Hi, i have a set of 16 inch stock 2002 wrx rims with BFG traction T/A 205 55 R 16, besides reading what the manufacturers guidelines on how much psi to pump the tires up to. whats the best tire pressure for these tires during the summer and winter? what are your tires pressures on these tires anybody know the mechanics and dynamics of inflation? i'm thinking about getting a set of 17 inch rims, any recommendations and tire recommendations. I just need tires that have excellent performance and outstanding tread life. thanks
17 inch rims, IMO, the 06-07 Rims look pretty hot on the Bugeyes. You can find them for a pretty good price also. Tires, all season/summer/winter?
Um... 06-07 rims = 5x114.x while bugeyes = 5x100, right? I can't add anything about tires, tho. I am interested in responses here, too: only got a few months left at best with the beautiful Nokians. If we only had Global Cooling I could keep the snow tires on all year round!:biggrin:
For summer only tires, if you are looking for maximum performance get the Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R or Yokohama Advan Neova's. If you are looking for All season tires- get Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position's. For pressures- if you are looking for more performance, pump them up. For autocross most guys run 36-42 psi on the RE-01R's. For daily driving- go with what the manufacturer recommends, it's usually on a plaque on the drivers door sill or B-pillar.
Fuji reccomended that i pumped it up to 38 psi during the winter for my traction t/a my next set, i'll go for the bridgestone potenzas or most likely the advan neovas, fuji uses the falcon ziex,
Incorrect, but close. 02-07 WRX are all 5x100. 04 STi = 5x100. 05-07 STi = 5x114 The 06/07 WRX rims look super hot on the bugeye. Check out Paul a sauras Rex's car, he's got a set, and it looks nice.
lee got it, you can also get older GC rims for 16s, very popular... normally i run my tires right around 40-42psi, kind of depends on what you want as far as drive characteristics tho
I run around on Falken Zeix 512's for all season. Set to 40psi. Little on the hard side, but it's fun to drive. Less tire pressure usually means a softer ride, and better snow/ice traction...but also uneven/premature tire wear. Over-inflation can cause blow-outs and center tread wear. As long as you don't exceed the max cold pressure on the side of the tire, you should be okay. Don't run them below the minimum pressure stated by the vehicle manufacturer either...
Just incase you want to see how the 06-07 wheels look like on a bugeye: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1264094 http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1329121
^^Agreed I will ride lower pressure (around 34 psi in my 16' wintersports) in the winter and around 38psi in the summer on my 17" neogens.
im running my winterforces at 32psi. I like them softer better snow traction. Although During the summer i run anywhere from 38 to 42 depending on application.
would you all agree to increase the tire psi to 38-40 psi when i'm snow drifting and then keep the pressure around 32 psi just for snow traction afterwards? Now everythings making sense, thanks everyone. any recommendations for best tire size ratings? drifting all season performance 205/55/16/ ???
for snow drifting i would want more traction. The more traction you have the faster the drift/better.
I had the same rims and exact same tires and I ran 34 in the front and 32-33 in the rear to help the car turn a little better but not oversteer too crazy. I've tried a lot of different combos and this works the best for year around.
Just remember that pumping more air into the tire reduces the size of contact patch. So a bit more pressure will help, a lot more pressure will actually get you less grip.
Well, that is only true if you have the correct pressure to start with... There is a reason AutoXers run pressures that are typically over 40psi and it isn't less grip. Note on snow tires... Lower pressure will not net better snow traction. Lower pressure is good on the ice (bigger contact patch), but higher pressure is better for the snow (smaller contact patch). It is similar to the idea of running narrower tires on snow. The smaller contact patch will result in more force on the given contact area (remember, your car still weighs the sams, on a smaller patch). You are unlikely going to 'crown' the tire from too much pressure, as long as you are within the manuf. specs on the side of the tire. On my last set of MXs on the STi, I ran 43f:41r and they wore quite evenly with only daily driving miles. Running too low pressure is going to be much more detremental to the lifetime of the tire.
Autox-ers do all sorts of crazy things which are a bad idea on the street When I run 40+ psi in autox I do it for two reasons: 1) If my tires have soft sidewall, higher psi stiffens those, and avoids running on the sidewall in tight turn. Sidewall isn't meant to be on the ground, so to avoid it I sacrifice some grip in going forward. 2) When I want more oversteer I setup pressures to that rear has much less laternal grip. This is done by either having tire pressure in the back just a few psi below that in front, OR having much higher psi in the back (like 34 in front and 45 in the back). So basically I use the fact that after some PSI laternal grip acually decreases with further pressure increase. Where is this point - depends on the tire, but if my sidewall is already stiff, I would not run 40 psi on the street.
