What tire size should I get that is good for traction and doesnt rub on stock springs?

 

235/40

 

^^^^yep, that's what I run.....very happy with them

 

I say get some 245's......

 

235 40's I would say! That way if you want to lower it at all (pedders nudge nudge!) you won't have any issues.

 

That's true. I didn't think about if you ever wanted to lower your car Ryland.....

 

Yeah I was thinking 235 as well, lol 245 seem big as **** lol

 

245/40 will fit fine on a stock rim correct?and i never plan on lowering my car

 

It all boils down to what you want the car to do for YOU! 245's DO work on STOCK suspension but really need a little more wheel width than stock. Enter the PF01's. I'll let you know how right, or wrong, I am on July 17 at Homestead/Miami. I plan on embarrasing some rather high and mighty people.

 

Buddy of mine is running bfg's 235/40 on sportlines and has no rubbing issues

 

Running Nitto 555's in 235/40 with zero issues for the last 1000 miles. Love 'em!

 

now i've heard of some people being ballsy enough to do 255 and 265 somehow?

 

^just run some 315's it'll fit

 

Just keep in mind, anything you do to increase overall diam will SLOW down accleration. I'm sure that going from 225/40 to 235/40 won't effect it that much..just be advised on this. I haven't really measured anything yet (new to Cobalt), but I would be leary going to 245/40s. Depends on wheel offset and any lowering as far as clearances.
As far as traction..well, going to a wider section width has it's downside. You get more *flex* in the sidewalls if you stay with the same rim width. If you can INCREASE the width with the 235's (say going from 7.5 to 8 or 8.5), you could get better traction...as long as we're talking DRY conditions! Wider tires tend to hydroplane more.

 

I do just not on my cobalt

 

i need rubber.....whats the best tire to run in the summer but i go to the track alot so need good traction on stock rim?

 

Dunlop Z1 Star Specs. 225/40 on stock rim-235/40 on aftermarket 8" rim. These tires run big, so I would not attempt to put 235's on your stockers. Already been through that.

 

I'm going to be going to a 235/40 on my Enkei EKM3's (8" wide) and Pedders Springs for next autocross season

 

2 things that u didnt include in o.p... rim size and what ur car is built for. ive got 17x7 inch wheels with 205/35/17 tires on em for autocross. works good for me, everyone has different taste and not everyone builds their car for the same purpose.

 

First of all what 17x7's fit over the brembos, very interested? And why only run a 205 ?

 

No offence...

I have about 3000 on my 235 star specs... They were annoying to get on. Took about a extra 3 mins a tire. About a month ago I did njmp on them and they were down right amazing compared to the conti's. Once they heat up you will be amazed by how much grip they have.

I was going to go 245 but being as big as they are I was worried about effecting turn in responce.

My opinon... If your not making over 310...320 tq.... 235 star specs will be one of your best choices

again all in my opinon and I appolgize for the grammer.... iPhone

ps... What bad experience did u have with them?

 

I am making much more than 320 tq with my current setup so 225's fit my car better...on stock rims anyway. One thing that many people seem to forget when it comes to tires is that bigger is NOT always better...in most cases it's a downgrade...especially if it's just to say "Hey my tires are wider!". If your tires are too wide/big for your rim...the wheel will slop around inside the tire b/c if it fit properly it would be almost flush with the tire. Stretching tires and going wider are all fine if your car is just for tooling around town, but a performance oriented car would not be suited for something too big or small. The correct size will always fare much better.

I had originally gotten 235's and lets just say that the traction was not nearly as good as I get now with the 225's. My car has never felt squirly until I put the 235's on...almost wrecked my car after feeling some type of shift in the tires while driving pretty hard. Star Specs run BIG compared to other sets(brands) of 235's out there...so i'm not saying that 235's aren't fine on stock rims...but with Star Specs I just didn't like them. All I know is that these tires HOOK hard...I can barely even get them to spin since i've had them on. You won't be disappointed going with Star Specs.

 

jeesh, lotta monies...
SizeServ. Desc.
$172.00 (ea.) 225/40ZR18
$196.00 (ea.) 225/45ZR18


What We Liked: Excellent blend of responsiveness and ultimate grip (On a Scale of 1 to 10) 7.2Ride Comfort 7.22Noise Comfort 7.5Wet Track 8.54Dry Track 7.79Overall
What We'd Improve: Reduce tread noise growl
Conclusion: Still a shining star in the Extreme Performance Summer category
Latest Test Rank: 3rd
Previous Test Rank: 1st (May ’08)

 

OP has stock SS/TC rims right now. And he just wants nice tires good for the street, and occasionally good for track use.