Tires that run wide or narrow
 

Can people start posting what tires generally run wider or narrower or how one model of tire's fitment compares to another model of the same size specs? Having a thread to reference this may help people choose tires with regards to meaty fitment.

For example, I've PM'd people who rub on the outer wall of a 255/35 MPSS on an 18x9.5 +40 tire but @ft86speedfactory once ran 265/35 Ventus R-S3 on 18x9.5 +38 wheels (wider tires and pokier offsets that should worsen clearance) without rubbing nor fender modification. From that, I'd deduce MPSS run wider than V12 Evo. Granted, suspension settings/height/camber can make the difference but IIRC - and correct me if I'm wrong - almost everyone I looked up/PM'd tended to be at around -2 (perhaps natural) camber.

It varies both by model and size... the list would be FAR too big to be manageable.

Michelin Pilot Super Sport and Advan AD08 definitely run wider.

As already mentioned, there are way too many variables to make a definitive list.

If you are looking for a specific setup, find a wheel that you like, set the car to the height you want, take some measurements, and then find out what the cross-sectional width is of whatever tire you're looking at.

Just remember that the width of the wheel is measured from inside the lips, so you need to account for additional width provided by the lips.

With that said, I've got a set of BF Goodrich GForce KDW2 in 245/40-18 (for a different car), and they are closer to a 255. My friend has also run Continental ExtremeContact DW (summer tire) in a 285 tread width (don't remember the full size), and he switched to Hankook Ventus V12s in the same size, and they were much closer to a 295.

So as we said, too many variables.

@switchlanez I assume youre trying to do 255 18x9.5 up front??

Even worse: not all wheel manufacturers measure offset the same.

-alex

Continental DW ExtremeContact 245/35/18 look narrow to me for their size

I'm looking for a 265/35R18 tire to run square with no rub. So far I know Ventus V12 and maybe ExtremeContact DW seem most promising. They are also among the lightest in weight which may indicate less material/smaller size.

Before you dismiss my question so easily... there a vey finite number of tire sizes that maintain stock OD of our car. For 18" it would be 215/40, 225/40, 235/35, 245/35, 255/35, 265/35 and that's what we can focus on for starters and similar can be said for 17". The question of wheel variance depending on manufacturer can be ignored until we see someone put the same tire on 2 different wheel models of the same spec and prove differing fitment. I'd imagine wheel variance to be in the single digit mm range whereas tires can vary in magnitude closer to double digits since the width increments by 10mm. Have you seen the stickied wheel directory? That's a lot larger/harder to manage than the tire question.

It's not the number of possibilites that makes this impossible to manage but the lack of a metric to evaluate actual size hence my posting of this thread asking for personal experiences. Tirerack shows all evaluable dimensions for tires (like 3+ different width metrics) and for 265/35R18 the MPSS and V12 were identical across the board IIRC. There was no metric I could find indicating the V12 runs wider.

Problem is, you need to measure the actual OD. You can't just base it off of tire sizes, because again, not all sizes are made equal.

Even rim widths are to the closest half inch. Not all 8.5" rim are equal, and not all 9" rims are equal. We're not talking 1MM. I've measured differences as big as 16mm. For example, the 8.5" BBS on my car are actually about 8.4", but the 8.5" Advans I've had on my car in the past are actually 8.8". This varies, even within the manufacturer!

Tirerack only shows a SINGLE measurement for the tire mounted on a SINGLE rim width. You have a range, which will alter all the measurements. Additionally, MOST of tirerack's measurements are just the manufacturer numbers republished.

If we take a person's experience with one tire vs. another tire model of the same size mounted on the same wheel both times, that eliminates all the variables you're hung up on. That's typically how people find out about tires running wider/narrow anyway. It's a very simple question with a simple answer. I get what you're saying but no need to complicate simple lol. We just need some data points in terms of Tire X vs. Tire Y preferrably mounted on the same wheel. That's better than nothing or better than searching for personal testaments fragmented across many threads.

Yup..

Example:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=198

Look at the chart listed. That's for ONE tire and the different sectional width on different wheels.

And as I stated, no two manufacturers will measure wheel width the same. Keep in mind that width is just the inner distance flange to flange, which makes no distinction of the design of the flange.

In the end, wheel manufacturers only care about the surface where the tire sits, for offset calculation purposes. The design and shape of the lip make a bigger difference on clearance and "fit"... as do the tire sidewall design (see: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/...urrentpage=101)

-alex

We can make a list of "confirmed" setups, but between tire model, size, rim model, size, offset, suspension, and alignment, it's going to become very, very convoluted.

This is the sort of info I was looking for which I stumbled across in another thread:

Part of why MPSS is highly regarded seems to be because they stuff more rubber per rated width. Tread width of a 245 wide MPSS is comparable to other tire models that are 255+ wide in the same class. Also explains why MPSS runs heavier.