Tire Size 18 Inch Factory Rim

[LokiWolf]

Anybody know the maximum tire width that can be run on the factory rim? What is the width of the factory 18? I was thinking of 255/40, should be pretty close to the same rolling diameter.

-Loki

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[ColoradoDriver]

Use this calculator: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

[DubFamily]

Most of the OEM 18s are 18X7.5 so a 255 will not safely fit. It has been done, just saying it isn't inherently safe or within the tire manufacturer's spec for the tire...

If it is an 18X8 you can run a 245 on it as the minimum spec for the tire width per the manufacturers.

As far as rolling diameter, however; the OEM tires are 225/40/18s so a 255/40 would be quite a bit taller.

Here is another great resource: http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

 

[LokiWolf]

Use this calculator: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Thanks, well aware of a tire calculator. Was more concerned with width of the rim, and if anybody had tried it...


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[LokiWolf]

Most of the OEM 18s are 18X7.5 so a 255 will not safely fit. It has been done, just saying it isn't inherently safe or within the tire manufacturer's spec for the tire...

If it is an 18X8 you can run a 245 on it as the minimum spec for the tire width per the manufacturers.

Do you know the width of the 18, that comes on the TDI SEL. I have been unable to find it.

As far as rolling diameter, however; the OEM tires are 225/40/18s so a 255/40 would be quite a bit taller.

Actually my OEM's are 235/45/18 like I said. So a 255/40/18, would be less than a CM in height difference...


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[Papachristou]

why would you want a wider tire on a low hp car (it is more than adequate but will never be a race car) plus it will reduce mpg on a car most people buy for its MPG.

 

[LokiWolf]

why would you want a wider tire on a low hp car (it is more than adequate but will never be a race car) plus it will reduce mpg on a car most people buy for its MPG.

I love this site! You ask a question, hoping somebody might know the answer, and you get questioned on why. Low HP, High Torque. There are MANY people with these cars, lowering them, putting 19's and 20's on them, with wider tires. It is not unheard of.

I am not overly impressed with the Hankook Tires wet grip, or the noise. Both got a little better when I lowered the tire pressure from 40(Dealer) to 35, both did improve a bit. I am looking to replace them, and the tire I want does not appear to come in 235/45/18, so I was looking at alternatives.

So, to the original question, do you know of anybody running wider on the factory 18's? Do you know the width of the factory 18's?


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[MichaelSNU]

Low HP, High Torque.

236 lb-ft high torque?

Sorry, I don't know the answer to your question.

 

[LokiWolf]

236 lb-ft high torque?

Sorry, I don't know the answer to your question.

Yes, for the size motor...especially when you factor where in the RPM range it generates it. I used to be able to roast the tires in my 2006 Jetta, with about 20 less at the wheels.

Seriously, does anybody have the answer to the question? You can give me a hard time about wanting to possibly put wider tires on my car, and nit-pick my statements, but you can't answer my question.

Thanks...


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[DubFamily]

Do you know the width of the 18, that comes on the TDI SEL. I have been unable to find it.



Actually my OEM's are 235/45/18 like I said. So a 255/40/18, would be less than a CM in height difference...


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Just takes a little searching...

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...heel-specs&p=75297537&viewfull=1#post75297537

 

[LokiWolf]

Thanks Dub, I appreciate it! For those of you that don't want to click on the link, the SEL wheels are 18x8.

I searched on vortex via my iPad, and didn't get any hits. I find it rather humorous that even in that thread it took several answers to get confirmation of the correct size. The first answer was incorrect.

I also find it humorous when people reference a separate forum site for the answer, and ellude they should search there. Not everybody is a member of all of the forums or goes to them regularly. I am and still did not find the answer. Sometimes this site is VERY frustrating.

Thanks again for the answer I really do appreciate it.


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[DubFamily]

You are welcome. You have to search for the specific wheel name (Bristol) and size, it wasn't an immediately easy find.

I wasn't implying you should have found it yourself; I was stating I luckily found it without too much trouble.

And I find it humorous when people ask for help; then attempt to subtly insult the people who try to help them (and the word you wanted is "allude," not "ellude")... Perhaps you were just making a comment and meant nothing by it, but it doesn't come off that way. Funny how often that happens on the internet, huh?

Go figure...

