Well I don't so any competitive racing. I honestly just asked because those guys need the most grip so I was curious what they run. Right now the evo is a street car that I want to turn into a street beast until I get a nice daily then turn the evo into a weekend ride/track *****. I'm going to go with 17x9 this go around and hope I can get 265's to work without much headache.

 

255/40 is perfect on a 17x9 wheel.

 

Should I have any issues with rubbing/fitment on stock suspension.

 

That all depends on the wheel's offset. I specifically went with 17x9 +35 FN01R-C wheels for their perfect fitment. I'm lowered on GTWorx/Bilsteins and have no issues even during auto-x. No fender work required.

 

Good to hear. I'll stick to a 17x9 255/40 setup. Is this traction increase over stock noticeable?

 

Depends on tire of course, but assuming the same tire compound, yes 255/40 will of course have more traction that 235/45.

 

the essex/AP racing kit fits stock wheels FYI. plus id contend that A LOT of guys still run stock calipers.

 

Agreed, stock calipers are perfectly suitable for the majority of track drivers IMO.

 

Yup. With our brake bias, and decent factory brakes its a substantial cost for less gain than some other cars. If I upgrade calipers it will be to something like Alcon 6-pots, but they are NOT cheap.

 

If deciding to run a 255 or 265 tire. Would it be more suitable to run a 35 profile?

 

In 17"? No, you'll want 40.

 

I'm not the most knowledgeable but why? I don't fully understand tire specs.

 

A 255/35 would be ~1.3" smaller diameter than the stock 235/45 tire size. A 265/35 would be ~1.0" smaller. There's a calculator in the wheels/suspension area.

 

So the speedo would be affected? Is that the negative here?

 

Yep.

I run 255/40/17 Hankook semi-slicks on my Time Attack/hill climb Evo 6 with Weds 17 x 9" + 25 wheels. IMO, it's the perfect size for Evo 5-9 without making radical changes to your front and rear guards. You probably want to think about going wider if you're running more than 450hp.

Pic of my car:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77990917@N06/9304579482/