Hi..I live in NY and all the crossfires I have seen besides mine (maybe 5) all have low pro-file tires..My son who lives in Florida bought one a few months ago..He said he has seen quite a few in Florida with regular tires on them as opposed to low-profile tires..Has anyone else seen or run their car with regular tires? I was just wondering..Figured regular tires with sidewalls would reduce clearances etc...Please advise....Thanks..Wayne

 

When you use the term "regular" tires, are you talking about tires with a higher numerical aspect ratio?
For instance, the stock XF tire from the factory is a 40 (fr) & 35 "series" in the rear.
You can put 50, 60, or even 70 series tires on the Crossfire, but to keep the outside diameter of the tire within the factory limits, you will have to purchase a smaller wheel.
Some Mercedes SLK's came with 16" wheels, but the "hight" or the diameter of the tire was the same as that of the Crossfire. The SLK used a 55 (fr) and 50 series in the rear.
Some people choose the "taller" tires to improve ride quality (sacrificing some handling attributes in the bargain). Others do so to cash in on the lower price tag found on the tires with a wider sidewall. Then there are those who drive their cars year round (thru snow and ice) and have discovered that a "dedicated" set of taller and more narrow winter tires work best for them.
With no snow to worry about, and billard table smooth roads to enjoy in Florida, my guess is many of those retired "Snow Birds" (and Canadians) want to keep more of their pensions, and not spend it all on high performance tires.lol

 

Not trying to confuse anyone here...This is my first car with "low-profile" tires on them...I was just curious if anyone has seen or runs a tire that has a sidewall on it on their xfire like like most older cars do? No matter what series tire...All of my other vehicles (53 chevy truck..38 chevy sedan..89 GMC) all have tires with a sidewall that is not low-profile..Just wondering if anyone else uses non-low profile tires on their x-fire?..

 

Not possible to run higher profile (aspect) tires on the stock rims. The tires will not fit in the wheel wells. By going to a slightly wider tire with the same aspect, the sidewall will be a little deeper. Overall, you have to drive pretty dang careful in NY/NJ/CT to avoid pot holes and depressed drains in order to avoid blowing a tire or bending a rim. I feel sorry for ya.

If you want thick sidewalls, you will have to find some 16" or 17" rims that fit.

 

This topic has been kicked around a lot on the forum. There are physical restrictions on minimum and maximum wheel size and width, which determine the possible sidewall aspect ratio of your tires. You must buy wheels that fit over the brakes, and they must also fit within the wheel wells -- those are your limiting factors. Once you have figured out what those wheel sizes are you can identify the tire combination that gives you the tallest sidewall.

Note that sidewall height is not the same for every 30, 35 or 40 aspect ratio -- you must also consider the tire's width in the formula. In general, to maximize sidewall height you need the smallest wheel that fits over the brakes. If you go looking for "Crossfire" wheels you won't find one under 18", but you may find a smaller size looking for wheels intended to fit the comparable Mercedes model.

There is not a lot of documentation regarding odd-size wheel fitment for our cars. Try before you buy or you may be sad.

Happy motoring.

 

I didn't like the harsh ride I was getting from the low profiles, so I stepped up one size on the front (from 225 to 235) and two sizes on the rear (from 255 to 275). These give a larger sidewall and a much more comfortable ride in my opinion.

 

That's good info to know. I am looking for a taller sidewall in the rear for ride comfort and road noise. I have a buddy running evo v12's at 285/35 rears. The tire fills the rear wheel well gap nicely as well!

 

Many of us, myself included, run 285/35's in the rear. In fact, I JUST went to this tire in the past two weeks. I have stock tires up front. I'm very happy, this is my second set of Hankooks.

As to running "regular" tires - I'd forget it. I am quite sure you won't find rims that will take the "regular" sizes that will also fit on the car and around the brakes, etc.


Of course, I could be wrong. I"ve been married and divorced twice, so we ALL know I've been wrong at least twice in my lifetime.