I have the 18" wheel upgrade and need to find the right tire size that has the rim protector feature. I'm tired of hand washing my car so I want to upgrade the tires.

My problem is finding the right size tire. I've tried a different brand with the rim protection feature in the 245/40/18 size but it was still too flush with the wheel. Now the tire shop wants to try 265/35/18 to see if that will work. My concerns are that I'll have clearance issues.

Any thoughts about this?

 

I have the same problem. I ordered the same rims that you have, but I don't like how the rim sticks out past the tire on the 235 Yoko's. I was thinking about 245, but it sounds like that may not be enough.

 

Same problem here. I just had a set of the Acura OEM 18" rims installed this weekend with 235/40/18 Falken ST-115 tires. The rim sticks out a little bit past the tire, just like with the Yokohama's. The Falken's have rim protector bars, but they'll do nothing in this case. Going to have to be REALLY careful around curbs! If anyone comes up with a larger tire size that resolves this and works with the 18" rims, I'd love to hear it. Probably wouldn't make a change until the Falken's are worn out, but it would be nice to know for the future. I was thinking 245/40/18 might do it, but it sounds like that might not be big enough?

Tom

 

Okay I put the 265/35/18s on and it looks like they'll do the trick. They are really wide but there are no clearance problems. At least now I have some protection.

 

H H, So are your 265/35/18s Toyo's? And now that we know they will fit can you give us some impressions on any handling, vibes, or flat spot issues? And last maybe some pics.

TIA,
Nick

 

Haven't really driven them yet. Just a mile from the tire store. I'm going accross town tonight so I'll get a good feel for them but I won't be able to report anthing till next week: flying to Denver first thing in the morning.

 

H H, Tango Mike, looking forward to your review.

V/R,
Nick

 

Do you have to reprogram the computer for a different tire diameter?

 

Please take photos also!

Woodstock, actually the tire diamter is the same (well, 0.1" less) than the stock tires, so no adjustmen is needed. They say you can go +/-2% of original size (which is 0.5" for our tire diameter, and I think would be drastic) without issue.

 

I second the request for photos! Tires in that size are quite a bit more $$ than 235/40/18's. If they do the trick, however, it's worth considering. I am very interested in you opinion on the ride quality. I was surprised how low profile the 235/40/18's were and the 265/35/18's would be even worse. They look cool, but the ride really stiffened up. The handling improved significantly, however, so I guess it's worth it. Feels a lot more like my old 330i with Sport Pkg. now.

Tom

 

Blaketag, if it is true that the tire is 25.4" per need, then the side wall is sill the same as the 235.

diameter of tire is constant (well, 0.1" less, but for sidewall divide that by 2, it is 0.05", can't even see that) and wheel diameter is still 18" so it is really the same sidewall!!!!!

Yes, tire is now 35, but the distance from rim edge to rim edge is now 265mm vs 235mm for the 40 series so they work out the same!

 

Well I put 44 miles on them this evening. The ride is stiffer due to having more air pressure @ about 40 pounds. This was recommended by the tire shop. But man are they wide. They look much wider than the Toyos I had on there before. BTW, the the brand is Ventus, a South Korean brand.

Absolutely no vibration issues. They used the Hunter 9700 system to balance the tires. I think if all tires were balanced this way, no one would experience the tire vibration issue. Even though it's branded as an all season tire, the tread design looks more like a street tire so I had them siped before putting them on. I'm sure I'll test them in wet weather before too long.

Photos will have to wait until next week since I'm out of town till Sunday afternoon.

 

For those of you that went with the 265/35-18, what size rim did you put it on? 18x8, 18x8.5, 18x9? And do you feel that there is enough rubber in the profile for you not to bend your rim??

 

Any word on rim size?

 

Why did you skip the 255/35/18 size?

 

That size wouldn`t fit on an 8" rim would it? Not even sure about 255s.

 

The Acura 18" wheels are 8.5 inches in width.

I'll have photos later this week. Left my camera in Denver with my mother so she could take some pics of her own. I'll have it back by the end of this week and take some pics of the tires then.

 

HH, I thought you had talked about going with some Michelins for your 18" rims. Are they not a good choice to get the rim protection?

 

Because of the thickness of the rim lip, tires with so called rim protectors will not work. Going to a wider tire is the way to go. Even though I went with 265/35/18, I think I could have gone with 265/40/18 and still have room for clearance. Anyone considering this may want to try out the larger size first to see if it'll fit.

 

Hey HH, I was thinking about putting wider than 245's on my TL, and the guy at Discount Tire said no go...just wanted to double check with you on the 265 width and good clearance...also been looking for an 18 x 8.5 and haven't found any I like...is your rim an oem...i wonder if Acura will upgrade my stock 17's...i'm sure for a hefty fee...ha!....

 

I can tell you they will fit with no clearance problems at all. My wheels are they Acura OEMs.

 

Remember that HacksawHilliard's are Toyo Proxes FZ4's. Toyo is well known for making a good tire but their profile is quiet different than other mfgs. Therefore I doubt other mfg's would work. Hacksaw...Doeos yours rub (front or back) when going over bumps with people in your car? Other guys have posted that 245/40/18's rub. Pretty certain than anything over 255/35/18 would rub on the front. Anybody tried 255/35/18's yet?

 

I'm willing to bet with a comptech drop they rub...if not, I'm down like 4 flats...er...I better take that back knock on wood....ndabunka, I think hh replaced the toyos with a brand from Korea (see page 1)...

 

I have the 265/35/18s and they don't rub at all. I've had four people in the car since putting them on and no problems at all with rubbing. I'll post photos later this week.

 

Oops! Your right! I had only been reading his signature line and thought that they were the Toyo's. All bets are off on the shape of the new ones...

 

Photos please.