18" rim question?

[stockae92]

i think i want new rim

seems like 235/45/18 tires are very close to stock size (215/55/17)

for 18" rims, how wide should it be (7.5" or 8")

for each width, what's the offset should be?

i think i am going keep the suspension stock for now. but i might drop it for around 1" or so

[theprodigy79]

235/45 18 is nearly identical in diameter, however it is an EXTREMELY rare tire size (especially for anything decent).. You may have to settle for 225/45 18 (what I currently have) for any type of performance tire at all... it's around 1.7% smaller than stock, so if your speedo says 60 you're actually going 59.4 (not a big deal considering your speedo is not exact anyway). The next best size would be 255/40 18, however those tires are 10.04" wide (2" wider than stock), and will not clear your wheel well (I have tried). Anyhow, your best bet would be 225/45 18 or 235/40 18 (which is around 3% off, but still not a huge deal)...

Regarding rim size, if you go with 18"s, 8" wide would be ideal, but you could also go for 8.5" wide if you wanted to.

Good luck,

-James

[stockae92]

wow, a quick search on tirerack returns 5 choices for high performance tires

the cheapest is $190 a piece, definitely cost a few more dollar bills

[theprodigy79]

Yup, it's definitely more costly... my ride's wearing Michelin Pilot Sports right now... I have a tire swap tomorrow (my tires are shot due to faulty allignment, long story and not really worth getting into)... Gonna cost me a tad over $1300 installed...

[stockae92]

well, i can live with 17"

i just want wider tires, but seems like 225/50/17 is less than ideal

[theprodigy79]

Wider tires don't necessarily mean more grip (as a matter of fact it's actually quite the opposite on anything outside of dry road). If you want your car to hold, get a good quality ZW rated tire (ZY ain't necessary for the stock rims) with an agressive tread. Keep in mind, moving to wider tires will usually lose traction in rain and snow. A tire can only sift through so much water; the wider it gets, the more it starts acting like a surf board... In slush, snow and mud, narrow tires bite in much harder than wide tires (that's why you never see wide tires on rally cars).

Also keep in mind that each tire is cut differently... My car is lowered, so I would have potential issues moving much wider than 225mm Michelins (my tire of choice), however PhreakdOut is lowered with stock rims and 235mm Firesone tires and is apparently fine.

Either way, if you find a set of tires (or rims and tires) that you like, you can easily move outside of your stock tire range and just have your speedo recalibrated by Precision Tune or the like... Opens up your options quite a bit! Cost of tires generally does go up substantially from 17" to 18" (or above), but you can still find reasonably priced, quality tires... Just depends on what you're willing to do. I, personally, stand by my Michelin Pilot Sports so I'm willing to pay the extra fee that comes with the name, however that doesn't mean that there are other, cheaper tires out there that would hold the car to the road just as well!

-James

[mmcdonald]

Hey. I replaced my stock tires with stock size Avon M550 A/S. Okay, the look is not there, but they handling very very well for a $110.00 tire. They were the second highest rated of all tires on Tirerack.

And around here, near you, theprodigy79, I needed the all season designation. Nothing sadder than a slick looking ride sliding around in the slush, like I saw all last winter in DC.

As it turns out, the 225 rated Turanzas were a tad slimmer than 225, so the 225 Avons look like I stepped up a width. See the pics.

[alan8888]

i am using 18" inch also 18 x 8.5 with 245 tires

[theprodigy79]

And around here, near you, theprodigy79, I needed the all season designation. Nothing sadder than a slick looking ride sliding around in the slush, like I saw all last winter in DC.

Yeah, I wanted to switch from the Michelin Pilot Sports to the Pilot Sport A/S for that reason... I wound up driving through all the snow storms last year in my max performance summer tires... Not much fun, but I managed... Only problem is, I don't really wanna reconfigure my speedo, so the only size offered in the A/S that would match diameter woulda been the 255/40 18 (which are flat out huge, at 10.04" wide)... I tried em on and they woulda rubbed whenever I hit a good speed bump or had people in the back... If I wasn't dropped, it *may not* have been an issue (but I somehow feel like it still would have been), but the tires hung out an inch on each side of my 8" wide rims... I decided to stick with the Pilot Sport 225/45 18s.. some of the best summer max-performance tires available, and I'll deal with Winter when it hits again...

i am using 18" inch also 18 x 8.5 with 245 tires

You either must not be dropped, or you drive like a decrepit old woman over speed bumps and rough roads (or if you have any passengers what-so-ever)... We don't have that much fender clearance, so depending on the cut of the tire many 235 series wouldn't even cleaer properly... I took some measurements and I'm scrapping for space with my Michelin 225s... They clear, but BARELY (but Michelins tend to be monsterous tires)... The only way to clear true wide-cut 235 series or larger on the dropped Gen2 is to roll the lip on the fender (esp in the rear)... but that would only allow up to the 235 comfortably on a dropped ride...

[Lone Solara]

As it turns out, the 225 rated Turanzas were a tad slimmer than 225, so the 225 Avons look like I stepped up a width. See the pics.

The stock rubber is 215/55/17

[stockae92]

will a 18"x7.5" with +43mm offset rims works?

and seems like 225/45/18 would be the only tire size that would fit with min. error on the speedo

[Lone Solara]

will a 18"x7.5" with +43mm offset rims works?

I believe the offset is fine, but the width(7.5") may be too small. If you go with the 225/45/18 tire, then 225mm = 8.86". That means that the tire is actually 1.36" wider overall than your rim (about 0.7" on each side).

[theprodigy79]

Most of the time tires are wider than the actual rim; the "rule of thumb" is that you can actually get away with a tire up to 2" wider than your rim (an inch overhang on each side)... any larger than that is not recommended. I'd still recommend going for an 18"x8", or even an 8.5" rather than the 7.5"...

[zoomzoomthis05]

i was faced with the same thoughts.. so I asked my brother to check things out for me... he asked around and wrote a post on NASIOC.. the hands down answer that was the best rated for the SE V6 is the TOYO PROXY 4 and I am getting a deal on five in 18". and am waiting for my brakes and then I am ordering my tires and rims.. BBS RK in 18"

[DocJohn]

i was faced with the same thoughts.. so I asked my brother to check things out for me... he asked around and wrote a post on NASIOC.. the hands down answer that was the best rated for the SE V6 is the TOYO PROXY 4 and I am getting a deal on five in 18". and am waiting for my brakes and then I am ordering my tires and rims.. BBS RK in 18"

BBS RK in 18" = NICE wheels, GREAT choice! I shoulda paid the extra $$ for these over my 18" MM-S.
A tire size in 18" that is closest to stock (least speedo error) is 235/45-18. Using as close to a +40 mm offset with a 18" x 8" wheel, you won't get any rubbing or bumping with this size tire either.