GT Base Model 235/40 R18?

[Shadow277]

Who here has been on the base model stock wheels? Mine is the base model but I got it used with 305s on the back. Got 2019 Premium wheels now. Anyways, I had some fun with both wheels but it made me curious as to what the 235/40s were like. Is the steering even duller? Was the handling just awful? My thoughts are that it would not be track day worthy so I am wondering what people thought of those wheels and tires who have actually done some serious driving on them.

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[SAY WHAT]

I took my base wheels with the stock 235/50/18 pirelli p zero all seasons out to a track cross in Feb once. It was fun but the lack of grip and direct turn in was noticeable compared to my summer set. Lets just say it took more effort than was needed.

 

[EFI]

235s are no where near enough for any type of performance driving on a 2 ton car, regardless of the composition of the tire.

Besides driving in the winter, there's really no use for 235 tires on this car.

 

[ice445]

I'm still using mine with the stock Pirelli all seasons, because I can't in my mind justify wasting tires that are functional, lol. Other than never having traction in a pull, the car has been surprisingly...fine. You can definitely feel the lack of tire if you ask the car to do too much, but the amount of turning I've gotten away with has been shocking, honestly. I've taken it on quite a few spirited mountain drives (we have super curvy canyon roads here). You just have to be extra smooth with your lines. The car also rides super nice, and you're immune to nicking the wheel on most curbs/potholes because there's so much sidewall. Overall I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10 in the performance spectrum. Not great, but certainly very functional especially if you're just daily driving. I'll be upgrading to a 275 wide square setup on a 19x9.5 or 19x10 next spring.

 

[Performance nut]

I loved the look of my base GT wheels on my 2016. Tire wise, the stock 235/40-18 Pirelli's were just utter crap. Way too much power for those narrow tires and in my opinion too much weight for the fronts even with the softer suspension. The car could not take a turn to save it's life. I went straight to upgrading to new wheels that supported more rubber within 6 months. The straw that broke the camels back was when I hydroplaned into oncoming traffic going 35. No show boating, just regular driving in the rain on a down hill. Rear end was absolutely useless at that point and was just not getting much response from the front. Dry is better but not by much.

If someone really wanted to keep the base wheels, I highly recommend better tires. But honestly, 235 is just ridiculous for a car with that much power.

 

[Shadow277]

I'm still using mine with the stock Pirelli all seasons, because I can't in my mind justify wasting tires that are functional, lol. Other than never having traction in a pull, the car has been surprisingly...fine. You can definitely feel the lack of tire if you ask the car to do too much, but the amount of turning I've gotten away with has been shocking, honestly. I've taken it on quite a few spirited mountain drives (we have super curvy canyon roads here). You just have to be extra smooth with your lines. The car also rides super nice, and you're immune to nicking the wheel on most curbs/potholes because there's so much sidewall. Overall I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10 in the performance spectrum. Not great, but certainly very functional especially if you're just daily driving. I'll be upgrading to a 275 wide square setup on a 19x9.5 or 19x10 next spring.

The 275s in the rear will definitely help.

 

[Shadow277]

I took my base wheels with the stock 235/50/18 pirelli p zero all seasons out to a track cross in Feb once. It was fun but the lack of grip and direct turn in was noticeable compared to my summer set. Lets just say it took more effort than was needed.

Easier to put into a skid? From what I heard, the 2019 premium wheels are pretty good to get me started on the track again since rear wheel drive is new to me. After using premium wheels vs the Niche 20", I can see that the 305s offer good grip but the Toyo Proxes T1R are garbage. Seems I have the same grip going with Indy 500s on 275s.

 

[SAY WHAT]

the 18s will in theory also be lighter. But the stock 18 rims are on the heavy side.

 

[SHxTGUN]

I've had them on my car until this point and it's been fine for the most part but I have definetely lost traction a few times with the 235s. I am just now deciding to upgrade within the next week or two to a bigger wheel + bigger tire. Switching back and forth between some 19x9.5 and 19x10s and then I would like to put 285/35s on those. Anyone know if 9.5 can take a 285 without any problems? (bulging and whatever else?)

 

[Shadow277]

I've had them on my car until this point and it's been fine for the most part but I have definetely lost traction a few times with the 235s. I am just now deciding to upgrade within the next week or two to a bigger wheel + bigger tire. Switching back and forth between some 19x9.5 and 19x10s and then I would like to put 285/35s on those. Anyone know if 9.5 can take a 285 without any problems? (bulging and whatever else?)

You should be able to because that is what Ford slaps on their premium wheels.

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