Looking into buying new wheels.

 

So the choice looks to be 17's or 18's.

 

Before I go in for it at the deep end what's the best width of wheel front and back, do I have a choice!!

 

Along with the corresponding best sized tyres front and back. Don't want no skinny buggars but no fouling of arches.

 

Currently running stock UK set-up alloys.

 

What are you guys wearing as rubbers!!!!!!!!!

 

All advice greatly appreciated :cool:

Originally posted by andrewwarren

 

What are you guys wearing as rubbers!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Dont wear any rubbers, you lose the feeling.

 

Stuart ;)

You should probably be thinking 8" or 8.5" fronts and 10" rears both in 18" dia.

 

Tyres sizes may vary a little. People often have 265 on the rear and depending on the type they can look a little narrow to me, definitely worth considering 285's I reckon. 245 on the front would be about right.

Cheers Andy P

 

I'm goin cheeky now. What profile of tyre to suit these sizes?

 

;)

usually 40's on the front and 35's with 18 inchers.

Oooh... 245/35/18 front, 265/30/18 rear. 285's (IMO) look to big on 9.5's, and that's the biggest Kahn make RS-Rs... I think (it's wot I got).

 

SE have started doing some 5-spoke 19's if you're interested. They look kinda big.

Well the profile is largely determined by what's available and the compromise against how it varies the rolling diameter and hence the speedo reading. Can't be ar5ed to work it out now, but this web page is really helpful :-

http://www.mindspring.com/~toy4two/tire.html

 

 

 

Originally posted by andrewwarren

Cheers Andy P

 

I'm goin cheeky now. What profile of tyre to suit these sizes?

 

;)

Hi,

 

If you are thinking of 8.5" fronts and 10" rears on 18s. Then most people seem to go for 235/40/18 Fronts and 275/35/18 Rears. I'm looking for the same size of tires at competitive prices myself because I have the Alloys already siiting at home :cool:

 

"Ammar"

Hey, nice tool AndyP! Wish I'd seen this before I sat down with a calculator.

 

I think a choice of wheels and tyres has to go something like this (I'm no expert, but it's what I had to go through):

 

.Find a set of wheels you like the look of, that you can afford, and that are made in reasonable sizes... it's no good falling in love with a set that only go 16 dia by 7 wide. For a 300 you really wanna be thinking 18 by 9 minimum for the back and 18 by 8 minimum for the front.

You could go for 17's, but you'll have problems with those phatt 6-pot calipers and huge discs later.

You could go for 19's, but you'll either have to go for a stupid-low profile to get a decent width (expensive), or go for a narrow width to get an affordable profile (looks naff). I've heard 19's on our roads make the car feel like shyte anyway because tramlining, potholes etc feels worse.

 

.Read up about tyres and find some you like the spec on. Make sure they go to a high speed rating, like Z (most decent tyres do). Keep in mind some companies charge (or used to) a fortune for sub-30 profile tyres, and generally profiles go in 5 percent blocks.

 

.Start doing some width/profile/diameter calculations. I basically work everything into overall diameter, so you can see the percentage error between your new size and the standard size. It's really the backs you don't want too much error on because that's where the speed gets calculated from. Obviously, you don't want a lot of error on the front either or your car's gonna look stupid (big, puffed-up fronts?!)

 

Standard UK: 225/45/16 front, 245/40/16 rear gives overall diameter:

608.9mm front, 602.4mm rear.

 

Based on what people have said here:

 

Fronts:

235/40/18's = +5.96%, 645.2mm dia

245/40/18's = +7.28%, 653.2mm dia

245/35/18's = +3.25%, 628.7mm dia *

245/30/18's = -0.77%, 604.2mm dia

 

Rears:

265/30/18's = +2.29%, 616.2mm dia *

265/35/18's = +6.69%, 642.7mm dia

275/35/18's = +7.85%, 649.7mm dia

285/30/18's = +4.28%, 628.2mm dia

285/35/18's = +9.01%, 656.7mm dia

 

(* = that's me)

 

So... after being told 285's could rub in standard arches with lowered suspension, I ruled them out. Then you've also got to consider how wide the tyre is in relation to the width of the rim...

 

235mm = 9.25in

245mm = 9.65in

265mm = 10.43in

275mm = 10.83in

285mm = 11.22in

 

Take half the difference between the tyre width and the rim width, then compare it to the sidewall height (don't make me show these!) and you'll get an idea of how bowed-out (or in!) the tyre will be on the rim. Which could also translate to a naffness factor.

 

.When you're ready, call up a reputable tyre/wheel distributor and try to buy the lot as a package - you'll probably save a bundle. You'll probably also find they've already done all these calculations and know the best size/profile combination for the 300 anyway.

 

Anyone still awake?

Hi Folks,

I am also in the market for some new wheels as one of my 17's as got a kink in it. So I thought I may as well go to 18's and have done with it. http://www.zcentre.co.uk have a small selection with pics on cars to give you an idea what they will look like. I also came across another site http://www.raceandroad.com and checked out some OZ Superleggra 3's that look real sexy. 8x18's front 10x18's rear with 235/40/18 and 265/35/18 avons.£1559 +vat wheels only or £1979+vat wheels and tyres. http://www.mytyres.net seem to do pretty good prices in all the right sizes. I also called in at halfords to get some new bulbs and they where having a sale 25% off including wheel packages, however I blew the sales assistants brain when i asked for 265/35/18 but in the end he got the price for a set of fox RS2's with tyres for £1665 sounded alright but then told me I would have to wait 3 months minimum b------ks to that. Does anybody have any OZ wheels fitted to there Z ? I feel slightly uneasy about ordering £2300 worth of wheels in case they dont fit. Any suggestions as to where to look for wheels? cheers

Chris

I'm getting some quality replies here !!!

 

Cheers Lads

 

:D

Cheers Sutty/51x,

I'm also in the market for a set of 18's and have been doing some looking around.

I'll have a look at the sites you posted Sutty, have a look at this one though http://www.amsautocentre.co.uk/alloy/wheels.htm

they seem quite cheap.

Dave