Widest tire to fit on an 18x9.5 Wheel?!!! **
 

hey guys im looking for the widest possible tire i can fit on an 18x9.5 +40 Wheel ... i dont really trust the wheel calculators but rather people that have this size tire and at least a 255 tire in the rear with no rubbing... im running oem alignment and height and will keep it that way... i want to try and do a 275 tire but that may be pushing it ... could anyone help me out here ? Yokohama S.Drive tires and Miro 111 wheels !


THANKS !!:happy0180:

the thing about a 275 wide tire is that the smallest aspect ratio you can get is a 35. which makes the OD of the tire a whole inch bigger than stock

would that serve to be a problem? maybe a 265 tire then?

it's a big problem (pun intended)

its going to throw your speedometer reading way off, as well as affecting gearing and fuel economy

so a 265 tire would be better than correct?

If you need the extra surface area, get a wider tire. Don't not get a wider tire because your MPG will be off by .5 mpg. You can also adjust your speedo afterwards and swap out the final drive. Get the 275's if you need them.

i dont really mind the MPG lol i fill up when it goes down and i have a radar detector that shows me my constant speed ... as long as the car wont be " fucked up " with a wider tire then im fine with that... im going for looks not for tracking the car ... i want those FAT LOOKING SEXY TIRE LOOK that you see on the X6 BMW Sport and Cayenne Turbo hahaa well at least close to it

why do you want such wide tires and wheels? all you are doing is increasing rolling resistance and decreasing fuel economy not to mention losing the natural balance of the car and adding quite a bit of weight. 245s look plenty wide on this car IMHO i dont think many people are running wider tires than that without serious power. VCMC is running 245 RS3's with ~320whp.

If dead set on 275s they should work without rubbing at stock height but your speedo will be way out or you could be real aggressive and run 285/30ZR18s which are 24.7" and should not put your speedo out by much at all

Quality of compound > width

I like a wider tire.. I grew up with tires that were wider then the rim.. I think tires that are stretched on a wide rim look.... Dumb.. Why get the wider rim, if such and such tire is all that can fit.. Then get the size rim for it..

I hate tires that are so stretch that I can see between the rim and tire..

As far as speeds, a speedo healer would fix that.. If they don't have it out for our cars yet... Which they should, this car doesn't run anything new like sensors and such, then they will soon..

Don't let the people knock you for what you want to do to your car if its based on looks and not performance, as long as its not a safety issue.. That's when I don't care for it.. Like overly stretch tires and "stanced" to where it's a safety concern..

thanks man and i listen to everyones opinions with an open mind... i want a mean looking wide tire and dont plan on tracking my car at all just for looks primarily. if my spedometer is off by 2 mph i could care less honestly not like i stare at it anyway lol and i dont go over 65 mph on the highway unless someone wants to race haha... im not a speeder just looking for the wow effect... if a 275 can fit than hell im getting it haha

would a 275 width tire hit anything though like the springs? any one have any pics to share?

Bump

I'm running a rear 255/35 on a 9.5 + 38 and I don't think you could go much wider on stock guards.. it's close at the moment, maybe a 265.. think the only way to get a 275 would be to run more camber... if you run coilovers you will get more room on the inside so you might be able to run a higher offset wheel than the +40 you were planning and get a 275 on.

And.. it will change the way your car drives, be ready for it..

My rear offset is +40 so I think I'm gunna go with a 265/35 where is it going to rub? and changing the way it drives in what aspects?

Bump

i ran a 275/35/18 on my sti, its the perfect width IMO. the issue is all tires run different. some 255's are as wide as other companies 275's so when you buy, look up the width in inches.

here is what that looked like:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7121/7...84410230_b.jpg

those are sumitomo HTR Z III 275/35/18 they are middle of the range as far as width. i know Starspecs run really wide so do michelin PSS. if my sti wasn't hit, i was going to step up to the same sumitomo's but in a 295/30.

however, anything bigger than a 255, as long as it's a good grippy tire will be over kill for the brz. i plan on doing 9.5' wide all around with a 255/35 PSS tire. adding so much rubber will make it a purely momentum car, and it'll struggle to really turn it. by saying change the way it drives, the car will not rotate as easily, so you really will have to turn in and hammer the gas to get it right. you dont want to simply slap on maive tires in the rear and keep something skinny in the front either, a nice square setup will be perfect for this car. just do a start spec or a michelin PSS in a 255, trust me those run wide.

this bug eye is running a 255/35/18 starspec on 18x9.5 +38 works...look how meaty it looks:

http://mduece.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/7.jpg

jut remember, when it comes to tires its not the width aspect that counts, but its compound and the actually contact patch you put down. bigger doesn't mean more contact...

