Is this true? A shop told me Toyos, for example, tend to be thinner in width compared to other brands. When putting a 275 Toyo next to a 275 Yokohama, the Toyo is clearly thinner -- 3/4" thinner to be exact.

Does anyone have any knowledge of which tires produce which result? And does this pertain to the sidewall as well? Meaning do certain tires, with the same specs, have a thicker/thinner sidewall than others?

 

It's true. So, just check the actual spec on each tire before buying. You can get actual widths and diameters from the manufacturer or shops like tirerack.com

 

Yes, tread width varies. Some pic from another thread:

Michellin PS2:




Toyo T1R:


PS2 tread width > T1R tread width

 

I work a wheel and tire company and it is true because of the molding that the companies have toyo doesn't use the same molding as Yokohoma, or any other tires. Every company is different.

 

The overall diameters should always be about the same but the width, both the section and the tread, can be vastly different. There is no standard that each manufacturer is held to as far as where and how to measure tread width. Company A's 245 could be 10 or 15 mm wider than Company B's. The section widths differ also but at least that is not a specified dimension and it had only one way to be measured. Goodyear's sporty tires tend to be pretty wide but usually they suck.

 

True also ever tire company has their own "technology" some have a larger lip to fold over and protect the lip of the rim when u yank a turn. I test fitted Bridgestone re050a run flats and they were huge compared to anything else in the same excact size. I also work at a tire place

 

Even the diameters can vary quite a bit.
You really need to look up the complete spec sheet & compare.

 

If Toyos are thinner than other brands, would that increase the possibilty of them having the "stretched" look? My rear wheels are 10" wide and fitting 275/35/19 tires look to be pretty close to the edge already. Plus now, I'll be using Toyos...

=/

 

Can't answer your question so sorry about that.
But I just want to know, how come you chose the Toyo T1R's over other directional performance tires such as the Yokohama S. Drives or the Falken FK-452? Are they any better or did you just get them without any regard to the other tires?

I ask this because I'm looking for the best performance directional tires since I'll be getting aggressive wheels and want more than 10k out the tires (that can double up with directional tires )

If anyone else can give some input on this, or whether to just bite the bullet and get assymetrical tires instead, please let me know since I'm extremely confused. lol

Sorry for the threadjack T0Onyce.

 

Here is their fitment guide:

http://marktg.toyotires.com/file/18966.pdf

 

I don't think you can determine treadwith by looking at the manufacturer specs.

The pics that Terry posted are of a 285/30/20 tire. According to Toyo's fitment guide, the T1R's "overall width" in that size is 11.4" wide. However, according to Tirerack, the PS2's "section width" in that same size is 11.0" wide. Both tires are mounted on 10.0" rims for reference. I think "overall width" and "section width" mean the same thing here (i.e. the distance from sidewall to sidewall when inflated). Difference in treadwidth can be definitely be accounted to how much of a rounded shoulder the tire has. The "width" specs that the manufacturers post are something different.


So Terry, do your T1R's really bulge out 0.4" more than the PS2's when measured at the sidewalls?

 

I didn't take actual measurements. I just knew from previous posts that PS2's have one of the widest tread patterns which is why I tested my wheel offsets with them to check for rubbing. From the pictures above, one can see the side wall "bulges" are about the same, but the tread patterns are noticeably wider on the PS2's.

As a first choice, I actually wanted PS2's but I thought I should burn through cheaper tires getting used to driving on 20's. My second choice was 452's, but they didn't have 285's when I needed them. T1R's were my third choice tire.

PS2's are next; obviously after front UCAs are installed to correct front camber.

 

No prob...good question.

What are "directional" tires? Haa.

I'm choosing Toyos because the wheel guy recommended them. He said to make sure of no rubbing issues. However, I am not lowering my car so I don't believe my wheels should rub at all--regardless of what tire brand I use. Am I correct? How are other sedan fitments with 10" wide wheels in the rear?

 

Directional tires are tires that do not have an inside or outside on the tire, only a forward direction on the pattern.
They can be removed from the rim and flipped around and put back on, as long as the pattern is facing the front.
They are used by people who lower their cars and run negative camber in order to double the life of the tires due to camber wear (when only the inside of the tire wears out a lot while the middle and outside are not really affected). Camber wear cuts tire life down to around 10-15k miles, so we need to flip the tires in order to get at least 20k out the tires.

Not something you need to worry about since you won't be lowering the car or anything, and you shouldn't have rubbing issues unless your rims stick out the fender and rub the fender on bumps.