ozzy

What's the recommended size of tyre for 18" rims on a classic?

225/35/18
225/40/18
215/35/18
.... etc

Seems to be a lot more choice in the 225 width and there's a BIG price gap between 35 & 40 profile.

Stefan

catalunya199again

mine are 215 35 18 there like spray on tyres im sure the others are to big and scrap in the arches same cause these tyres arent cheap, but they look the nuts

ozzy

What alloys do you have and do you know their size i.e. width and offset?

andy_scouser

What suspension is on your car ???

I had 18" on my classic WRX with std suspension.....it destroyed the handling and destroyed the struts.

Ensure you have uprated suspension first.

ozzy

At the moment I have std dampers and Eibach springs, but I'm having some P1 suspension fitted in the next few weeks. Mike Wood (Prodrive) already warned me that the suspension would need to be changed to cope with the larger wheels.

Stefan

andy_scouser

Mike told me exactly the same, but you can't tell some people ...

BlueBoy

215/35/18's are what you'll want in most circumstances (unless you want to get your arches rolled). There are some tyres that will go on in 225/35/18 size, but it's not worth taking the risk and having some rub

Anthony_scooby

Can some please explain why the standard suspension won't handle 18's?

Thanks Anthony

M0NEY

225/40/18 on Prodrive PFF7s with P1 suspension

Been driving with the above setup for 1 year now (well actual driving 7months) and havent had any problems. I got the P1 suspension done first, very good. Had 17 Oz Super leggera's

Changed to the 18s PFF7s with above tyres and found i could take corners much quicker and handling was improved

No rubbing even with people in the car

ozzy

Frank,

Do you drive the car hard - on the door handles stuff and are the roads around you bumpy enough to make the car use all the suspension travel???

Any pics of your car ?

You're getting me all excited now

markwild

I'm running std dampers, and eibach pros on my 98UK with 18s and 215/3518s - BUT I want to go to 225/3518s next, cos I prefer the Goodyear GSDs to the Toyos and you can't get 'em in the narrower size....

Had no rubbing or handling probs - except the Toyo's limit in the wet...

Mark

ozzy

Yeah, the 215 sizes are very restrictive in tyres i.e. Toyo or Fulda Prices are good - £90 for Toyo's, but I hate my 17" Toyo's in the wet and don't want to be forced down that road again.

225 width has much better tyre choice, but the 35 profile are a good bit more than the 17 equivelants.

40 profile gives the same choices, but the costs are less. Guess it depends on how big a profile you want and how this will effect handling.

Stefan

M0NEY

If i dont drive it hard enough, Dad and the boys at the garage bl**dy do so yep its driven hard.

Roads round here are bumpy. i think the only problem was when i went to a Surrey meet and we went out in the sticks and went down a real bad country road. It was so bumpy and i had 4 people in the car so scraped a bit then (wasnt do 30mph though )

Pics of my car are here:

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

Ive got told by a few people that i should lower my ride like they have using eibachs. Its only when they get in the car do they realise how good the suspension setup is with the P1 suspension

peccy

225/35/18

these are also fitted to the P1 WR and sold by Subaru dealers so are gonna be the right size.

got some on my classic (toyos), no arch rolling and no scraping, make sure your wheels are the right offset though, for 18x7.5 you need ET53

ozzy

Thanks lads.

I want to fit the PFF-7's to my RB5, but Mike Wood and a P1 owner mentioned that the combination would rub. The offset for the PFF-7's alloys are 51mm and it's a wider 18"x8" wheel.

Mike said the P-WRC1 wheels would be a better fit as it's a 53mm offset instead.

I don't want to have the arches rolled, so it looked like a definite no go until I heard from you Frank and also ChristianR that you haven't experienced rubbing.

It's the narrow B-roads and single track's that I'm worried about. The tarmac is smooth, but very bumpy and it's easy to get the car airborne in some spots.

Stefan

ozzy

Frank,

Isn't the P1 suspension lower than OE damper/springs anyway? I'd have expected it to be as low as std dampers & Eibach springs.

Stefan

M0NEY

Peccy - wheels mine were for were for a P1 but were supplied by a dealer with 225/40s?

Not sure about how low it is - my car seems to sit higher compared to other scoobs?

ozzy

Cheers,

I'll ask John Banks if he noticed a change since he's went from std dampers + Eibachs to P1.

Stefan

QuickSilverSTi

See my post in International. I love the GSDS 3 by Goodyear.

ozzy

I had the GSDS 2's and loved them, but I'm toying with trying some Avon ZZ3's this time.

Elmer Fudpucker

Ozzy

I wouldn't fit 215/35's to 8'' wide rims if I were you,not only will the tyres look extremely 'stretched' on the rim,but you'll be into a whole new world of tramlining

I had this combo on my RB5 with an ET48 offset wheel and had rubbing probs on the rear with a full car,not to mention the lack of rim protection that that tyre size will offer.

...Jon

ozzy

Hi Jon,

Yes, a few people have told me that 215's are stretched too much and can be downright dangerous on 8" alloys.

My plan is to have some PFF-7's (51mm offset) fitted and 225/40/18 tyres. Still undecided whether to go for though:-

Goodyear Eagle GSD3's
Avon ZZ3's
Hankook Ventus Sport K104
Toyo Proxes T1-S

Money and ChristianR have both said they don't have any rubbing problems on their classics with these alloys.

Stefan

markwild

I thought that the 40 profile was for new age... I'm pretty sure that it will make the rolling diameter of the tyre too large compared to the original size -

Also, I don't know if you've tried ZZ3s before - I hated them in the wet - very long life but bugger all grip ! (Especially compared to Eagles...)

Mark

ozzy

OK,

So it looks like 215/35 will work on a 7.5" wide alloy, but for an 8" wide alloy it's better to have the 225/35 tyres.

Haven't tried the Avon's myself, but if there not as good as the Eagles in the wet I'll need to reconsider.

Stefan

P.S. And they're more expensive than the Goodyears.

darkblueturbo

I've got 8x18's with 225/35 tyres. Standard dampers and Eibach Prokit and it's all OK.

I've been thinking about P1 dampers and springs - where do you get them from, out of interest? JUst a Subaru dealer or is there someone somewhere knocking them out?

ozzy

Subaru Dealer, but I'm getting mine 2nd-hand from a P1 owner who upgraded his suspension from new.

Stefan

P.S. What tyres are you running out of interest?

darkblueturbo

pzero assimetrico's (if it's good enough for Prodrive) - but they've stopped making them in 225/35/18 - so next time out I'll be changing all 4 to Nero's.

Carl Davey

iTrader: (3)

Stefan, i'd be interested to know how you get on here.

I did fancy Turini's but Jon's words in another thread RE tyre/catching troubles put me off. I fancy the PFF-7's now though and if you have success tyre-wise and with your P1 suspension setup that would be excellent news for me.

Am i correct in thinking that the standard tyres fitted to these wheels when fitted to Bug/Blob eyes is 225/40?

Hoppy

I don't understand the obsesson with 18in wheels when they cause so many fitting problems...

But if you must, remember that tyre sizes are nominal and not actual. The same size tyres can be as much as 7mm different in width, depending on the brand. That can make for a very expensive mistake

Richard.

ozzy

Richard,

There is handling benefits to be had from 18" wheels, so we don't all do it just for "bling". Some new 18" WRC or PFF-7's are actually lighter than my current RB5 speedlines.

Stefan