rear of the Mustang can accomodate a 28.5" tire, but it's dependent on wheel offset and width. If you are using the stock wheels, there will be no problems. The front of the Mustang can handle up to a 28.2" tire before you worry about rubbing under the right conditions, but again, dependent on the wheel being used.

One last thing, every tire made has an approved wheel rim width, and the specs are available on the tire manufacturers website or on www.TireRack.com. For example, the 245/45ZR19 tire that came on the 2013 Mustang GT Premium can fit wheel widths between 7.5" to 9.0". Ford uses a 8.5" wide wheel with the 245/45ZR19 tires.

Where does that leave us? We need a tire that is a little over 28" that will fit on a 8.5" wide wheel. The only tire that fits the bill is a 255/45ZR19 at 28.2" tall, just 1/2 taller overall than the stock tire. Lastly, this small difference will not affect performance or the speedometer a great deal.

Mine is stock 18" with standard brakes, does that mean i can only do 235/50?

 

[jbt56]

i really doubt that.

Go right ahead; I don't care if you doubt it or not.

Mine is stock 18" with standard brakes, does that mean i can only do 235/50?

I currently have P255/45ZR18's on my base '11 with the stock wheels. The tires fit perfectly fine, the car handles better than stock, and my speedo is only off by about 2%, rather than the roughly 5-6% with the stock Pirellis. What that means- my speedo now reads 70 when (according to GPS) the car is moving at 67-68. Previously, when the speedo read 70, I was doing 65-66.

 

[PMDmustang13]

speedo off 5 to 6 percent with stock tires is definitely not typical. Something was not right with the speedo calibration from the get go then.

 

[jbt56]

speedo off 5 to 6 percent with stock tires is definitely not typical. Something was not right with the speedo calibration from the get go then.

Having owned nearly thirty cars, from Datsuns to hot rods to BMWs (and a handful of motorcycles) over the past thirty-plus years, and having driven (literally) hundreds of others, yes, it is common for speedometers to read high from the factory. Some are worse, some are better, but most cars will read a little high. Going to a slightly taller tire fixes it in those cases.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Its 99% DD or street car. I like to take hard corners and goof off at the lights from time to time. Im also kinda concern with comfort, stock pirelli were not so good. I was wondering if i can do something like 60R instead of 45R. My cousins new 13' charger has 60R stock tires and they are so comfortable but not sure if tall sidewall effect performance.
about

A taller sidewall tire mounted on the same rim will generally give a softer ride that better isolates you from road roughness and bumps. But this nearly always comes at some cost in how crisply and precisely your car responds to steering inputs. Part of that is inherent with the taller sidewall and part is due to other technical compromises in such tires tending to be intentionally biased toward comfort and away from ultimate performance. How much the different sidewall heights affect launch traction is probably more a function of tread compound as long as you're staying within some category of true street tire and not looking at some dedicated dragstrip tire.

Your cousin's car is apparently a V6 model, for which it would make sense to equip for comfort, image, and a luxury feel since it's pretty far down on the performance scale. My opinion is you'd be giving up more than enough in the corners to notice, so it's going to come down to what means more to you - greater driving and handling precision when you're 'playing' or ride quality when you aren't.


Norm

 

[winkawak]

A taller sidewall tire mounted on the same rim will generally give a softer ride that better isolates you from road roughness and bumps. But this nearly always comes at some cost in how crisply and precisely your car responds to steering inputs. Part of that is inherent with the taller sidewall and part is due to other technical compromises in such tires tending to be intentionally biased toward comfort and away from ultimate performance. How much the different sidewall heights affect launch traction is probably more a function of tread compound as long as you're staying within some category of true street tire and not looking at some dedicated dragstrip tire.

Your cousin's car is apparently a V6 model, for which it would make sense to equip for comfort, image, and a luxury feel since it's pretty far down on the performance scale. My opinion is you'd be giving up more than enough in the corners to notice, so it's going to come down to what means more to you - greater driving and handling precision when you're 'playing' or ride quality when you aren't.


Norm

thanks, very informative. Ill just stick with performance oriented tires size, ride quality not the best but also not the worst, i can live with.

 

[laughingdragon]

Keep in mind the actual tire you buy can affect the ride. The tire quality and design plays into the ride as well. So you can possibly get a different brand tire, same size, and have a better ride.