225/45s with 18s?

[Spidey]

Will these rub bad? I see in the gallery a guy has 18x8s with 225/45s, I would like to run 45s myself for a slightly more comfortable ride. He has Koni adjustables and Eibach springs(says 1.25" lower, I'm assuming Pro-Kit). Would it be possible for me to run 225/45s with 18x7.5s/Illuminas/Sportlines? Would(or could) I run a less wide tire to fit the 45s?

Thanks in advance,
Shannon

BTW-I'm not sure of the offset on my wheels, the fronts are 100% flush with fender and the rears are tucked a bit due to negative camber.

 

[wret]

The clearance issues have more to do with the tire than the wheel. I have 18 x 18.5s and the clearance for the wheel is not a problem.

I searched for specs for your wheel but found only 7" not 7.5". The 7" I found had a 42mm offset. By my calculations, you should have no more than 39mm offset for that tire size. Of course, my formula has yet to be proven, but if I'm right, that would leave you about 1mm of clearance, and yes, that would rub.

 

[jtmcinder]

If the diameter is not much larger than stock, then a 225 works on even a +46mm (stock) offset. (I had 225/45/17s on my stock wheels for a while.) The problem is that 225/45/18 is about a half inch larger (diameter) than stock. That might make it rub on the vertical link in the rear. I would recommend shrinking to a 225/40/18. That will definitely fit on any offset up to +46mm, although I always suggest +40mm for 2Gs.

- Jtoby

 

[Spidey]

Thanks for the responses guys. Jtoby - I currently run 225/40/18s, I was just wondering if it would be possible to run a 45 for slightly more comfort. I'm aware that it would not be as close to overall stock size, and would throw off the speedo, but that can be taken care of pretty easily. Oh well though, I suppose I can always swap for 17s. wret - thanks for the info, you are probably right about them being 7" wide, I only assumed wider because of the tire size, bad idea assuming I know.

 

[wret]

Measure your clearance with the 40's. You need about 5.5 mm more to run 45's. If you have 10mm or more clearance with the 40's, you might be able to change.

 

[ornwilson]

The tire profile will make a huge difference. I can highly recommend Falken Azenis ST115 tires if you are worried about a clearance problem: they have rounded shoulders. They also have better traction in the WET than my Kumhos in the dry!!

I have Focals (18x?) and Tokico suspension. With my old 225/40-18 Kumho 712s, I could not fit my fingers between the tire and fender, but with Falken Azenis ST115s (225/40-48), i can just barely do it. The tires also only rub with 2+ people in the car around hard fast corners with bumps, where the others would rub if I flipped a U-turn over 5mph.

hope this helps

 

[ornwilson]

I just checked Falken's website and the Azenis apparently isn't availible in 225/45-18. The <a href = "http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/us/en/continental/automobile/themes/pc_tyres/performance/conti_sport_contact/dimension_en.html">Continental SportContact</a> is though. It looks to have a fairly rounded shoulder also. I haven't heard anything about performance though...

 

[Spidey]

Thanks again for the responses, I can definately use this info. I am planning on getting coilovers(Tein maybe?) down the line, I may just wait til then to try a larger profile tire but I will definately post something if I get them before hand.

 

[jtmcinder]

If the reason for thinking about larger sidewalls is to have more tire to absorb road imperfections, then I have another suggestion. Learn which tires have soft sidewalls and which are stiff. For example, to even mention Azenis and Continentals in one sentence is seriously weird. There is no street tire with sidewalls stiffer than Azenis, while Continentals roll over if you blow on them. If the latter come in 225/40/18, then you have your softening; be ready for a significant loss in lateral grip, though.

- Jtoby

 

[ornwilson]

The only reason I mentioned the Continentals is because of their rounded shoulder similar to my Azenis and that they come in 225/45-18. Like I said, I have no personal experience with them.

I have regular Tokicos and Azenis and the ride is not super harsh. Are the Illuminas much stiffer than these, or would it be more because of the different spring rates?