TL A-Spec Owner

I have an 04 Aspec. I am needing to change tires on my 8.5 aspec gunmetal wheels. I currently have michelin pilot sport a/s tires. I am wanting to put kumho ecsta spt's in their place. I currenlty have 235/40/18's and am thinking about changing to 245/40/18's.

I was told by the tire tech at a local tire store that this change will effect my computer system , alignment, etc.....and cause problems with the car. He said if I was to make that change that I would need to go with a 245/35/18 tire instead. I didn't think it would be that big a deal but now I am somewhat concerned.

The main reason I am changing tire sizes is to hopefully have a little more meat to protect the rims from curb rash. I am also looking to purchase my tires on tirerack.

Any ideas on the change in tire size or in buying tires from tirerack? I am no tire expert and want to make sure I do not make any tire choice that I will later regret. Any thoughts and/or comments are greatly apprecitated. Thanks in advance!

csmeance

use the tire claculator at 1010tires.com

You have to google them to get it to work.

csmeance

SIZES

csmeance

tire lists:

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Let's examine the following:
Stock 235/45-17 25.3 (Actually the W rated Michelin OE are 25.6) and optional 245/45-17 25.7 (Actually the size I'm running in the S.4)

245/35-18 24.8 Too small
235/40-18 25.4 Just about the same as the OE tire
245/40-18 25.7 Same as 245/45-17-No problem

Before you purchase the tires, make certain you check to O.D. specs first, as the same size tires can be made to different specs.

94eg!

According to that list, the 255/35/18 requires a 9" wide rim. They are incorrect as a 255 only require a 8.5" rim (which you have). I would much rather use this size tire especially since you already have an 8.5" rim.

This tire is slightly smaller than stock which will make your instruments read fast. This means you actually be accumulating less miles than indicated by 1.2%. If this bothers you, I would go with the 245/40/18. It has a slightly larger diameter than stock and will have the opposite effect on your instruments. You will have more miles than indicated on the odometer and your speedo will read low by .8%...

BlkonBlkAc

I did some research some time ago and found that the best size for an 18" wheel would ultimately be a 255/35/18 on an 8.5" wheel.
Unfortunately, I don't know whether or not it would fit due to being wider...

Here is what I wrote in an old thread:

"I compared different tires on 18" wheels and found that the closest to stock 17" diameter is what they put on a-spec 18" wheels...235/40/18. The speedometer will read .03% slower...when the speedo says 60 mph you are really going 60.2 mph.

I found that the next closest to stock is a 255/35/18 which I prefer. The speedo will read 1.2% too fast...when the speedo says 60 you are really going 59.3 mph. Although there is a slight difference in diameter, it really won't affect the speedo/tach reading too much (12miles less per 10,000mi). Also, the tire is 255mm wide > more tire on the road = better grip? "

Also, the 255/35 would look better IMO because its wider and makes the already sexy TL have a meaner stance!

Just don't know if it would fit...

94eg!

I already covered every aspect of your post. Yes 255 will fit an 8.5" rim perfectly. 1010tires info is WRONG! Go to tire rack and compare some of your prospective 255 tire choices. All 255-35-18 tires require a minimum of 8.5" wide wheel.

Hell, there is even a thread here where guys are sticking 255/40/17 on a 8" wide wheel and loving it. Even the Team-Honda-Research Acura TL race-car used a 255/40/17 Toyo RA-1 DOT tire on an 17x8 for a 25 hour race and won their class (3rd overall). Definitely get the 255 if you have an 8.5" wide wheel...

BlkonBlkAc

I understand you covered every aspect of my post, I was just quoting what I wrote 3 months ago. I knew the 255 would fit an 8.5" wheel. My question was whether or not the tire will rub due to the fact that it is wider.

94eg!

Ohhh. I didn't notice the quotation marks...

With the stock +45 offset, a 255 will fit just fine without rubbing...

ARX-01b

iTrader: (1)

Try these. I've been running 255/40/18 for 3 years now with no problems

TL A-Spec Owner

Thank you for all the posts. I guess I am now leaning towards the 255/40/18 tires. Will these tires cause any problems with a MT car? I don't know if that was already discussed, but I don't remember seeing it if it was?

And hondafans, what kind of tires are those? No problems in 3 years is pretty encouraging! I like the look. Thats pretty much what I'm looking for I think.

I would love to have Michelins again, but they are a little to pricey for me at this time. Anyone have any problems or experience with kumho's? I want to make sure I put a qualitiy tire on the car........

94eg!

