Just posting a pic of my car - taken this morning (at the coffee shop) on the camera phone (sorry for the quality).
I had new shoes fitted yesterday...
225/45-18 front (Yokahama YK520) & 255/40-19 rear (Pirelli P6 four seasons).
The main reason for fitting these was to get some more movement in the sidewall to prolong the life of the tires - I only get 10,000 on a set or rear tires and I don't drive hard, and that's well into the tread depth marker.
I just thought I'd try a larger aspect ratio and see if there's any more life.
Tread depth is the same, 11/32", I've also dropped to a VR rating so that should help a bit.
Speedo is off by about 2.5 mph @ 60 mph.
Ride seems smoother.
Car is easier to get in and out - about 1/2" higher than before.
No clearance problems, but I haven't bottomed out on full lock yet!!!
I'll let you know how they perform etc.
Yes, I know - it needs a clean!

 

Nice! 225/45 might be a better option for me in the front. Let us know if you experience any rubbing. Also do you have any more pics from the side? I am curious to see how the car sits off the ground and the amount of wheel gap. Can't really tell too well in that pic.
Thanks.

 

I'm not sure why you'd expect the aspect ratio or the speed rating to affect your tread life.

The relative hardness of the rubber compound should really be what matters and aspect ratio/speed rating have little if anything to do with that. Treadwear rating does...although even that has issues when comparing manufacturer to manufacturer.

 

NoCones... with a higher sidewall I'm expecting a little more give and movement in the side of the tire so it will flex more - somewhat like drag tires with the wrinkle sidewall. I'm not expecting any more tire life due to dropping the speed rating - these were what was available in those sizes.

I'll try and get some more pics.
No rubbing - the place that put the tires on turned the steering from full lock to full lock and didn't see any issues.

 

that give/flex might give you slightly softer ride quality and better longitudinal grip (doubtful you'd notice that one on the street), but I can't see how it's going to affect tread life.

 

I'm expecting the sidewall of the tire to flex slightly more, therefore the tires will not spin, therefore not leaving as much rubber on the road.
Rolling resistance/friction is less than dragging something - physics 101.
Every other car I've had has had taller sidewalls, and every tire has lasted longer whether I've rotated them or not.
We both have our opinions - I'm trying mine out.

 

Ok...gotcha...if spinning tires is at the root of your tire wear, I suppose it's worth a try (although a slightly lighter right foot might be more effective).

 

No where's the fun in that???

I think we may have lived in the same neighborhood.
Do you live close to the ADS on Wendover?

 

What's the ADS?

I live in Summerfield and work in High Point...don't commute on Wendover, but I'm certainly on parts of it fairly often.

 

Alcohol & Drug Services clinic.
I used to live in the sub-division BEHIND it, there's another black Xfire in the neighborhood - obviously not you!

 

any updates/problems/pics?

 

I don't understand how you only get 10K for a set of tires, something is obviously not right. I've driven about 24K on my tires so far and I know they weren't new when I bought the car.

I do however have to get new ones soon, but I'm at least getting about 30K from my set now.

 

I plan on putting 225/45R18 Michelin Primacy on stock 18 rims for all four tires with out any offsets for the rear. Will I run into any problems other then the rear looking funny?

 

The issue as I see it is being pretty limited to about a 25.5" tire in front and about an inch larger diameter in the rear (issue in rear is that the wheel/tire moves forward as the wheel drops, if you wanted to modify the front body lip, suspect a 28" rear tire would be possible.


The issue for the front tires is mainly contact with the wheel well when turned to lock.


So if you wanted the same tires front and rear, the issue would be how large you could go without wearing through the wheel well.


A secondary issue would be whether the ABS would become confused by the faster turning rears, And then there is the TIPM.

 

Mikep330

You might want to search the forum using the Google search here and look for "18" wheels all around" or something like that. There are a number of threads that discuss what you are wanting to do and have addressed many of the concerns.

Happy reading

RL

 

Thank you all.

 

stock height is 25.1" front
stock height is 26.0"rear

the 225/45-18 are 26.0" tall and will rub on the front. ,,,,they would work fine on the rear
the 255/40-19 are 27" tall but will work on the rear,,check if the tire rubs the front lower of the finder ,on the ground and jacked up if yes when jacked up you may not get that tire back on.(it will come off fine.

goof luck jim

225/40-18 at 25.1 tall would work just fine on the front
245/40-19 at 26.7 tall would work just fine on the rear

 

update

I have 2225/45/18 on all four wheels. The only place the tire rubs is the inner fender on the passenger front. This only happens turning the steering wheel fully for instance parking or making u turns. The car seems to be a little slower when taking off, but it could be also from the 140,000 miles on it.
I want to thank everyone for all the help.

 

Those 7 foot 3 inch wide tires must really hug the road.
Bit of a problem for the folks in the other lane though, and your 2 car garage is suddenly a one car garage.