Tires for 18x8.5 Wheels Options

[Fastbird]

Going to get a new wheel after a year and get the HPR5 rims back on the Celi this spring. The 215/35-18 tires just had too much stretch and didn't offer enough protection of teh rim, so I'm going wider. I've seen pics of the 225/40-18 tires, and those are better but still a bit thin for a 8.5" wide wheel.

Has anyone run a 235/40-18 on an 8.5" wide 18" rim, and if you did, were you lowered and did you experience any rubbing issues??

[devilsden97]

i ran 17x8.0 35mm offset with 225/45/17 tires. on Sportlines, no rubbing. I wouldnt got larger then 8" cuz its REALLY close. and i wouldnt go larger then 225, again because of HOW close it is..

[Fastbird]

i ran 17x8.0 35mm offset with 225/45/17 tires. on Sportlines, no rubbing. I wouldnt got larger then 8" cuz its REALLY close. and i wouldnt go larger then 225, again because of HOW close it is..

Unfortunately that doesn't help me. I've already had these wheels on the car (see sig pic) only with a 215/35-18 tire, which was ultimately too narrow for the 8.5" wheel. I've actually got decent clearance there, I just need to get a wider tire overall. I would think that a 245/30 would be perfect but unfortunately, no such tire exists that I can find.

[6strngs]

in your signature you say that they are 18x8... anyway, you can fit probably up to a 255, maybe even 265 on a 8.5" wheel. however, probably won't fit on your car. lol. 245/40/18 is a pretty common size, but perhaps not low-pro enough for you. a couple people make 245/35/18, but they are pretty pricy. again, a 245 might rub too. the stretched look you've got now is very common on european cars and also 240sx's, but I guess not quite your style? anyway, a bunch of companies makes 235/40/18s, and a couple also make 225/35/18. maybe you'd be happier with one of those sizes.

[drhossa]

I'm driving a 225/40/18 with 8,5x18 rim on my Four.

[Fastbird]

in your signature you say that they are 18x8...

Huh....look at that. Been a while since I've thought about those wheels. How embarrassing. Ok........after some searching, I think a 245/35-18 is what I'm going to try. I'm doing some maintenance this weekend so I'm going to put a wheel back on the car and see if I've got clearance for a 245/35. It's only marginally larger than the 215/35-18 so it shouldn't pose a tremendous issue.

I absolutely HATE the stretched sidewall look. It's hideously stupid looking, and is a really dumb idea because it's much easier to break the bead if you clip a curb, not to mention the lack of rim lip protection. Go lower profile but wider tire and you'll still have essentially the same effective sidewall height. I KNOW a 245 fits a 8" wide wheel good because my old Firebirds had 245/50-16's on 16x8 wheels and it was a little tiny bit wider than the wheel itself. Much better for wheel protection, larger contact patch, and better handling..........

Sadly, I'm looking at $150 a tire min. That's chump change though considering my Vette tires cost me $1200.

[jason]

245/35 ftw could prolly be dropped and still have them fit, look like your wheels have a nice offset. i think they would fit without a problem.

[6strngs]

what offset are your wheels btw? I'm trying to figure out if I could fit a 245/40 on my 17x8's ET35. but I don't actually have the wheels yet, so I can't just measure.

[Kadett]

Dont go 245/40/18 its a to big size in diameter. Get the 245/35/18 its still 15/16" bigger in diameter then your previous sized 215/35/18

The 40 size tyre would mean a 8 percent difference in size then what came stock.

[Fastbird]

The wheels are a +38mm offset. I will NEVER go skinny on a tire again. One of my wheels rolled off it's stop and fell on the face in the garage. There goes that clearcoat. Argh!!!!!

I tihnk it's going to be the 245/35-18........it's just going to delay putting them back on for a little while because of cost. I'm still building my Trans Am....Just bought a PT76GTS turbo for it today.........

[laff09]

Fastbird, good to see that name around again Not too go tooo off topic but, Got any pics up of the trans am build?

[Fastbird]

http://www.fastbird93.com/Purple/NewMotor.htm -- New motor pics are on this page. That's about it. The car is still on jackstands in the garage. I just paid for the new turbo yesterday, hot parts will be here in about 2-3 months, then I'm off and running with a lot more involvement.

I haven't been around at all for almost a year now mainly due to my work schedule. After we moved here to IL my wife quit her $30K a year job, which essentially cut 1/3 of our income out. Suddenly I was forced to take on a second job and still have to maintain that because we're almost back to where we were between it and her new job (that she makes less than half of what she used to). Gotta do what you gotta do. Fortunately, my automotive interests/experience got me a part time management gig at Auto Zone which doesn't pay too terrible for what it is, but I feel terribly underpaid. The nicest thing is that though I'm working regular 60-80 hour weeks with nary a full day off, we haven't had to go to the point of sacrificing any of the toys yet, and things are looking up and up every day. /life story.

This post has been edited by Fastbird: Jan 29, 2008 - 6:56 PM

[CelicaST_CALI]

make sure to take pics

[Fastbird]

Of course, pics of everything! It's still going to be a couple of months before I have the new tires on the car, and the Trans Am build won't be in full swing until summer at the earliest.