Square to Staggered on GT

[The Insomnimaniac]

Alright first time buying tires so yall please bear with me… I ordered Michelin Pilot Sport AS4 for my 20 GT. I’ve been running the factory 255 square setup but wanted to switch it up to a staggered setup. Costco’s ordering site gave me the option online to do 255/40ZR19 100Y XL up front and 275/40ZR19 105Y XL out back. I get to the appointment today and they tell me the rear tires won’t fit because my wheel is 8.5 inches and the tire requires at least a 9 inch wheel. He told me my only option was to run a square setup because even a 265 wouldn’t meet tire industry standards, and the factory 255s barely meet the standard. I was under the impression that since the only difference was the tire width and load rating that it would fit. I chatted with a salesman from American Muscle and he told me it would fit. I guess the bottom line is… will a 275/40ZR19 105Y XL fit on factory 19 inch wheel (the black accent pckg wheels from 18-20)? Thanks in advance to anyone who made it to the end of this!

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[kz]

The option you got for 255 front and 275 rear is standard performance package wheels which are 9" wide front and 9.5" wide rear (for 275).

275 wide tire is a tight fit on a 9" rim, on 8.5" it generally doesn't fit - it could probably be squeezed on it by the installer that wants to deal with it but it's a generally a bad idea.

 

[LCK22GT]

I did some research on this also, since I just ordered a staggered set up fo my GT. I currently have the black accent 19" x 8.5" wheels with 255/40's. The 8.5" width is the bare minimum for 255's. Any wider tire is out of spec. I ordered 255's on 9" rims for the front and 285's on 10" rims for the rear.

 

[GrabberBargeCaptain]

Costco sucks, is there a discount tire/america's tire near you ? See what they say because Costco usually refuses to do anything that didn't come on the car originally.

 

[NightmareMoon]

Costco sucks, is there a discount tire/america's tire near you ? See what they say because Costco usually refuses to do anything that didn't come on the car originally.

that doesnt mean they’re wrong…

no a 275 doesnt fit on an 8.5.

 

[GrabberBargeCaptain]

that doesnt mean they’re wrong…

no a 275 doesnt fit on an 8.5.

Yeah you are right.
I'm just personally prejudiced against them- I've had them refuse to install 225/40r17s instead of 215/40r17s because of it being unsafe (7" wheel). And waaaay back in the day they told me 205/65r14 would be unsafe versus the stock 195/70r14s (7" wheel). I'd never bother with them unless i want to run exactly the tire that came with my car.

 

[NightmareMoon]

Yeah you are right.
I'm just personally prejudiced against them- I've had them refuse to install 225/40r17s instead of 215/40r17s because of it being unsafe (7" wheel). And waaaay back in the day they told me 205/65r14 would be unsafe versus the stock 195/70r14s (7" wheel). I'd never bother with them unless i want to run exactly the tire that came with my car.

Most corporate chains will do the same thing. I've been rejected at a local Discount Tire for small stuff like that because a tire had a lower weight rating than my OEM tires, despite being plenty for the car, it was technically speaking less than the OEM tire. OTOH the same shop did put +1 size on my Taco and a similar +2 on a Tundra (which completely rubbed bad) without batting an eyelash.

Anyway, I usually just bring in the loose wheels myself then they can't reject it because of the car they "might" go on.

 

[LCK22GT]

Yeah you are right.
I'm just personally prejudiced against them- I've had them refuse to install 225/40r17s instead of 215/40r17s because of it being unsafe (7" wheel). And waaaay back in the day they told me 205/65r14 would be unsafe versus the stock 195/70r14s (7" wheel). I'd never bother with them unless i want to run exactly the tire that came with my car.

Their legal department probably demands factory tire sizes only.

 

[The Insomnimaniac]

I did some research on this also, since I just ordered a staggered set up fo my GT. I currently have the black accent 19" x 8.5" wheels with 255/40's. The 8.5" width is the bare minimum for 255's. Any wider tire is out of spec. I ordered 255's on 9" rims for the front and 285's on 10" rims for the rear.

The option you got for 255 front and 275 rear is standard performance package wheels which are 9" wide front and 9.5" wide rear (for 275).

275 wide tire is a tight fit on a 9" rim, on 8.5" it generally doesn't fit - it could probably be squeezed on it by the installer that wants to deal with it but it's a generally a bad idea.

Thanks for replying. Well I guess I learned something new today. I don’t really want to change my wheels right now so I guess I’ll stay square this go round. I really thought the tire sidewall told you everything, so how will I know in the future that a wheel is too narrow for a tire?

 

[kz]

Thanks for replying. Well I guess I learned something new today. I don’t really want to change my wheels right now so I guess I’ll stay square this go round. I really thought the tire sidewall told you everything, so how will I know in the future that a wheel is too narrow for a tire?

Look up tire specs - manufacturers specify rim widths for the tire width (best place to go is Tire Rack website since they basically have all reasonable tires available).
And you can fit some tires/wheel width combinations beyond those specs but they require willing and experienced installer (who might hate you after) however there is really no reason to do it for daily driving.

 

[GrabberBargeCaptain]

Most corporate chains will do the same thing. I've been rejected at a local Discount Tire for small stuff like that because a tire had a lower weight rating than my OEM tires, despite being plenty for the car, it was technically speaking less than the OEM tire. OTOH the same shop did put +1 size on my Taco and a similar +2 on a Tundra (which completely rubbed bad) without batting an eyelash.

Anyway, I usually just bring in the loose wheels myself then they can't reject it because of the car they "might" go on.

America's Tire had no issue putting 10" wheels and 275s on my Mustang for me. Of course the teenager pulling the car into the bay made my clutch stink a bit..

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