^^ Beautiful pics

How do I find out the actual width ? Is the Yokohama mid range for width ?

yokos are pretty much middle of the pack IIRC

I just put on my new wheel/tire setup bout an hour ago. 18x8.5 +35 Fronts with 235/35/18 and 18x9.5 +30 Rears with 255/35/18. Fitment is excellent, fronts clear lock to lock, rears have a safe distance of clearance. I went with BF Goodrich G Force TA KDW. I went with these because I dont do much cold or wet weather driving and BFGs have a strong sidewall and a great contact patch. They are 300 AA A rated so theyre not as sticky as a Starspec or R888, but at temperature, they grip very well on dry road.

Nice man looks great...pretty sure u guys follow me on insta haha names mikeymacfrs

Sorry, new to the wheel game. What does "clear lock to lock" mean? Do these size wheels/tires combo clear the fender when you hit bumps or turn sharply? And do you have aftermarket coilovers or shocks that alter the ride height?

Cheers!

It doesn't hit when the steering wheel is turned all the way left and all the way right, or lock to lock.

I have stock shocks with Eibach Pro Kit 1" drop

are the R888 okay to drive to the track? sounds like you own a set?

i'm running 255/35/18 just a bit of a poke but nothing dramastic!
fits perfect imo

When i drop it, it'll look flush

They are definitely fine to drive to the track. They might get hairy if you shave them down to 4/32nds and then drive to the track in the rain though.

Please note, speedo auto calibrates with sensors

How long does that take? I just put 275/35R18 on back of my FRS today and after 150 miles driving home I was still reading 3mph under actual speed.

OP I got 275/35R18 Toyo Proxes T1S today on 18x9.5 +40 wheels out back at stock ride height and I got no rubbing all the way home and over some pretty major bumps too.

Damn THis makes me wish i would have went with a 275 haha whatever a 265/35-18 is in the same ballpark ... i have a +38 offset so maybe i would be better off with my decision

Mm I do not know to be honest, you retained all tire sensors when you switch over rims? Everyone on the board states that the speedo is calibrated by sensors and that people on the board who are tech's at toyota confirmed that. Cannot explain your circumstance.


Those tires are crazy wide btw haha.

Not sure what the limit is, but I'm really glad you're not asking what the narrowest tire is that'll fit on that rim... Lol

Can I see this setup please?

Yes you can as soon as I can get to a computer.

Thanks man!:thumbup:

Ill post them for you @Pin Flare

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps76e880ef.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps0916a1f7.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps35776fed.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps05bf703c.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psf90bb38f.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psaf21cd30.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps561bd96d.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps043953da.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps94f2dc90.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psff2da2c1.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psa3764f40.jpg

He is getting the car dropped today, had to take it to two different places.. But I'll post the day pictures and when the car is lowered..

hows interior clearence? By that I mean wheel to the springs.

The speed is determined by the ABS (wheel speed) sensors so the speed isn't effected by the final drive ratio at all, but is 100% effected by the diameter of the tires. There is no auto calibration to adjust the speed if you go to taller or shorter tires, you would have to do it through tech stream. The wheel speed sensors are attached to the suspension and have nothing to do with the tire pressure sensors in the wheels.

Also keep in mind what the ECU might do if the diameter of the front and rear wheels is off by too much, it'll think one axle is constantly spinning. I don't know how much you would have to be off by for it to detect it, but it's a possibility.

As for the tire widths, a 255 RS3 is almost the exact same width as most 275's. If you want to see the actual width, look up the detailed tire specs (tirerack has it for most tires) and look at the tread width in inches.

As it's been said before, a 275 is hugely overkill, especially on stock power and just for daily driving. Adding too much width can make the balance worse, steering feel worse, and it makes the car tram line (follow grooves in the pavement) worse. IMO, 245's already look plenty wide on these cars (especially up front!). If you want 305's get a big v8 muscle car :D