17" Tire Options?

My Michelins are actually past the 10 Year Born on Date and are 275/40/17 and 335/35/17.Some time ago these sizes were not available from the larger online tire suppliers here in South East USA.I believe they are now available.

For me I will repace the old Michelins with the new Michelins.

Isn't a 10" wide wheel too narrow for a 335/35-17? Perhaps a 284/40-17 or a 315/35-17 would be better.

Do you want a street tire or a road legal race tire? Apples and oranges! The most streetable of the road legal race tires, that you can get in 17" sizes, is the Nitto NT01 but it's still primarily a race tire. It's very close to a Toyo R888R but with more tread grooves cut into it. IMO the Nankang is too much of a race tire for the street.

I tried running Hoosier R8's on the street for a while but they drove me crazy because they pick up sand and small pebbles then let them go inside the wheel well when you get moving fast.

I got fed up looking for matching tires in the same make and tire pattern, so I ended up going with Michelin 4S 245/40/17 in the front and PS2 335/35/17 in the rear. My race shop said don't do it since the tread pattern is somewhat different; however I figured its got to be better than riding on 20 year old tires. Drives nice but I don't race, so who knows at high speed, cornering or grooved pavement roads.

I just ordered a matching set of Toyo Proxes R888R.  Fronts are 225/45/17 and rears are 315/35/17.  I have not used these tires before but they are primarily intended for the race track and will not last long with a lot of street use.  In the Pantera world that means they will last many years.  I had to order fronts and rears from two different websites.  Both websites are shipping each tire from a different location.  Tires for a Pantera are difficult to obtain.

Thanks all. Steve, where did you get your Toyos? I've had them on a previous car and they were excellent.

Why did you decide to use 225/45-17 rather than 235/40-17 on the front? The 225/45-17 is significantly taller. Just curious.

The 235/40/17 size tires are not available, at least for me in a matching set.  It was my first choice and I have been looking at this stuff for weeks (kind of maddening).  The 225/45/17 diameter is .6 inches larger.  Thus the car sits .3 inches higher.  Jerry Sackett recommends the 225/45/17 on his website for the front tires on the wheels that he sells.  I asked Wilkinson and he said the diameter of the 225/45 is close enough.

As I wrote earlier, tires for our cars can be difficult to obtain.  My first choice for the rears was 335 instead of 315 but I cannot find them in a matching set.

Good question.  Thank you.

"Why did you decide to use 225/45-17 rather than 235/40-17 on the front? The 225/45-17 is significantly taller. Just curious."

Sorry David - finger problems. I have 255/40-17 on the front (Dunlop Direzza 03G semi-slick)- don't know where I got 225/45 from!

SteveS,

I got the rears on Amazon.com and the fronts on Walmart.com (go figure).  I just want a set of tires.  Based on them shipping each tire from a different location tells us there are few to be had.

FYI, the Nitto NT01 is the same tire as the Toyo R888R (Toyo owns Nitto) but with a slightly different, more streetable, tread pattern.

David,

Good to know.  The tires I bought can be returned if the Nitto tires are a better solution.

Thanks, Steve

Steve, the only immediate benefit would be the availability of the 235/40-17 size for the front.

I ordered a matching set of Nitto NT05's from Discount Tires.  Fronts are 235/40-17 and rears are 315/35-17.  After I get both sets of the Toyo's and the Nitto's, I will figure which set to keep and return the other.

I believe some Countach models take the same size tires.So what do Lambo owners do ?

Pirelli still makes the OEM Countach sizes in the P-Zero (225/50-15 and 345/35-15).

Steve, the NT05 is an awesome tire but it's a street tire whereas the Toyo R888R (and the Nitto NT01) is a DOT legal race tire. Unless you Autocross or track your Pantera, I'd go for the NT05's. They'll last 4 x as long and won't sand-blast the underside of your fenders every time you go for a drive!

Dear Steve and David,

         I just recently tried to buy/find a pair of Nitto NT05 315-35-17 and learned that they are not available.  They have not been discontinued, but they are not currently manufacturing them. Nitto HQ tells me that there is no definite date to resume production.   Good luck and good hunting.

                  Warmest regards, Chuck Engles

For the NT05 315-35-17 this is what I am finding.

Discount Tires said: Special order, normally ships within 7 business days.  

Jegs says: Estimated to ship direct from manufacturer on 06/27/22

Summit says: Estimated Ship Date: Jul 20, 2022

Steve,

You should call Nitto directly to determine availability. Last December, I tried to buy a set of NT01's and was told exactly the same as what you're being told by Summit, Jeg's, Discount Tire, etc.  I called Nitto and was told they had no stock and no ETA. They said their inventory was floating in containers off the Port of Los Angeles with no anticipated unloading date. I wound up buying a set of BFG Rival S 1.5's (245/40-17 & 335/30-18) from The Tire Rack but left the Nitto's on backorder with Discount Tire. They called me two weeks ago to tell me they were finally in stock at Nitto if I still wanted them! I'm glad I didn't wait.