[Black Bullet]

...as it relates to wheels/tires, not the effects of last nights Tequila.

I've searched here and online, many mentions, no real explanation of the merits and impact of doing this. So of course, I would like to know!

Suppose I had 18x8.5 in front, and 18x9.5 in back, is that staggered?

How would I know what size to choose?

Seems people select many variations - what are the deciding factors - limited by car type?

What does it mean in terms of handling, performance, fitment?

Do I need spacers?

I'm guessing I need two different tire sizes - True/False?

Why would I want to do this?

Hoping for the god of wheels/tires to respond to any or all quaestions!

 

[elcobra44]

Typically, it's a taller wheel in the front and a smaller wheel in the back. I worried about how HAL and the ESP system would handle the tire differences.

You're looking for a wider tire in the rear and a thinner tire in the front. The benefits of this is having greater traction in the rear and less roll resistance in the front.

Those numbers you posted would be rim sizes.. You can get a much larger tire on the 9.5 inch rim vs. our stock rims, but you probably don't want the wheel to stick out too far from the well or you'll spew rocks all over the body.

There are a few different combos out there for your stock rims. I went with some of the widest you'll probably find on a stock rim. 285's in the rear with 245's in the front.

 

[Black Bullet]

Thanks Elcobra.

So really you would want a wider rear/thinner front - I'm thinker taller rear would not look good and may confuse the electronics as you say.

Standard R/t rim sizes are 18 x 7.5

Standard tires maybe P225/60R18 or P235/55R18 - yours are both wider?
(I'm not good with tire sizes and what they really mean - I think the lower number is the height and the bigger number is the width?)

No issues with rubbing, or spacers required. My thoughts are that spacers come into play with 20" or bigger rims, rubbing on calipers and such - not sure

 

[elcobra44]

No rubbing and no spacers for mine. The problem is finding a combo that isn't going to give you a taller tire in the rear when you mix and match widths.

What I do at the track is deflate me rears down to about 30, so they plant all the rubber onto the track. On the fronts, I inflate them up to a little under 50 so they make more contact toward the middle.

My reaction times dropped drastically from being able to grip the track so much better. I tell everyone, losing the stock tires is the best thing you can do if you want to improve your performance on or off the track.

Check this picture out:

That's just sick!

 

[Black Bullet]

Booyah!

But not really a daily driver setup LOL

So if I want them to match in terms of height I should do something like

front 245/60
rear 285/60

so they are both /60 which means same height?

Or, as these rims are a bit wider at 8.5"/9.5", maybe go nuts at 305/60 rears?

But as you say, too wide and spray rocks!

Maybe I should talk to someone at a tire shop

 

[elcobra44]

You have to see what's available.

I went to my tire guy who's been in the business for like 30 years. He did my other cars and always gave me great tires. I told him I wanted the widest tires possible on the rear and the smallest he could match up on the fronts. He picked these winners and I've been ripping up the streets ever since.

The best thing you could do would be talk to someone like him - someone who knows their rubber.

 

[GORILLIA]

how did you fit 285's on a stock 18x7.5 i didnt think that was ever possible

 

[elcobra44]

It can be done.. No problems yet, after an autocross event, 60 or so track runs and a few thousand miles.

 

[GORILLIA]

wow i was warned no to get anything bigger then 255 i have no kind of knowledge of tires and rims really a member in the forum had said it and notice that the people with the 18x7.5 didnt go higher then 255

 

[GORILLIA]

im getting the police wheels and they are 18x7.5 soo if i can put some all season 285's in the rear that might look pretty nice

 

[elcobra44]

I trust my tire guy.