Grace_Excel

iTrader: (5)

I thought 25.4 mm is an inch and the side wall of a 255/35 tire is not the same height as a 245/40 tire. I just posted these same pictures below of my tires above!

245/40-18


255/35-18

Mr_Pieper

You can look at a manufacturer's website or even something like Tirerack and see charts with actual height, width, and even the number of rotations per mile since every brand sizing is slightly different. For example, the Hankooks I bought list:

225/45r18= 25.9" tall and 801 revs per mile
245/40r18= 25.7" tall and 808 rpm
255/35r18= 25" tall and 831 rpm
255/40r18= 26" tall and 798 rpm

I'm guessing the height is just rounded to one decimal. A 255/35 or even a 265/35 is a really short tire and the weight ratings are a few hundred pounds lower per tire due to less air volume. Also remember that more air volume helps dissipate heat and tires will last longer.

Jazzmeson

iTrader: (5)

18x9.5 +27 wrapped in 255/40/18 tires all around.

Lowered on Progress Technology springs and Koni Yellows.

I'm pretty sure I can fit the rears with the fenders rolled, but I'm more concerned with the fronts.

Posted From RX8Club.com Android App

I8yourv8

what about a 265x35x18 on a 9.0 or 9.5, +30 inch wheel lowered on just springs

Grace_Excel

iTrader: (5)

I have had 255/40 ContiSportContact IIs on both front and rear without any rubbing. With a 40 profile and your wheel offset 10 mm more than mine; you may have to camber a little even with the rolled fenders, at least up front, the rears might only need to be rolled really tight.

I think you'll be okay without rolling your fenders. It is not much thicker than what I currently have, the high offset will make up for the wider tires.

Jazzmeson

iTrader: (5)

Thanks Grace, I just ordered my new set of wheels and I'll definitely get my fenders rolled soon.

Grace_Excel

iTrader: (5)

I see, no wonder you posted your WORK Wheels up for sale.

Jazzmeson

iTrader: (5)

Yup, I really hope someone grabs them soon so I can at least get somewhat close to breaking even. I ended up going for 18x9.5 +27 Enkei NT03 in SBC finish.

Getting the fender roller and heat gun ready and it seems like I'm going to need to shave a bumper tab off as well... Seriously doesn't help having 255/40 tires; what a stupid mistake on buying them in the first place.

P.S. Loving the drop on those RS*R springs. Can't wait to see them next time I roll by at the FT86 meet.

Grace_Excel

iTrader: (5)

Thanks, I and replacing my tires this week with DUNLOP SP1s and preload the height up front a little higher. Did you impulse-buy those ENKEIS, do you think you could have them send one with a higheroffset?

Jazzmeson

iTrader: (5)

I've been looking for a wheel in a black chrome or a similar finish for quite a while. It was my intention to originally coat my XD9s that finish, but my powder coat guy told me he won't able to replicate them without plating. I hated the idea of plating them since XD9s are heavy wheels to begin with, so I decided on the crystal grey powder coat finish.

I liked them for a while, but I eventually got bored of them and wanted to get wider wheels since I finally lowered the car by a slightly decent amount. The NT03s are perfect since they are available in SBC and are reasonably priced. I believe there is a higher offset, but only for the silver version of the wheel.

Grace_Excel

iTrader: (5)

Only if you know a machinist then he may be able to shave off some from +27 to get that desireable offset.

justin888

Will 18x8.5 +30 be to "sunk in"? I'm lowered a little. Anyone recommend tire size also.

Jazzmeson

iTrader: (5)

How much are you lowered? My current set of wheels are 18x9 +38 and lowered 1.7" F and 1.3" R. The rear tucks a tad bit while the fronts are flush with the fender.

Posted From RX8Club.com Android App

SW20FTW

Noob question.. I'm currently running 17x9 +12s on 235/40 tires - lowered about an inch on a KYB/Eibach combo.

I have an opportunity to grab some 18x9.5 +12 gramlights - Does anyone know what tire I would want to run to make this fit? Looking for that flush with the fender stance :D

OtherSyde

OK.

Got my TEIN S.TECH springs installed today (along with the stock cat since I'm moving to Cali in like 10 weeks).

My car barely seems to sit any lower at all in the rear. I had a full car with two large people in the back about 2 weeks ago, and I think they sorta squashed down the struts or whatever because it started rubbing pretty bad over the last 2 weeks after that. When they were in it, I couldn't even go around a gentle curve without constant rubbing on the outward-side of the car, it was horrible and embarrassing.

