308QV: Tires-anyone running wider than OEM

Front: 225/50 ZR 16 (note: same as OEM rear size)

Rear: 245/50 ZR 16

Perfect fit, no worries whatsoever with rubbing / etc.

Yes, the one size larger tires do seem to "fill out the wheel wells" a bit, if you really look close. But it's not really a big enough difference to note from the driver's seat.

Only minor quibble is that there's not a lot of tire options in the 245/50 size, so you have to search a bit.

Details:
http://ferrari308gtsi.multiply.com/photos/album/2/1980_Ferrari_308_GTSi_2003_2008#photo=191

followed by the next 3 or 4 pictures.

Cheers - DM

 

my QV had 225 f and 245 r when i got it. makes the car look more aggressive than stock but i thought the steering was a little heavy.

 

While you should obviously confirm this detail with the specific brand / type of tire you are considering, most 225/50 tires are OK with rims within the 6" ~ 8" wide range.

Cheers - DM

 

funny how the timing works out on threads like this. on the Porsche forum, i had a thread running as i had a heck of a time finding tries for my 87 slopenose 911. 8 inch wide BBS wheel in the front with a 225/50/16, and a 9 inch wide wheel in the back with a 245/45/16. i went with kumho ast tires all the way around. got them shipped next day wholesale for $290.00 ( the Tirerack warehouse is 45 minutes from me).

really happy with the tires, put a few miles on them since yesterday morning, the old tires had great thread, but were 8 years old. the 245/50 fits the 9 inch wide wheel with no problem. i would give them a look.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?width=245%2F&ratio=50&diameter=16&x=95&y=9
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I put the 225/50 16 on the front and 245/45 16 on rear on my 83 QV, as this was the offering for the Bridgestone pole position S3 in 2002, not a 50 series for the rear which was odd. You're right the choices for 16 inch rubber are very different now and there is much less choice.

I would probably stay with the larger rubber 225 front 245 rear. Never had a problem and did not notice any heavy steering. I did play with recommended F/R pressures somewhat to correct a feeling of understeer.

 

Sorry for the side bar but has anyone had luck finding the Goodyear GS-D3 tires available for the 16' 308 QV?
I have checked the tirerack and they only have the all season F-1's available...

 

I stayed with the stock 205/55/16 on the front as I didn't want to make the steering heavier, nor make the steering follow the contours of the road more (wider tires tends to do this). But in the rear I changed it slightly and went with 225/55/16s. The slightly higher profile takes a few revs off on the highway (don't need to run 4,000 rpm for highway cruising) and keeps the ride nice and mellow....

There's a version of Goodyear Eagle that is modestly priced and comes in these sizes (205/55/15 & 225/55/16) - something like $85/ea. for the fronts and $110/ea. for the rears.

 

I have a pair of different wheels / tire sets for my 308: a set of the QV replica wheels with the "correct" OEM tire sizes, and a set of aftermarket Gotti wheels with slightly larger tires front and rear, as I mentioned in post #2 above.

Swapping easily back and forth between the sets (largely depending upon the wheel "look" that I want for a particular event), I detect no steering / handling differences between the different sizes, so I tend to think that any differences between them are trivial, at best.

But, I will add this: I had to play around with tire pressures much more than I would have thought until I found a "feeling" that suited me. When inflated to the same pressure as the slightly smaller OEM tires, the oversized tires were too harsh for my taste. I fixed it by dropping a couple of psi's in the oversized tires, especially at the front.

Point being that you should plan on experimenting with your tire pressures a bit, rather than simply using the same pressures as the OEM sizes.

Cheers - DM