Potential tire upgrade

[CaptainInsane-O]

Been getting the new car itch & the Magnum has caught my attention. While hunting around for info & potential upgrades I noticed several posts on different message boards griping about the anemic tires on the R/T. I have found what might be a good alternative for those looking to keep the stock rims & would like to step up the car's handling & traction a bit.

Falken Azenis ST-115, 245-45-18

These are 26.7" tall which is very close to the stock tire's 26.8" (if I'm remembering correctly) & according to Falken's website, should fit on the R/T's 7.5" wide rim. Here is a link to Falken's webpage on the Azenis ST-115 (it's part of their Luxury Sports line) just in case anyone is interested in checking 'em out:

http://www.falkentire.com/tires/st115_infopg.htm

Hope this helps :)

Doug C.

[E55 KEV]

Your stock tire height is way off. Looks like the numbers are transposed. The OEM tire on RT is 225/60/18 and is 28.6" tall. The best upgrade is a 245/55/18 and only one tire on the market comes in that size - a BFgoodrich T/A KDW. You should have done a search because it has already been discussed.

[Tommy T.]

OK, here's a FRIENDLY welcome! :)

And thanks for the input. Seems the BFG's may be the way to go though.

-- Tommy

(Good luck car shopping, we just ordered ours tonight!)

[CaptainInsane-O]

Dooohhhh!

:doh:

Sorry about that, I'm dyslexic (decimals & fractions give me a fit!) and managed to write the stock tire height down wrong on my scratchpad.

Thanks Tommy T, I'm looking forward to getting behind the wheel of one myself!

Doug C.

[Unholy]

I ran the T/A KDW's on my caprice, although a different size (265/40/17) and they worked very well. They had low road noise, good wet traction and were reasonably priced.

[FriendofMopar30]

To be completely accurate, as far as speedo goes, the appropriate size tire for the stock 18" rims is a 245/55/18.

This works out to exactly the same height as the stocker 225/60/18.

The formula, for those who care is :

Section Width * (Aspect Ratio/100) / 12.7 + Rim Diameter.

So for the stocker that works out like this:
225 * (60/100) / 12.7 + 18 = 28.62.

For the 245/55/18:
245 * (55/100) / 12.7 + 18 = 28.61.

[Mr. Magnum Man]

If this is right .01 is within tire wear diameters and poses no threat to anything now is there such a tire

[bri]

fyi:

for reference - tire wear diameters on the stock tires are .5" (10/32 tread depth minus 2/32 replacement depth * 2)

BFG makes a g-force TA in 245/55R18..

[henry]

No Michelin Pilot Alpin even comes close...

[PropMan]

I only wish our cars came with the Pirelli P7 tires that the Euro-bound cars are getting.

But Pirelli no longer exports the P7 to the USA . . .

[Mr. Magnum Man]

BFG makes a g-force TA in 245/55R18..yeah and did i read that right $89 at tire rack.

[dragon]

For my Intrpeids I bought stock black steel wheels and fitted Pilot Alpins in a 4 tire set. Worked very well on ice. Does the 300C have a cheap plain jane steel wheel and matching ice tire? Winter demands function before form.

[E55 KEV]

For my Intrpeids I bought stock black steel wheels and fitted Pilot Alpins in a 4 tire set. Worked very well on ice. Does the 300C have a cheap plain jane steel wheel and matching ice tire? Winter demands function before form.

The Base model 300 has black steel wheels in 17".

[PropMan]

BFG makes a g-force TA in 245/55R18..yeah and did i read that right $89 at tire rack.

Everything I have heard about these leads me to believe they would offer no significant improvement over the standard Continentals--expect perhaps in the rain.

I am sure that we will be seeing SOMETHING in a performance tire in these sizes within the next several months. DCX is selling LOTS of RTs and 300Cs and someone will step in . . .

[E55 KEV]

even if the BFG was equal to the Conti I would consider it just for the the wider look. :D

[bri]

not sure if i'd go through the trouble of swapping tires for less than an inch difference..

[PropMan]

even if the BFG was equal to the Conti I would consider it just for the the wider look. :D

Fair enough!

[E55 KEV]

not sure if i'd go through the trouble of swapping tires for less than an inch difference..

It is very noticeable to me because the 225 appears to narrow, plus this Continental never receives high marks FROM owners. This tread design FROM Conti is very old and comes on many Mercedes as OEM and most owner hated it. Even though the width is only 20mm going FROM 225 to 245 I personally would not put much more wider than the 245. I am waiting for someone to make the front size that appeared on the 300C Concept - 245/45/20. Plus the lower profile "should" make the car handle better. I would hope so. :D

[bri]

lower profile? the sidewall is exactly the same height - 5.3".. i'm not convinced that the change in width will affect handling perceptibly..

if someone tries it, let us know how different it is..