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215/45/18??

H

hmouta

CEG'er
Joined
Aug 9, 2001
Messages
278
Location
Waterbury,CT
i cant decide between 215/45/18 or 225/40/18. i currently have 215/45/17 and dont think i'd want the sidewall any shorter than 215/45. i'm getting 18s and think 215/45/18 will fit. they should be just a 1/2 inch closer to the strut. i have the koni sport kit and have at least an inch between the tire and strut perch so the extra half inch on the new 215/45/18 will eat into the current space i have. plus its less likely to rub on fender like 225/40 might.

anyone ever try 215/45/18. i know the selection is limited for this size
 
I have stock suspension on my SVT and have 225/40/18's- no rubbing, however my rims/tires pretty much fill up my fender wells. I can't say that I could even lower or put a set of springs on my car, so Measure carefully as stock is perfect for 18's but not sure about rubbing on any type of other suspension.
 
thats why i figured the narrower 215 would be able to sit up into the fenderwell better than 225 which might have the edge of the fender sitting down on it. i definitely am going to do some measuring again. plus my springs shouldve settled by now. the kit has been on for a few months. my 17s are 7inch wide same as the new wheel i want. looking at my 215/45/17 and taking a measuring tape and adding 1/2 inch all around it doesnt appear it would rub and would also still have a tiny amount of room from tire to strut perch. plus the new wheel offset is 2 mm closer to the strut (not much but it will help keep the tire away from the fender edge) than my 17s now. trying to avoid 225 cuz if i have people in the back seat then the fender might sag down sit on the outside edge of the 225. if its a 215 it'll sit in the fenderwell even if the edge of the fender sags down due to weight in the back. i think i'm gonna try it. if they dont fit, i can always sell the tires to a mitsubishi owner. 215/45/18 is used on the lancer gts and outlander
 
I have 215/40/18 on my ride now and they dont rub at all. But then again my ride isn't lowered (yet.)

My next set of tires will be 225/40. The 215 looks a little thin on the rim.
 
rubbing issue depend on the offset of the rims. You'll need a 45+ or hight offset if you don't want rubs. By the way, if you bend the metal piece in the rear where it support the bumper, it should fix your rubbing problem. Correct me if i'm wrong about the offset.
 
Hi
Well - In my opinion you have to take into account the wheel offset.
Presumably the new 18s will have a the same offset as the 17s.

Ultimately if the wheel/tire combination fits - go for it.
My opinion would be to use the 215/45. If my calculations are correct
the difference in sidewall height is 9.75mm, or less than 1/2 inch,
and I don't consider the height that much of an difference, unless you
are really interested in lowering the car's ride by that amount.
With such a small difference, I would look at the price difference in
the tires themselves. If one is a lot more costly than the other, the
choice would be clear to me.

My experience is that size 215/45 offers a lot more choices in brand and
tread design than the 215/40.

Regards
 
i ordered my new wheels with 215 45 18. my 17s never rub and they are a 40offset. new wheels are 42 offset so they'll be 2 mm further away from the fender edge. 215/40 is just way too small for me. i'll do the rubbing fix that everyone does just to play it safe. i'll do a test fit when they arrive and post how the tire size does. the kumho spt were the cheapest in this size. everything else was way more. anything less than 40et and i wouldnt be doing this size. i'd probably have to do 225/40
 
Good Luck. I'll be interested in the result.
With 18" wheels, are you going to upgrade the brakes?
Does anyone know if you can get a rotor kit for the Contour?
I know that for my Eclipse I can get new rotors and offset brackets
for the stock calipers. I don't have a lot of cash so I don't want to
upgrade the calipers right now.

Gary -- Atlanta
 
the svt brakes are gonna stay for a while. i'd like to do the fsvt brakes upgrade but i'm gonna hold off for now. wheels get delivered tomorrow and i hope to test fit them over the weekend but it's maybe gonna have to wait til weather clears up in a few days
 
it looks to be a perfect fit. i'm in love. cant wait for spring. i'm almost sure i wont have any rubbing at all. i'd like to roll the fenders just to play it safe, but in no rush to do it. with weight in the backseat, the tire sidewall is clearing the inside of the fender by maybe 1/4 inch (thats with suspension compressing) and i didnt measure that. 1/4 inch is just eyeballing guess. otherwise with just me driving i dont forsee a single issue. front tires clear all around when turning lock to lock. my wheels are 18x7 with 42et. u should be able to get away with 7inch wide and 40et. anything less than 40 and rolled fenders will likely be needed. i absolutely love the sidewall on the 18s. its the same as on the 17s i had but looks perfect on the 18s on the car. if i had gotten 225/40 it wouldve been fine for when its just me in the car but i think i wouldve gotten rubbing when the car was full of people. i guess it all depends on your wheel specs.
 
i was already nervous when driving with 215/45/17 when hitting bumps or potholes. i wouldnt want to get a smaller sidewall than 215/45. 225/40 is slightly smaller but if i can stick with 215/45 and not have any clearance issues then why not take it. 215 tucks into the wheel well better than 225 for obvious reasons. with my wheel offset the sidewall is far enough from the fender to not rub even if people will be in the back and it has room from inner sidewall to strut and top of tire to lower spring perch. its a total win win. i dont race the car so i dont care about having the widest contact patch. the 215/45 gives me more cushion than 225/40. i have more sidewall than 225/40 but if that sidewall is sitter farther away from the fender than its fine. if my wheel was 38 or 35et then i'd definitely be worried. my brother sat in the back on the left side (i only mounted the left 2 wheels to test). he's 160lb and had 2 35lb weights on his lap. thats 230lb and he was bouncing up and down to compress the suspension and i could see the fender compressing down in front of the tire and the tire tucking up without touching. 225 wouldve been very close. so if 215 tucks up into the wheel well under compression then its a matter of how much sidewall is too much before the tire is hitting the spring perch. 215/50/18? 215/55/18? i have no interest in a sidewall that big aesthetically so 215/45/18 is perfect. someone just posted they run 225/45/18. i never wouldve thought about that tire size but i wouldnt get it anyway. it would be too close for comfort for me.

when people are plus sizing they decrease the tire sidewall to try to stay to the original overall diameter but if you dont care about the speedo being off then it doesnt matter. they are also limited to the tiresize they run if they pick a wheel too big (i.e. rubberband tires which i think looks terrible).

plus new england roads suck big time. small sidewalls=ruined wheels
 
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yeah but 215/45 compare to a 225/40 you only have like 6mm larger side wall.

So you would have had a better handling tire and would have been closer to the OEM tire Dia. but TEHO.

And riding 225/45/18 is ridiculous.

you shouldnt have to worry about rubbing till you start going like 245s at least fender rubbing
 
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