I just put a set of Kumho SPT tires on my TL (stock size 235/45/17) and I think they are pretty dang nice. I do live in Las Vegas, so it's fine to run a summer tire all year round though. They are stiffer than stock, and have a much wider foot-print compared to the stock tire of the same size.

For inexpensive ultra-high performance (UHP) summer tires I would look at Kumho SPT, Dunlop DZ101 & Yokohama ES100. The Yokohama is probably the nicest, but does cost a little more.

For a MAX performance summer tire, I would get the Falken RT-615. It cost more, but is much stickier and makes performance in dry conditions (have them on my Civic). Keep in mind that MAX-performance tires won't last nearly as long as UHP tires though...

hondafan

There are not a ton of choices out there in a 255. The tires in my picture are Pilot Sports. I'm running Dunlop Sport Maxx right now and I've found them to be a little quieter and a little less expensive

eh? spec

Is that on the 04' 8.5" wide a-spec rim? 255's would be a bit wide for 8" rims correct?

ARX-01b

iTrader: (1)

You are correct.

mrlttran

A little off topic but what if my front tires only need changing should and I would like to go with the 255/40/18. What should i do? I also drive a ton as I use it for work, what would be a comfortable long lasting tire?

mrlttran

Oh yeah... I live in SoCal and the rears have 50% tread life or so?

mrlttran

anyone... please help...

ARX-01b

iTrader: (1)

If you put a ton of miles on you might want to go with the Avon tires at Tirerack otherwise you are going to go broke buying tires twice a year. Expect about 20k out of a set, as some have posted. I've never gotten more than 15k, but now that I've had the TSB for the bump stops I hope to start getting two summers out of one set of tires instead of one.

mrlttran

Hmmm...should i rotate my rears to the front for the time being and use the new tires as they will be wider for the rear? I have the 04 Aspec wheels...

ARX-01b

iTrader: (1)

...only if you want more understeer.

94eg!

Thats why tire installers always install a new pair of tires in the back of the car (to prevent oversteer in the wet)...

TL A-Spec Owner

So I finally decided on a set of new tires and a tire size. I went with the Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season tire. It seems to be a pretty good mix of high perfromance with some all season cababilities all wrapped into one. The ratings and reviews I looked at pretty much made my decision a lot easier. The 420 tread rating and carbon fiber sidewalls eased the decision for me. I am happy with them so far but only have about 400 miles on them.

One problem I did have was with the installer. Those jack asses put 3 of one size on the car and 1 different size tire on the car. All tires are the same make and brand, just a different size. I am having the problem corrected but have to wait for the new (or right) tire to be shipped from the warehouse. All probelms should be corrected by this Friday. Still a pain and should have never happened to begin with.

I also decided to go with the 245/40/18 to begin with. That tire fits my rims so much better than the 235/40/18. I was sort of unsure to begin with, but knew I made the right decision once I saw one of the new tires on the wheel.

I see now how the 255 would even be a good fit as hondafans has descibed and even provided a pic. The 235 was just too small for the tire as hondfan also stated. The wrong tire size that the installer screwed up was intalling a 235 instead of a 245. I discovered the error when I was checking the tire pressures the other night. I only had them installed last Thursday, so I have not been on them too much. But there is no excuse for putting the wrong tire on my car. I will visit that issue on Friday.

Just thought I would update on the tire choice and size.

marshall28

Yes, 8.5 inches is a very wide wheel and the recommended size for an 8.5 inche wheel is anywhere from 235-255. You could even go as wide as 265.

NickD

I have decided to go with 245 40 18 tires(goodyear eagle f1 or yokos advan s4) with my 18x8.5 gunmetal aspec wheel. Will the tire clear on a car lowered with eibach prokit springs (0.75"-1") drop? I was going to go with the 255's but I dont want to take a chance with tire rubbing.

Thanks!

nyclio

very old thread, but i wanted to bump this because i have the same question as the post right above mine; I want to get 255/40/18 on aspec 8.5 rims and then drop the car with probably tein ss and edfc. Will this cause issues??

Thanks.

Andy74

Old thread, but same question (sort of). Will the 245-40-18 fill up the wheel well better than 235-40-18? I think it will, but I'm not very comfortable with tire sizes. I have a 2006 6sp MT TL. I guess 255-40-18 would fill up the gap even better? I'm not dropping it at the moment, but I'm finally buying 18 ASPEC wheels (8.5 gunmetals).

Ramrodthrusterpuppy

Actual dimensions vary between manufacturers. I have 245/40/18 Yokohama Avid W4S, which have a wider tread dimension than most 255s! And it fits very comfortably on my 8.5" A-Specs.