 

[TDISEL]

You're right. The Hankook Tires suck. They were selected because they were cheap and they sacrificed handling/safety/comfort for price and economy.

I put wider lower tires and the car handles more like the Mercedes c320 sport traded in for this Passat. My favorite roads with hills and turns are fun again. It's not about horsepower at all. Sure a bit of fuel economy was lost to gain this, but life is full of compromises. VW should have taken it a step further than they did with the 18" wheels but the economy claim and marketing were more important to them. It wasn't for me.

I agree with you.

19x8.5 43 with 245/19/40. Low rolling resistance LRR tires will help on the economy, but they are expensive and economy gained may not win back the price difference.

I love this site! You ask a question, hoping somebody might know the answer, and you get questioned on why. Low HP, High Torque. There are MANY people with these cars, lowering them, putting 19's and 20's on them, with wider tires. It is not unheard of.

I am not overly impressed with the Hankook Tires wet grip, or the noise. Both got a little better when I lowered the tire pressure from 40(Dealer) to 35, both did improve a bit. I am looking to replace them, and the tire I want does not appear to come in 235/45/18, so I was looking at alternatives.

So, to the original question, do you know of anybody running wider on the factory 18's? Do you know the width of the factory 18's?


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[jsrmonster]

These are nice!
Conti Pro Contact 235/40x19's (9" wide rim 5x112)

I believe these are offered with the NB. These are passat shown.
Jeff

Here is NB, not sure if 5x100 or 112.

 

[tigerdog]

does 245/45-18 fit

Has anyone confirmed 245/45R18 will fit? Living in SoCal, rain and snow are not important - sharp handling and hard stops are (try the San Diego Freeway in rush hour: 80 mph, crest a hill, brake to 30. repeat).

 

[jrm]

Has anyone confirmed 245/45R18 will fit? Living in SoCal, rain and snow are not important - sharp handling and hard stops are (try the San Diego Freeway in rush hour: 80 mph, crest a hill, brake to 30. repeat).

I pulled a 30' 10K pound travel trailer threw that, had a few 80MPH to zero panic stops- good thing for well adjusted trailer brakes!

 

[tigerdog]

Confirmed: 245/45-18 fit on stock wheels - no rubbing.

I was told by friendly tire dealer that 8.5" is the minimum width for a 255/40. Factory 18" B7 wheels are 8", so 245 is the widest acceptable.

Tires plus a proper alignment (including repositioning the front subframe to correct improper caster, probably set wrong at the factory) has completely eliminated a minor pull to the right and significant tramlining on grooved SoCal pavement. The Conti ExtremeContactDWs are significantly quieter over rough and uneven concrete than the outgoing Hankooks. I can actually hear engine and transmission noise over the tires at freeway speeds. With the Hankooks, that didn't happen unless I was on new asphalt. With regard to the speedo, with the factory tires it read fast, typically had to indicate 41-42 on speedo for radar to show 40. Radar now trips at 40 when speedo indicates 40, so it's made it more accurate. Regarding handling/braking; compared with Hankooks my initial impression is favorable. When trying to turn out of driveways into fast (45+ mph) traffic, I could easily trigger the traction control with the Hankooks. That doesn't happen now. I haven't tried any really hard braking but the car feels quite planted. I normally would have stayed with the stock size, not go bigger, but the selection of performance oriented tires in the stock size is comparatively small and those that exist are much more expensive than this choice.

Initial result is a happy Passat. Also, I think they look awesome!

P.S., yes, keen-eyed readers, the image is altered. There's a reflection of a giant manhole in the rocker panel but no manhole on the pavement. I'm experimenting a bit with Gimp under Linux.

 

[tdiatlast]

tigerdog: Have you been reading the "pull/drift to the right" threads? Have you offered your advice to the group of drivers that are still having the issue?

 

[tigerdog]

tigerdog: Have you been reading the "pull/drift to the right" threads? Have you offered your advice to the group of drivers that are still having the issue?

I was unaware of those threads - I'll look around and see if I can contribute. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[LokiWolf]

Yes, I had 245's on until I went to my 19's, I did Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS's. Have the same tires in 255 width on the 19's. Love them!

