I love the stock 245/40 x 18 tires

I want to upgrade to new wheels.

Everyone likes the 265/35 x 18

The heights are as follows:
245/40 x 18 = 25.72

265/35 x 18 = 25.3 (.4 diff) (so geared a bit lower, but stiffer sidewall for better control and more tire area for traction, however they are heavier)

255/40 x 18 = 26.03 (.3 diff) (Geared higher, not as stiff on sidewall, still more tire area and not as heavy vs 265)

I like to ride tight winding back roads. Some of these roads are full of patch pavement. They can be wet and slick

I am happy with the 245. Perfect so far. The 255 would gear me up a bit and the GSR makes a weird hum in engine at 80mph and about 4K revs. At 75 it is great. So the 255 would give me a quieter car at 80 or closer to 80. Would the higher sidewall decrease the handling. Such a small amount. My guess is the higher sidewall with heavier tire would be nice for a bit more traction. However the 245's have been great for traction. Been thinking of a good all season tire like the Bridgestone RE960 or Goodyear GT's. Keep the 245 for a lighter tire that will be quicker for tight roads that can be rough.

I was going to lower car. But car is perfect. My only mods planed are tune at GST, AEM air intake and Top Intercooler Pipe for better high end. Exhaust is in the air. I'm thinking of T1R for quiet. Wheels will be Volks most likely. But at 8.5" there are a lot of good light wheels. However 9" would stretch tire a bit for 245's and might increase handling

Opinions Please

I ride Hwy 1 to Mendocino, the back roads from coast to 101, Way north in CA and to Santa Cruz. However Santa Cruz mtns has too many cars.

 

my opinion is there is no such thing as a good all season tire. all the good things you like about a "245" tire are really the fact that the stock tire is very sticky.

 

I agree with goofy, generally, wider=better. And I know the 8.5" wide wheels will be lighter, but with some 9.5" wide wheels (especially with some sticky 265's or 275 tires) you should improve your handling a lot. Listen to goofygrin, all of his posts reguarding tires/wheels have been a great help for me (doing my research on wheel/tire combo myself).

 

Thanks Goofy and Reber. I'm still thinking. 265 is the widest I can go without fender work I hear.

 

With stock suspension and the right offset, I think you could do 275's. But that's only a guess! Haven't tried yet.

 

This.

 

I'm thinking about using 255/40r18s on 9.5s, but I don't know if the decreased acceleration will be noticeable. The total circumference will increase .99". Has anybody done this yet? Everybody is using 265/35s which are smaller than stock. I really don't want the mpg to get any worse. And 265s add some imaginary miles on the odo. too.

 

I made up my mind. I'm sticking with the oem size, 245/40r18s. Compared to 265/35s, they are cheaper, weigh ~2lbs less, and have the correct overall diameter.

 

From what I can tell, Lighter wheels are quicker. Staying with the 245/40 x 18 is not a bad idea. I love the speed the car shifts around at on tight roads. The 265/35 x 18 would be great on big sweeper turns. Most of my fast stuff is on tight roads. However the extra traction is nice.

 

just stay with in of 3% of the overall diameter so it won't change the speed of your odmeter.