I'm going to buy a set of aftermarket 18" wheels for my TL and am searching for a set of tires, the following website was used to calculate the closest tire size with stock:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

I found the diameter of 265/35/18 is almost identical with stock 235/45/17, this way the wider track of the tire would give better traction and provide smoother ride than stock.

Now in order to fit 265/35/18 tires, I would need a set of 18x9 with 44 offset. Do you guys know if this would fit w/o fender rubbing?

Thanks in advance.

 

http://toy4two.home.mindspring.com/tire.html
here is another good site for tire sizing. It may help to ask your question in the Tires and Wheels forum

 

While the dimensions will fit (not too tall) into the wheel well. The problem lies in the width of that tire. Remember that these are FWD and therefore there are some parts and peices on the inside of the wheel assembly up front. I "think" the biggest you will be able to go is 255/35/18 in the Toyo Proxes T1-S's (Thats. 10.2width) and will fit on 8.5" wide rims (Like the mfg available 18"s). Any wider and it will rub. Let us know how it turns out!

 

Check tirerack specifications for exact tire dimensions. The math "works" but the actual measurements can vary a bit tire to tire.

 

Infact I'm looking into Falken Ziex 512 in the size of 265/35/18, which tirerack does not carry. These tires have been reviewed by individuals who claimed as one of the quietest tires available.

I have no plans to lower the car, which leaves me a little more room for larger wheel and tire combo. The stock wheel well looks to be large enough to accommadate wider tires, in my case 30mm wider than stock. As long as the height of the wheel is remain the same as stock, there should be enough clearance for wider tires since the stock fenders are designed to be quite flared.

My only concern is whether the 30mm wider tires may rub against the "inside" of the wheel well. To avoid this I may need a lower offset to push the wheel slightly outward, maybe a 40mm offset.

As a reference, here's the dimension of the factory 17':

17x8 +45 offset, tire size 235/45/17

here's the dimension of the factory optional 18':

18x8.5 +45 offset, tire size 245/40/18

and here's the dimension of the wheels/tire combo that I proposed:

18x9 with 40 offset, tire size 265/35/18

So what do you guys think? go or no?

 

265 is too wide, even the M3 use 225 for front and 255 for the rear...it will decrease the fuel economy and too much road noise + bumpy

i think 235 or 245 is the ideal width for this FWD TL...

a FWD do not need that wide for the tires

 

If you don`t do alot of highway driving,it might work,it would definitely look sweet! Keep us posted on progress!