Tires and wheels
 

Hi, I'm new to these forums but I'm hoping I might be able to get some advice on choosing a new set of tires and wheels. I had originally wanted to get some 20's, because I remember seeing the Saleens at the dealership with the 20's and they looked really tight. However, I think I would be sacrificing too much power and it would probably ultimately affect the driving characteristics as well. So, I've decided on getting some 18 inch, I think this size should be ok, and I am planning on going with 8 inch wide. My first question is is this size a good choice performance wise? Also, if acceptable then I'm wondering how wide a tire I can get. The stock tires are 235, but I do want them to be wider, I'd like them to fill out the wheelweel more, and after a good width is settled on, then how high should I go. I was looking at the Toyo Proxes T1R in a 265/35/18 size. Can I go wider? Should I go higher? Again, I don't mind giving up a little performance, but I dont want to sacrifice a lot of performance for a nice looking tire/rim combo. Any suggestions?

RE: Tires and wheels
 

get wider wheels...8 inch is too small.....you can go much wider than that. I have 285s on my 10 inch wheel and I could easily go wider
I did the staggered setup because I think it looks better...IMO.....I have 285/255 respectively

RE: Tires and wheels
 

yeah, even the stock 18's are 8.5" wide. I suggest an 18x9. with this you could go anywhere from 255-285 and even with the 255's the rim won't stick out past the tire.

RE: Tires and wheels
 

yeah my rims are 8" wide and im regreting it big time. actually thinking about getting a new wider set for the rear.

RE: Tires and wheels
 

Ok, so I want a wider rim, at least a 9 inch wide. Is 18 inch optimal for height, or can I go higher, say 19?

RE: Tires and wheels
 

yea, my stock 18s are already 8.5 wide. i would buy 19x9s (255s) up front and 19x11s (295s) for the rear. thats just what im gonna buy.

good luck!

RE: Tires and wheels
 

hey man did your wheels fit good with your car? i was looking at those wheels and tires and it says there for 94-04. can you post any pics of your car with the rims or any links. thanks a lot man

RE: Tires and wheels
 

Refire,

It sounds like you really want to push the performance-tradeoff envelope considering 19"s. That's fine, but if you want to feel good about doing it, you need to start pressing for wheel specs and find out how much weight a specific wheels is before you say "ok" to it. When you see Vette's etc. running 19"s keep in mind a.) the car's overall weight-to-power ratio (better than ours) and b.) the factory has invested in relatively pricey rolling stock. Light weight will cost you money.

The nice thing about 18"s is that you know even at 18x10" (which you can run on all four corners w/+45mm offset: Roush's wheel specs) you're not giving up a massive amount of weight. You're likely to give up a lot, but not so much that you begin to feel the loss and regret it. Personally, I wouldn't go over 18" and even then, pay attention to weight. Also, since you can get OEM 18"x8.5" easily, I wouldn't pay for a mere 1/2" increase at 9". I'm looking for 9.5" minimum. You can fit a 275/40 all around for excellent handling (corners), get decent acceleration w/them, and having the 9.5" available opens you up for wider in the rear if you feel like it. Again, this is Roush's preferred set up.

BTW, wheel "height" doesn't matter so much as does tire height--and that you can play around with the aspect ratios to come in around the stock height.

Best,
-j

RE: Tires and wheels
 

Thanks Philo, that's basically what I was looking for:)

RE: Tires and wheels
 

Ditto. I also did the staggered look. but went 245 up front. I am running a 20x8.5 front 20x10 rear.

http://www.truckblog.com/gallery/97f1504rad/15608.JPG
http://www.truckblog.com/gallery/97f1504rad/15606.JPG

Richard