fizzle

Ok, heres the deal. I have my stock wheels and tires still but had purchased some 18s (look awesome) but they got damaged in shipping - so I will now be shopping for rims again Here are my thoughts -

There are lots of posts showing up asking "will 19s fit???" and "can I put 20s on my car???" and without doubt there is always someone who says NO THEY WONT! But it is my observation that it is not the wheel size that makes the difference at all, it is the tire size! Why is it that people will say that you will probably rub with 19s when the overall diameter of the wheel/tire is the same as stock? Take for instance my stock tires are 205/55/16 = 24.9" diameter and 215/35/19 = 24.9" diameter also! Exactly the same = NO RUBBING! So explain to me how this setup will rub? I have also seen a CL member on here who has 235/35/19 and says he doesnt rub either = 25.5" diameter. This has got me thinking...

Many people wanna put on 20s (not me necessarily, but it would be cool to see...) and everyone says NO WAY. Currently the lowest profile 20" tire I can find is 245/30/20 = 25.8" diameter. This is less than one inch taller than stock, and only half an inch bigger in the fenderwell/shock assembly (if you understand what I mean). This is also only .3" taller overall than the guy with the 235/35/19s... Granted the width of the tire may pose a problem (235s vs 245s) but they arent "too tall" are they?

Sorry if I am not making much sense, but I feel that many people dont know what they are talking about when they try to answer "will XXX fit?" questions. I noticed this recently when I began searching for info about 19s (which I think I will get over 18s now), and want to make sure I am correct in my reasonings...

I used http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html for my calculations. And here is a pic of a Lexus w/20s (looks pretty hot IMHO).