I'm in need of new tires, just wanted to open up the options for the stock 18" rims by looking at the 245/40/18's as well as the 225/45/18's. If you have any front and back pictures of your car with the 245's on I'd like to see how they change the look.

Also, pretty sure the answer is yes, but you can get away with the 245/40/18's on the front without rubbing right?

Thanks.

Adam

 

Sorry, no pics yet. I just had my new 245/40/18 KDW's installed last week. The 245's look more at home on the stock rims than the undersized 225 stocks. The 225's looked like they were smaller than what the rims required. Now the 245's are perfect. No rubbing either. I've read here that you start worrying about rubbing from 255 and above. Some people are even claiming no rubs at 275. I don't know how true that is.

BTW, I have 245/40/18 on all four wheels and I attack corners like crazy everyday :D

 

I have 245/40's on the OEM rims. I'll post more pics of the front and rear tonight on my website.

 

Thanks for the info. If you get any pictures please post them on this thread. Appreciate it.

 

Yep

 

Here are 2 pictures of mine with 245-40-18 Falken ST615's.

 

The last couple in my sig..

 

What do you guys think of putting 265 35's on the stock rims??????????

 

You're joking right?

 

Here's a set of 245/40x18 Pirelli P-Zero's on an 8[IMG][/IMG]

 

The image didn't show up?

 

I like the rims, rotors, and calipers

Not a big fan of the X-Men wing though...

 

What problems would I have with 265 35's on stock rims? Yes, the rim width is marginal but the outer diameter is only off by less than 2%. They are only 1.5" wider than stock. Should fit, shouldn't they?

 

I suspect that if you look up the specs on the tire manufacturer's web site, you'll find that the minimum reccomended wheel width for a 265 is something like 9 inches, with the optimum being 9.5 or 10 inches. Can you run them on 8s? Probably, autocrossers do crazy things like that all the time in order to fit into stock class rules which don't allow you to change the wheel width. But they don't have to deal with potholes, expansion strips, etc. So from a safety standpoint I think you are taking some risks.

Also, the further apart your wheel & tire widths get the less you get out of those wide tires. If you don't support the tire correctly performance and handling can suffer.

I wouldn't do it. I'm running 245s (T1-Rs) on the stock rim and it works OK, but I wouldn't go any wider on the street unless I had wider wheels to go with it.

 

I have Kumho Ecsta V700 265-35-18s on our stock wheels right now. We used them as rain tires for the solo2 natls and I have not put the real street tires back on yet. Looks mean and drives fine have zero problem with rub or fitment.

 

Thank you both for the thoughtful replies!

 

alnielsen, have you ever autocrossed your 8 with the ST615? Is it any good? How is does it wear?

 

Question here.
Would the Hoosier Hoosier A3S04 fit on a 18x8 rim properly? I was reading through the Hoosier website spec sheet that they recommended 8.5-9.5 width for the wheels. Though a lot of people are putting the same size tires on stock wheels. Would it still be safe or should I look for diff. tires?

btw its strictly for auto crossing.

 

I just put up a web page with close up pics of my stock wheels before (factory tires) and after (kumho ecsta spt 245 40).

the thread

 

Thanks for the information and pictures. You did well out of those stock tires! Mine are looking pretty bad and I am still to hit 20k.

I am definately getting the 245/40/18's, just haven't decided on which yet, but either Nitto 555 Extreme Performance, or either of of the Kumho's, Ecsta-ASX or Ecsta-Supra 712's (all similar price range from Discount Tire here).

From what I have been able to dig up the 712's are best suited for me. I don't want to loose all grip in rain (it gets wet here in Houston).

Adam

 

Random writeup on 245/40/18 on stock 18" wheels.
http://www.myrotarycar.com/mazda-rx8...mitomo_HTR.asp

I'll post profile photos once I get home. To sum it up, 245/40/18 are a very good match for the stock 18" wheels. Haven't had a problem since. Bear in mind, I am running on AS tires...cheap ones at that.

 

Here are a few pics of my 8 with 265 35 18 Kuhmo Ecsta V700's.

Of course I only run these at autox's. My daily's are 235 40 18 BFG g-Force kdw's which I love. If you look closely at these pics w/the 265's you'll see there's actually plenty of room. Far from rubbing & they feel great on a course (esp w/the RB front bar & links!). I've also run 245 Hoosier's on the stock wheels before these for autox-ing and those felt good, too. I think it all depends on which tire, the height of them especially (you don't want to depend on rubber bands) and of course your driving style & road conditions. In my opinion, 245 40 18's would be cool for daily driving.

 

A few more... and one in motion.

Please excuse the "not so becoming" look of the missing center caps, this makes it easier to run a strap thru them to secure them to my trailer.

ps... the rear pic is before the install of my racing beat cat-back exhaust (yum)!

 

Wow, Sponsors even!! Looks like you know what your talking about. Thanks for the email.

 

owners have run 275/35-18 tires on stock rims without rubbing at the stock ride height, Hoosier DOT race tires to be exact, but they won't put down any more contact patch than a 245 without going to a wider wheel

most of the stock RX-8 autocrossers are running 245/35-18