Can anyone advise what tyres will fit under the arches of a classic? I've bought a set of 18" rims with ET45 and now I'm looking what tryes will/won't fit! I managed to borrow some 18" with 225/40 and 225/45 tyres, but the ET is 53mm so.............
I have a STI4 Type R, so I wouldn't mind increasing the diameter a little as the car is very low geared (and the speedo reads high by about 10%) - my prefered tyre would be 215/45/18, but I think these are as rare a rocking horse s.... and hence very expensive and limited to only 1 or 2 manufacturers.
Any suggestions?

 

Well according to Mike Wood ...who knows a few things ...

'Ref offset and fitment to the 'Classic' cars, when we were developing the P1 we always wanted to offer the car on 18" wheels and the original development spec was set at ET50 with an 8x18" wheel. In most conditions this was OK as the development car did not have the rubber lip on the rear arch so only touched in extreme conditions. This wasn't an acceptable solution for release so we changed the spec to a 7.5x18 ET53 which does clear when used with the Pirelli or another similar shaped 225/35 tyre. We did try it with other tyres the same size but found that we had a foul as most other tyres this size had kerbing ribs or similar bulges in the sidewalls. If an 8x18" wheel must be fitted then ET51 will be as good as you will get but don't expect to bolt them straight on and not have to do anything to make sure they don't catch.'

Hope this helps a bit

 

Yes thanks, although I'm still a little unsure if my ET45 wheels will be okay. You've just confirmed that 'some' 18 x 7.5's will fit.
It would be 'nice' if there was a difinative answer for each wheel size!!!!!
Anybody else want to add some advice????

 

Hi, 225/45/18 will rub, if you want 18s on a classic go for 215/35, no rubbing and plenty of choice such as toyos.

 

What about wheel offset? Some suggest 49-53mm, mine are 45mm - 18" x 7.5". Am I correct in saying that ET45 is more 'under the arch' than an ET53?

 

I have 18x8 wheels fitted to my 93WRX (I'm not sure of the offset). With 225/40x18 tyres I had rubbing problems with the standard suspension, but with the coilovers fitted, I've got no rubbing issues at all. Well, only under extreme load conditions I might get a little bit of a rub, but nothing major.