Wheel & Tire Sizes?

[McGruff]

Hey, I am in the market for some new wheels. I believe i want 18 x 7.5 wheels but the tire Sizes are all confusing me. One min i think i will be good with 215/35/18's then the next 225/40/18's I want a low profile look on my car. I want little rubber showing but not so little where the ride is going to suffer. This is what i had in mind for wheels.

I have a 98 gs
Want 18 x 7.5 Konig Tantrums. with some SO3's Pole postions

Any suggestions or photos of actual tire sizes would be awesome. Thanks!

 

[RocketDSM]

Anything below 50 profile will ride rough. I've had 35 and 40 and it doesn't make a whole lot of difference. Personally, I would go with 225/35 or 40. Keep the tread width as wide as possible over a small profile difference. Also, I might be willing to sell you my Konig Elan's (18x7.5) with Kuhmo Ecsta front and Parada rears (all 225/40R18) pretty cheap if you aren't looking at getting them too soon. Let me know if you need more info.

 

[McGruff]

thanks man i appricate the fast reply. I think going the 225 route with 18's is also the best way to go. my mind is really set on those tantrums tho, but thanks for the offer.

 

[RocketDSM]

Originally I wanted Tantrums, now I want the Volk SE37A.

 

[McGruff]

really..hrmm got any pics of them?

 

[RocketDSM]

My elans? or se37a's?

 

[McGruff]

se's

 

[RocketDSM]

Not a pic of them on a car....I said I wanted them, not I have them. Just look at Volk's website.

 

[Signal]

I agree..go with a 225/40/18...you can do a 225/35/18, but the 40 series is far more common. It will be easier to replace should you happen to waste one.

 

[[email protected]]

Id definitly recommend the 225-40-18's. They are just slightly taller than stock...but will offer you a decent ride and a great look.

 

[L2RTSiAWD]

Originally posted by RocketDSM
Not a pic of them on a car....I said I wanted them, not I have them. Just look at Volk's website.

I don't want to see a pic or I'll get jealous.

Later,

 

[Luke@tirerack]

Consider the facts:

Original tire size 205/55-16 ... 24.9" diameter

18" tire sizes mentioned

215/35-18 ... 23.9" diameter
225/35-18 ... 24.2" diameter
225/40-18 ... 25.1" diameter

when all things are considered the only correct choice would be the 225/40-18 because, although, the diameter is slightly larger tires do wear and it is the closest to the original diameter .... I would also suggest an 18x8 wheel for optimal handling

 

[RocketDSM]

Actually I would recommend the 225/40 to a FWD mainly. Their traction problems (I know from expirience) can be lessened a great deal by making sure that the overall diamter is as large or larger than stock. For the AWD it depends on how you drive it. I'm looking at going back to 17's to get my acceleration back up since all I do is drag anymore. 17's on a FWD would spell burnt tires 100% of the time, though. So a little bit of that depends on the car and driver.

 

[Luke@tirerack]

for drag racing (see my profile) the best thing is to use the smallest wheel possible and the largest sidewall possible to absorb the shock of launch .... i.e. wrinkle-wall slicks

 

[RocketDSM]

But we have to drive the cars on normal roads for normal reasons also. Wrinkle walls don't hold up well to commuting, and definitely don't corner worth a dime. So to find a median is the overall goal. Unless of course you have tons of extra cash, and have one set of wheels for drag, another for commute, and another for road racing/autocrossing. I don't.

 

[taylorspl]

FYI the smaller the sidewall the less protection your wheels are going to have against potholes. secondly bigger tires make the wheels look bigger, ever notice why 20's and 22's look soooo huge on SUV's?

 

[suupafly]

How much can your OEM tire specs deviate from your aftermarket ones?

On my car the stock spec is: 215/50/17 = 25.5" diameter

I want to upgrade to 18's, but I also want to raise the overall height of the ride. So would I be able to do this?
225/45/18 = 26.0"

I know that you guys reccomend 225/40/18 from above, but like I said, I want to raise the overall height etc.

 

[CL MaNTis GST]

you can have my 18"s... I'm done with the 'show' look... i'm more into 'go' now!! I want smaller rims

see pic of them on my profile...
they are yours if u want them.
225/40/18

 

[meef]

CL MaNTis GST, how much you wanting for em? oh, and what kind are they? even I'm interested. Ive got the stock 16"s from a talon if you wanted em and some cash? or something? i dono. hit me back.

 

[Gambit]

Hey,
I'm upgrading my stock 16" GST wheels and 205/55/16 tires. I ordered 17x7" wheels and Kumho 225/45/17 tires. Is this a good choice/fit for my car?

 

[speedaddicts]

i have 225/40/18's, definitly what i would suggest. I did switch between 18x8 to 18x7 and i think the 8 handled much better...but i have blown a strut within that time frame also.......

 

[AWDPetmitsu]

Originally posted by Gambit
Hey,
I'm upgrading my stock 16" GST wheels and 205/55/16 tires. I ordered 17x7" wheels and Kumho 225/45/17 tires. Is this a good choice/fit for my car?

The recommended tire width for 7 inch wheels is 215 mm. I've seen 225mm tires on 7.5 inch wheels and they fit flush with the wheel, so 225mm tires might bulge out a little on a 7 inch wheel. Also, tires vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and 225s of one brand might be a little wider or narrower than another brand. It's hard to know what it'll look like without actually seeing them mounted.

 

[ezell4G63]

I have a similar question just for 16" tires. I am wanting to go to a 205/50/16 they are about .07 inches smaller than stock. Would this affect the driveability of the car in a performance aspect? Thanks