Hi, all!

Question time. Hard one!

Objective:

Wide wheels and tires with minimum wheel gap and no rubbing. I am on goldline lowering springs, which have a 1.5 inch drop on both the front and rear springs.

Strategies:

A) 245x40 tires on 17X8 wheels. Will this work without rubbing? Will this leave about the same amount of wheel gap as my stock KDW's do on the stock wheels?

B) 235x45 tires on 16x7 wheels. Will this work without rubbing?

I want the car to have a fat look without rubbing with minimum wheel gap.

Here is what I don't understand, and maybe someone here can explain it to me:

My stock KDW tires on the stock wheels have a diameter of like 25.2 inches. IF I had a wheel and tire combo of like 26 inches, wouldn't that eliminate some of the wheel gap I have now? Wouldn't this be the same as having springs that had like a 2 inch drop instead of an inch and a half????

Something else I'm curious about.....I want my car to be lower to the ground. If I went with smaller wheels, such as 15's or 16's, then wouldn't the body of the car be closer to the tire, thereby, giving it the lower/fatter look that I want?

In other words, does the height of the tire move the tire closer to the body? Or does the height of the body stay independant of the tire? I know, doesn't make much sense, does it, but in my mind, I'm trying to make sense out of all of this.

Conclusion:

I don't really have a conclusion, just needing to make sense out of all this in my head.

Thanks!

 

A) no

B) probably not.

on just springs you're going to have a hell of a time fitting anything larger than a 225 on there, it will rub against the perch.

i'm not sure what you're trying to get at with the tire height thing. tires are measured in ratios, not really in inches or centemeters, so each tire has a different ratio and height to it. if you put a taller tire on there it will close some of the gap (look at a big slick, that's basically what it does). but by putting too tall a tire on the car you're going to completly screw up your speedo and potentially slow the car down because you're increasing tire drag on the car. it's the same idea as if you're using too tall a slick, you can't push it top end down the track. we use certain ratios for a reason, not because they necessarily look the best.

 

Word's back! It is nice to see peoplethat haven't been on in a while.....

Anyways:

A) Might actually leave more wheel gap than the stockers. The stockers are a 55 series tire if I remember correctly, and what your proposing is a 40 series which has less rubber (sidewall height). But by widening to a 245 you will possibly rub (stockers are a 205? Man, it's been awhile....) and will need spacers to accomadate this, which is a whole nother story.

B) Isn't a 235 on a 7 inch wide rim pushing it a little? I'm running 225's on a 7.5 inch rim and was under the impression that going with a wider size tire for that rim is frowned upon...

Smaller rim/tire combinations will bring your car lower to the ground, but will also enlarge the distance between your car and the tire/rim (for the same reason your car would be lower to the ground, smaller diameter from the point of the axle).

Think of it this way: Start from the axle as a measuring point. From there to the body will always be relatively the same distance (not taking into account spring compression and whatnot, just generally speaking). The more rim/tire you have in there, the less wheel gab, but also the higher your car will be from the ground. This is with your current setup. If you want get the car as low as possible and also elimante wheel gap, your gonna have to some suspension work.....

 

Thanks for the comments....both of you have helped!

Soooooooo, it's like this. IF I choose 16 inch wheels, then the car will be lower to the ground (good) but in my effort to eliminate the wheel gap by buying a taller tire, I would, indirectly, be putting the car back up in the air again, but I would eliminate the wheel gap. Maybe I will go that route.

My next question is this.......If I understand you all right, 17x8, with 245 tires won't work because they rub. But IF I find the tire in the same height as my KDW's are, then it will rub, because of the tires being wider and not being taller, right?

Amy...what wheels and tires do you have (size), because I want the stance of my car to be like that.

One other thing.....are there any places that make a 16x8 wheel? I see 16x7's, but no 8's. Maybe even a 16x 7.75 would work with the 235's, if they make them that wide?

 

Right.You have to take into acount the tire size (ex. 205) and the height/series (ex. 55).

 

a 8" rim won't fit on the stock suspension, you need co's. you can get away with a 7.5" with a 225 series but it's tight.

you don't necessarily need spacers on a 245, many people run them with little to no problems, but it's all about the tire. remember, we're talking ratios not measurements so each tire is slightly different in size. the right combination of rim (offset, spoke pattern, etc) and tire can get you to run a 245 with no problems, but it's not going to happen without a set of co's regarless.

i have a 17x7 rim with a 225/45 tire. i probably can get away with a 235, and for my next set i most likely will get those.

 

Thanks for the help!

I think I will go with 16's, maybe the bbs wheels that come on the ACR, and try to do 235's on it. They are a 7 inch wheel, so I *think* they will go with the 235's

 

A) Not sure
B) Maybe. I have a 225-55 tire on a 16x7 rim. It is a little taller and much wider tire than the stocker and it is close to the spring perch on the front. The rears are no problem. I think a wider 235 by lower say, 45-ish profile might work with the right rim offset. I also think you could run a 235 tire on a 7 inch rim ok. Something to note; not all 235x 50x 16 tires will measure exactly the same. The industry is allowed like a 10mm +/- variance in width. I know this from the tire seminars I went to as a motorcycle mechanic years ago. With bikes being so tight on space and everybody wanting the fattest rear tire they could cram in the swingarm, I can tell you each brand was quite different in actual width vs what was on the sidewall. 10mm can be all the difference you need.
Here's a pic but suspension is still stock.



[IMG]local://upfiles/15665/8E5A5849D099413C8D4654B8E8281911.jpg[/IMG]

 

wow........that looks interesting

 

I just threw up a little in my mouth... darn... and it's lunch time around here... [sighs, the fat kid isn't hungry anymore]

that looks like a Michigan plate on there... Hmmmm...