 

[tigerdog]

Quick update - Conti ExtremeContactDW

Pluses and minuses: car is much more planted; brakes now feel inadequate, not overwhelming, since there's so much more tire grip. Cornering is awesome with tons of grip. There is a downside, however: mileage is down across the board, both city and highway, by about 10%. Hypermilers shouldn't buy these.

 

[LokiWolf]

Pluses and minuses: car is much more planted; brakes now feel inadequate, not overwhelming, since there's so much more tire grip. Cornering is awesome with tons of grip. There is a downside, however: mileage is down across the board, both city and highway, by about 10%. Hypermilers shouldn't buy these.

Agreed. Lost about 15% with my heavy, wide, sticky 19's over my stock 18's. Well worth the trade off in my opinion!

 

[mc4nam]

Pluses and minuses: car is much more planted; brakes now feel inadequate, not overwhelming, since there's so much more tire grip. Cornering is awesome with tons of grip. There is a downside, however: mileage is down across the board, both city and highway, by about 10%. Hypermilers shouldn't buy these.

Subscribed. I plan on going to 245/45/18 on mine once I get a little more wear out of the factory 235 bridgestones.

One issue I see with your tire choice is you bought a pretty aggressive soft rubber tire. Losing 10% is quite a bit. I plan on going with Conti but the Purecontact with eco plus. I hope to only lose about 5% because it is a harder low rolling resistance tire. The pure contact will not grip as well as your extreme's but should still be way better than factory hankooks or Bridgestones.

Check out the UTQG ratings on the tires. Usually the lower the number, the softer the tire. More details here - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48

Hankook - 440
Extreme - 340
PureContact - 700

Here is a pretty nice comparison of 3 tires. Factory Hankook, DW Extreme, and pure contact - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTires.jsp

 

[LokiWolf]

Subscribed. I plan on going to 245/45/18 on mine once I get a little more wear out of the factory 235 bridgestones.

One issue I see with your tire choice is you bought a pretty aggressive soft rubber tire. Losing 10% is quite a bit. I plan on going with Conti but the Purecontact with eco plus. I hope to only lose about 5% because it is a harder low rolling resistance tire. The pure contact will not grip as well as your extreme's but should still be way better than factory hankooks or Bridgestones.

Check out the UTQG ratings on the tires. Usually the lower the number, the softer the tire. More details here - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48

Hankook - 440
Extreme - 340
PureContact - 700

Here is a pretty nice comparison of 3 tires. Factory Hankook, DW Extreme, and pure contact - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTires.jsp

So for clarity the last link you posted is a JSP page, and will not give the rest of us your comparison.

Also, Treadwear Rating is a general guide, and can A LOT of the times be misleading between brands. Sometimes it means softer, but it can also mean it doesn't start with as much tread depth.

Also, your numbers are wrong.

Extreme 540 A A
Pro 500 A A
Eco 700 A A

All are Conti's and in the 245/45/18 Size

-Loki

 

[mc4nam]

So for clarity the last link you posted is a JSP page, and will not give the rest of us your comparison.
Also, Treadwear Rating is a general guide, and can A LOT of the times be misleading between brands. Sometimes it means softer, but it can also mean it doesn't start with as much tread depth.
Also, your numbers are wrong.
Extreme 540 A A
Pro 500 A A
Eco 700 A A
All are Conti's and in the 245/45/18 Size
-Loki

Sorry about that Loki. The link did work. Below is the stats I found on the 3 tires I thought were correct:
PureContact:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...8PURECXL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
Size: 245/45R18
LRR: EcoPlus
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Serv. Desc: 100V
Load Range: XL
UTQG: 700 A A
ExtremeDWS:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...8ECDWSXL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
Size: 245/45ZR18
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Serv. Desc: 100Y
Load Range: XL
UTQG: 540 A A
Hankook:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...5VR8H426&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
Size: P245/45R18
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Serv. Desc: 96V
UTQG: 440 A A
I thought this was his tire but apparently it was a summer version of the Conti Extreme:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...R8ECDWXL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
Size: 245/45ZR18
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Serv. Desc: 100Y
Load Range: XL
UTQG: 340 AA A

 

[r_boyd]

I replaced my hankooks withmichlen defender 225/50/18 much quieter better handlint

 

[Lightflyer1]

Wow, they increased your font size as well. Try a normal font and no bold. Spell check may help as well.