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Tires/wheels advice needed

panterashahpanterashahMember
Hello guys,
I need some advice regarding wheels and tires for my Pantera. Currently I am running 15 inch wheels with 345/35 15 and 225/50 15s tires. The car has very good acceleration and handles and brakes very well with a modified braking system. I know the speedometer is off because of smaller diameter tires and it also has a red line limited top end. Since I plan on checking my speed with GPS, it is not a concern for me and I don’t care much for the top speed. My priority is good 0-60 acceleration and good braking. I also have a spare set of 17 inch wheels with 335/35 and 245/40 17 tires that I purchased for future use because of non availability of 15 inch tires. The 15 inch 345/35 rear tires on the car are 24.8 inch in diameter and 17 inch 335/35 rear tires are 26.2 inch in diameter. If larger diameter tires are installed then is that going to hurt acceleration and braking ? Is there going to be a noticeable difference? Both 15 and 17 inch wheel combinations weigh about the same. Any advice is highly appreciated.
Thanks
Shah
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zr1panterazr1panteraForum Sponsor - SACC Restorations
Changing the tire size as you have described is like changing the Ring & Pinion in the trans from 4.22 to approximately 4.00.

Will you feel it? Yes

If your goal is to make 0-60 better, this is the wrong direction. Having said that, it isn't so much that it will be unbearable. It will be noticeable however...
markcharltonmarkcharltonOld enough to know better and still young enough not to care. My '71 Pantera
Shah,

Your rear tires sound like they are too short, but I doubt that hurts acceleration. I can't answer whether the diameter difference would be perceptible when driving, but I can say with certainty that on my Pantera I can tell the difference in acceleration between my light 15" magnesium wheels and my much heavier (and thus slower) aluminum 17" wheels. Perhaps the difference I feel is exacerbated by the rotating mass being further from the hub on the 17" wheels, but there is a noticeable difference. I experience this on one of my other cars as well. I haven't measured the difference with a radar gun, but I doubt it's more than 10–15% on the 0—60.

That said, acceleration and braking will probably be much more significantly impacted by your tire choice than the rolling diameter. My new Pirelli P-Zeros are a LOT stickier than my 8-year old Dunlops. If you go from old 15" rubber to fresh 17" rubber, you will probably be happier. This will be especially true if, as you say, your wheels do weigh the same.

Mark
panterashahpanterashahMember
Mark and Scott,
Thanks for your advice. It seems that 17 inch wheels & tires WILL have a noticeable negative effect on off the line acceleration and will probably make the steering less responsive . I switched to larger diameter ( thus heavier) wheels/tires on my NSX and it just ruined the sharp handling characteristics of the car. I am reluctant to do the same with the Pantera. One option is to go with Michelin TB 15 and retain the 15 inch wheels. The pricey 15 inch 345/35 Pirelli P-zeros are on back order for a long time.
Shah
markcharltonmarkcharltonOld enough to know better and still young enough not to care. My '71 Pantera
Shah,

Tire Rack shows the Pirellis arrival late January. I would wait for two reasons: The TB-15s are 335/35 and thus are another 1/2" shorter, plus the Pirellis do have matching fronts in stock at 225/50-15. At almost 2" shorter than the "optimal" Pantera size, the TBs will start looking silly on the car. I haven't any experience with the Michelins, but the Pirellis are nice tires, in my experience.

Good luck!
Mark
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