I'm currently on very worn Toyo T1Rs, 255/35/19 front and 285/35/19 rear. Looking to buy a new set of tires, either the Hankook v12 evo2 or the Michelin Pilot Super Sports. Brand selection aside, I've been trying to determine if bumping up the front to a 265 would be a smart decision. At a few autocross events, I've noticed the car wants to plow on entry especially when the tires get more worn out, so I figure closing the gap between the front and rear widths would make sense.

255/285 seems to be the much more common setup. Any particular reason for this? Size availability maybe? Cost? I have VDC and while 255/35 and 285/35 is a closer match to OEM diameters, 265/35 and 285/35 is still close enough that it shouldn't make the computer unhappy. I have a 9.5 inch wide wheel with a +22 offset, so a 265 should fit just fine.

Thoughts?

 

Closing the gap is always a good thing, 255/35 with a 275/35 is also a great combo. If you look at the factory stagger it's only 20mm with 18's and 18/19 GT/Nismo wheels and 10mm with 17's. If you run a more stagger in width, the more the car will plow.

 

Thanks for the info, I had no idea there was only a 10mm difference on the OEM 17s. Makes a 30mm difference seem much too big. Definitely going with the 265's in front as long as the size is available. Plus that will buy me a few extra mm of sidewall protection for the front wheels.