I've had a few questions recently via PM about how to go about fitting 275/40/17 tires... figured I post a quick guide on how to do so.

Here's what you'll need, or what I did to accomplish this:

- 275/40/17 tires- I used shaved Victoracers... I knew I loved shaved things for some reason... Tirerack!
- Fender roller www.rollyourfender.com
- 17x9 wheels - In this case, the ever popular 5Zigen FN01 et 35
- Lug nuts to fit the new wheels
- 10mm spacer up front - I used the Kics 10mm spacer for convenience - thanks Kevin L!

Alignment: -3.0/-3.0F -1.2/-1.2R 1/8 toe out F, 1/16 Toe in R

First, the weight of the wheel/tire package: Not light, but not insane. For reference, the 5Zigen on this scale was 17.5 lbs.



A garage helps. I need a bigger one!



Next, you'll need to roll the crap out of the front and rear fenders. Note the Kics 10mm spacers:



Then, bolt on the wheels, this is the unloaded front driver's side:


Tight clearance in the rear! Might have to raise it up a tad. We'll see.


Fronts:


For reference, a 245/45/17 tire I normally run on the street:


A worn 255/40 Victo vs a shaved newer 275, big difference! :


Front suspension clearance:


Rear control arm:


Profit!


Tires were mounted at EG Tire in Dayton, NJ 732-329-6300. Jeff is the man!

 

Great stuff, thanks! This is exactly what I needed to know.

 

Good info Matt.

I find it interesting that the 275/40/17 setup weighs the same as my 285-30-18 V710's on the 5Zigen 18x9.5's. V710's must be a lighter tire than the old Victos.

 

But what about at full compression, cornering, full lock steering and such? It doesn't rub on the suspension components? Even my 285/30s touch the rear control arm and polish it slightly.

 

all depends on what you run, if you track, or auto-x. Left and right in a parking lot, you don't take the g-load and "sit" that you do on track, that rolls the tire to polish the arms.

good work though.

one serious thing though, you say "acorn" nuts to fit the new wheels. I'd always heard, and called the stock lugs "acorn" nuts. Where the fno1r-c's need a tapered lug to properly seat.

 

Wouldn't suprise me. I keep hearing people refer to the Victos' as "ancient technology"



You know, I've always thought it was "acorn". To be accurate, and since I'm not sure, I removed the wording from my original post. Whatever the truth is, the wording now makes more sense


The rears seem OK, although as I noted above, I might raise the ride height a bit. The clearance on the control arm is bigger than I had estimated! See the picture above.

Front... oh...well, I just signed a death warrant for my fender liners.

 

So quick question -- is the added weight (rim & tire & spacer) offset by greater corner speeds? I would have thought that a lighter (possibly smaller / narrower) setup would be optimal, but I have never tracked the evo... Generally, what is the optimal setup at the track -- 9 in. rims?

 

generally, yes

17 x 9.5 & up.......

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Well, that's a loaded question. You'll find 100 different answers to what the best track setup is.

As far as the extra weight, yeah, definitely a few lbs heavier per corner. But definitely offset by increased grip by a huge margin.

I used to go the the track for HPDE's with R-comps. What a waste of money for me! It's not a competitive race, but an environment to enjoy and to learn - do I'd rather blow through a cheap set of tires. It's also easier on the car.

 

I get more rub autox'ing...due to more full lock and super quick transition cornering. I also have about 1/4" clearance to my lca with my 285's and I even polish autox'ing.

BTw, my 285/30/18 setup weighed in at 44lbs.

 

very nice post!!

when you get her all set up some further back pics of the whole car would be awsome would like to see how high you raise the rear.

 

if you're anywhere near full lock on an evo on a road course, you don't know what you're doing, or you've already spun.

In a road course environment, in a hard right hander (180 - turn 17 @ sebring), you set the weight on the left side, and it's planted there.

THEN you hit one of the many bumps around that corner. Theres your rubbing.

Or again at homestead, coming off the banking...left hander, the car is set and weight transfered, then you hit the huge drop at the entrance to the infield and the car squishes even more.

Different suspension, and ride height will cause much more issues, and differences, but short of going lock to lock, you'll put more sustained load on a spot in a road course, as opposed to the bump/rub/done in a low-speed setting

 

Great thread. I'm going to try and stuff a 17x10 FN01RC and 275/40/17 NT01 under my car in the near future (as soon as the FN01RC wheels show up as I guess they have been on back order for a while). I'll grab some pictures when/if it fits.

Did you run that much chamber in the front for clearance or for preference in suspension setup?

 

Well, once you've been auto-x'ing in stock classes for a while, a 17x9 wheel with a 275 looks too small. I think a 285 or 295 would be perfect

No seriously, if I was going with a 10 inch wheel I would go with a 295! I think Hoosier makes a 295/35/17, which would be damn near perfect on a 17x10 (tire OD is 25.1 vs a stock 25.3)

Tirerack's Hoosier 295/35/17:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...t=All&x=87&y=9


As far as my camber, -3.0 degrees up front is an appropriate amount for a car that's used only for auto-x and track days.

 

It might be the angle but is it necessary for clearance to run the 10mm spacers? There appears to be more then 10mm of clearance from the tire to the strut assembly.

Where is the front factory camber adjustment set, max or min setting?

Also could you do me a big favor, can you measure the actual tire section width of your Vicotoracers, inflated and mounted on the rims? I want to compare them to my 275’s to see the difference. The way I measure is to lay the tire flat, lay a long strait edge across the tire then measure the distance to the ground.