225/40 on 18x8.5 & Are 17s worth it?

[Katu]

Just picked up a ZHP last week and when viewing the car I noticed the buyer had recently (last 2000 miles) put new tires (Federal SS-595) that were 225/40/18 on all 4 rims. The car has the stock staggered 135s and when looking at the front vs rear you can tell that the rears are slightly undersized for a 18x8.5 rim.

My first question is if this is something to be worried about? Should I stick with the recommended 38psi for the rear listed on the door jam for undersized tires?

Another thing I have been considering when the tires wear out is going with a 17x9, D-Force LTW5 maybe, squared setup for the following reasons (most important to least important): lighter rim/tire, lets me rotate the tires for more even wear, 17" tires are cheaper than 18" tires.

I do love the look of the style 135 rims, but I always hear people talking about square setup for handling and a 17" rim just makes more sense, right? Or would 245s squared on the stock rims be just as effective?

Discuss!

[az3579]

Just picked up a ZHP last week and when viewing the car I noticed the buyer had recently (last 2000 miles) put new tires (Federal SS-595) that were 225/40/18 on all 4 rims. The car has the stock staggered 135s and when looking at the front vs rear you can tell that the rears are slightly undersized for a 18x8.5 rim.

My first question is if this is something to be worried about? Should I stick with the recommended 38psi for the rear listed on the door jam for undersized tires?

Another thing I have been considering when the tires wear out is going with a 17x9, D-Force LTW5 maybe, squared setup for the following reasons (most important to least important): lighter rim/tire, lets me rotate the tires for more even wear, 17" tires are cheaper than 18" tires.

I do love the look of the style 135 rims, but I always hear people talking about square setup for handling and a 17" rim just makes more sense, right? Or would 245s squared on the stock rims be just as effective?

Discuss!

A squared setup on the stock wheels is just as effective, depending on the width of the tire vs. the 17" wheel. Also, the price of the rears for 18" depends on how wide you want to go. Of course, the wider, the more expensive, though I personally have noticed a huge price difference between the stock 255-wide and the front 225 sizes. Keep in mind, it's cheaper to buy a new set of tires for existing wheels than to buy entirely new wheels AND tires. If it was me, I'd stick with the stock wheels with a squared 245 setup.

[MasterC17]

I am also running 225/40/18 all around on the factory staggered setup with no issues; don't worry about it. I would recommend 36psi all around.

In terms of buying new wheels this is really a personal decision; basically do you want to spend the extra money for the better setup. If you aren't going to be tracking the car the weight isn't so much of a concern (though still definitely present). In the long term maybe you would actually end up saving money due to rotating and cheaper tires :dunno

[Mike V]

I have a friend who has been running 225s on the rear stock wheels too. No issues... it just looks a little weird to me. If I end up keeping this car, I will eventually go with a squared 17x9 setup with 255/40/17.

[Katu]

I have a friend who has been running 225s on the rear stock wheels too. No issues... it just looks a little weird to me. If I end up keeping this car, I will eventually go with a squared 17x9 setup with 255/40/17.

I've heard some people rub with 255/40 in the front while others have no issues? If I'm running stock height should rubbing be a non issue?

[mimalmo]

I have a friend who has been running 225s on the rear stock wheels too. No issues... it just looks a little weird to me. If I end up keeping this car, I will eventually go with a squared 17x9 setup with 255/40/17.

What offset would you use?

[tripod06]

pics of this set up right now? i have never seen what this looks like and my dad and i got into it about running this kind of set up with the 18s

[Crickett]

pics of this set up right now? i have never seen what this looks like and my dad and i got into it about running this kind of set up with the 18s
+1; I'd also love to see someone's square 245-on-135s setup

As for my on-topic $0.02, I'd agree that — without tracking the car — wheel weight isn't a huge issue, so I'd run out this set of tires & then get a square 245 or 255 set for the 135s if you want to go square.

[spencers]

You can't go wrong with LTW5's!

[az3579]

You can't go wrong with LTW5's!

Not the best looking wheel, IMO; not enough substance for my taste. If the spokes were thicker, then it'd look more bada$$...
Problem is, there is a shortage of really awesome looking wheels that weigh less than 18-19 pounds. There are one or two, but it's not like the selection in the 20's range.