The front is noticeably dropped - it never had any rubbing issues, and thankfully still doesn't.

The rear sits at almost the same level it did before, but immediately rubbed the fenders a lot less, presumably because of the much-stiffer-than-stock S.TECH springs - I could tell when I hit the dip coming into my apartment building's driveway at a diagonal angle; that always puts more stress on one corner of the car and makes it rub, but it rubbed much less this time, and not at all when I went over the speed bumps diagonally.

Still, I came straight upstairs and grabbed my tool box and special baseball bat for a ghetto-*** fender rolling session. I could see where the tires were rubbing - barely on any of the metal at all, just mostly on the little plastic bumper connector tabs and stuff, so I went nuts and hacked away with my snippers, pliers, scissors, and hack-saw blade and removed all plastic that had any sign of rubbing marks, and then gave it a good rolling session. I look forward to taking it for a spin tomorrow and testing it. I'll post results and pics shortly.

Grace_Excel

iTrader: (5)

I think you will be safe with 225/40/18, but with that offset you will need to play a little with your camber or roll out a lip on your fenders. You'll likely have to do what OtherSyde did to his fronts.

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

Pictures of your suspension combination? Curious as I've never seen Progress Tech (street) springs + Koni yellows.

OtherSyde

I actually didn't have to do anything, ever, to my front fenders! I might after I move the 245' to the front and put new 265's on the rear, but thus far, even with the 9.5" rims and +45 offset and TEIN drop-springs, the front has no problems whatsoever.

Also, as a quick update, my rear wheels/tires do not rub at all anymore, no matter how hard I try. this is after chopping out all the plastic bits and rolling the fenders pretty hard, twice. I snapped some cell phone pics too, I'll upload those shortly.

Jazzmeson

iTrader: (5)

Rear barely tucks with a finger gap while the fronts still have two fingers on 255/40/18. I wish the fronts just sat a tad lower Lol.





Posted From RX8Club.com Android App

OtherSyde

OK, sorry for the crappy cell-phone quality, I just snapped these today.

235/40/R18 in front (Falken 452's)
245/40/R18 in rear (Sumitomo HTR Z II's)
25mm spacers (Garageline)
TEIN S.TECH springs. Not rubbing yet, even with two people in the car - haven't tried it with 3 or 4 people yet.

JamesD31

Why the two different tires? I don't think that is ever a great idea.

OtherSyde

Yeah I know. As previously stated, I bought the car with very narrow 225/40/R18's on the front and 235/40/R18's on the rear, and both were too narrow for the 9.5" wide rims - and thus had that stupid "stretch" look to them.

I recently bought 245/40's for the rear, intending to phase the whole car to a square setup of those (on all 4 wheels), but I came to find that even those have a little bit of the stretched look on the 9.5" rims, and now I don't think they're wide enough and really want 255's or preferably 265's. So I'm in a bit of bind there. I thought 245's would be wide enough, but the rims' lips still stick out noticeably. The 235's on the front are the ones that were previously on the rear for the first 8 months I owned the car, so they're a bit worn and will be up for replacement before a whole lot longer, so I'll just move on up from there I guess.

J8635621

iTrader: (10)

Yea I could have told you that 245 is stretched a bit on 9.5" wheels. Did you ask about that? 265 definitely fits pretty well on 9.5" wheels.

jasycz28

I need some advice on wheels.
1. 18X9.5 +15 MB battle with Nitto NT 555 245/40's on all 4
2. 18X9.5 +23 MB battle with same tires

Or any of the 18" battles the come in a variety of widths and offsets
8"+30, 8"+43, 9"+30.

I am at stock height right now but will be getting coilovers next. I do not want to roll the fenders. I would like the wheels to be flush to tucked in rather than poke out. Oh and no stretched tires so if I need a different tire size please let me know.
Sorry if something is messed up I am posting from my phone.
Thanks for your help

OtherSyde

Yeah that's my bad. Several posts in this thread kept saying that 245 is the common choice that most people tend to use and the consensus seemed to be that it was the go-to tire size, so I went for that. Oh well, 245 doesn't look terrible, just not quite as wide as I'd like. I'll correct it over time by phasing them out. Still waaay better than 225's stretched over 9.5" rims, for sure.