Edward'TLS

I started my wheel searching again last weekend, and came to a wheel shop. The guy there recommended putting 215/45/18 on 18" wheels instead of 225/40/18 or 225/45/18. So I went home and punched in the new size into the "tire size calculation" program. To my surprise, 215/45/18 is in fact the closest match to the OEM 215/50/17 overall size.

In this forum, fellas put on 225/40/18 and 225/45/18, but no one puts on 215/45/18 which is the closest fit. Anybody knows why ??

hemants

25.7 inches total diameter is what the car was designed for.

215/45/18 is 25.6 inches

225/45/18 is 25.97 inches

either will be fine, personally, I'd opt for a wider tire, the difference in handling is worth it.

songoku

Is your car dropped??

wbuch2

i have 215/40---on 18's and they are great!

speed

Hi Edward,

Which shop did you goto? I think most people get 225/40/18 because 215/45/18 tires are damn expensive!

Lawaia

Guys are going with 225's for the mere fact that there is much more to choose from in this size. Theres slim pickings when looking for 215/45-18's.

Edward'TLS

The shop was Volco tires. I'm not planning to drop my car, so it's very likely that I will go for the 225/45/18. Doing so will get rid of some of the ugly wheel gaps (215/40/18 will only make the wheel gaps look worse because of smaller overall height), and also allow me to have a wider choice of wheels because I can use lower offset wheels without worry of fender rubbing.

The problem is that only two or three tire manufacturers make any of the 225/45/18 and 215/40/18 sizes. My tire choice is Michelin Pilots and all 225/40/18, 215/45/18, and 225/45/18 are equally expensive, but close to the best.

Since I go to ski in Whistler during the winters, I want to get the stickiest summer tires for the summer, and the best winter tires for the nasty road conditions travelling to Whistler in the winter. But I have yet to find the 215/50/17 winter tires !!!

Edward'TLS

Sorry, I mean 225/40/18 not 215/40/18.

speed

what rims are you looking at getting right now?

Edward'TLS

I'm only interest in 5-spokes wheels. There is really not much to choose from because of the high offset requirement. Dronell M-05 and Motegi "Ro Ja" are my favourites. The "Ro Ja" is forged and so is super-light, weighing 17 lbs for 18". But they are still not available at this moment. I've just started to look for wheels again this year. Hopefully there will be some more new ones to choose from.

I also love many of the European wheels such as Rahn Design RSR, Oettinger RE & RZ, Hamann HMII & PGII & PGIII, AC Shnitzer type II. Unfortunately, they are designed for Volks and BMWs. The typical offsets are 30mm and 35mm. None of them has an offset of more than 40mm, so they won't fit our cars.

BLAZING_TL

I'm running 215/45R18 works great w/no complaints. Didn't drop the car and don't plan to.If you want to keep it as close as possible this is def. the size to go with, but i don't think you will find any tire for an all season match.(just put the stock ones back on in the winter)

speed

The roja one's look nice! I'm looking for something light weight too, although I'm not limiting myself to just 5 spokes. I'm even considering 17's instead of 18's nowb/c I want a lighter rim. I really like the look's of the MR-7, but the thought that they weigh in at 27lbs, kinda turns me off.

WiLz

what do the MR-7s look like?

whats a nice clean 5 or 6 spoke wheel? 17 or 18"

Edward'TLS

The MR-7 is a direct knock-off of the Konig Tantrum (spelling?), but with multi-drill holes, and sub-quality finish. The only good thing about it is the price.

Edward'TLS

Speed, if you're looking for light weight and other wheel styles, you have lots of choices. Some examples are OZ chrono evolution, OZ superleggera, Volks Racing TE37 magnesium. Also look for forged wheels. Generally speaking, forged wheels are light and strong.

speed

I'm considering the Superleggera's but I'm not sure if I like the design on the TL. I've seen it on an A4, and it looks really sweet on that car!!! I haven't seen the Chrono Evolution, other than in the magazines, from the pictures, I think it looks just so-so.

Wilz, check out www.motegiracing.com

Rice1304

215/45s are the closest to stock diameter for 18s. I used to have them and they worked well. But 225/40s look better and are close enough.

speed

Rice, what tires are you using right now? Do you still have the SSR's?

bronx02tl

Motegi's are extremely heavy wheels....especially in chrome. Don;t let anyone fool you. I have superleggeras OZ....16 pounds great wheels.

TheBigWhite 21

I have a lowered car right now, and planning on getting 18' Volk te37's. What would be the best offset for that then? the 225/45/18?

TheBigWhite 21

Sorry, to be more specific, im looking for Volk 18"x 8.5 tex37wheels. So the 225/45 should be okay?