sv

I went to Direct Tire today to buy S02a’s 225/40-18 front 285/30-18 rear.
Well the guy there tells me it’s not a good idea because the tire will stick out of the wheel well- look bad. He said 265 is the way to go….then he says I should get Toyo tires "...look much better" (opinions…).

I know a lot of you guys are using 285/30-18 on your cars, so do you mind posting a picture from the rear or just confirm it will not look bad (stick out too much).

Obviously I value the boards' opinion.
By the way they need to order the S02’s and the Toyo does not come in 285; he really wants to sell me the Toyo. It’s cheaper…but I want the fattest tire that looks like it belongs (hopefully you know what I mean)

TIA

jkuniverse

I have the S-03s (285/30x18)and they do not rub (SUV height), but I'm not sure about the S-02s. Also you should check your wheel's offset. Mine is ET65 for the rear. Here are the pictures. I hope it helps.

sv

Thanks Jason
My rears are ET65 also. It looks fine to me; perfect shot. I think I'm just going to get them from Tire Rack and save a couple hundred bucks.

TheOtherEric

Sonny, although I disagree with the salesman's argument (it obviously looks fine) there is merit to his position. For a 10" wheel, a 265 width tire gives a better trapezoidal geometry than does a 285. This is better for high performance handling, and that's why a lot of us who do track stuff (including me) will recommend and use 265 tires. I learned about this in a Michelin Pilot Sport Cup presentation they put together for porsche that's floating around here someplace. It's just food for thought.

Jeff96-993

Going wider in the rear never made any sense to me when the biggest handling issue on these cars is understeer... a wider tire with more grip at the rear can only hurt that problem.

Now, a 235/18, or maybe better a 245/18, at the front sounds like a better solution when matched to 265/18 rear. Less understeer = happy handling.

Leland Pate

Here are a few quick shots of my car with 285 30 18's

Leland Pate

Jason, I see you've rolled your fenders...
I recently (last weekend) did the same thing at a friends house in DC.

With the 285's I have not had any rubbing issues even with lowered H&R springs. But since I had access to the nice roller, I decided to roll 'em just in case I ever need to get more room.

jkuniverse

Leland, I had to go outside to check the fenders to see if mine were rolled 'cause I don't remember doing it I've confirmed that they are not rolled, it kind of looks that way in the previous picture. but I'm thinking about doing it once I lower it. Your car looks very nice! Thanks.

Leland Pate

Well then... we can disregard the post above.

If you end up doing it, try and get your hands on one of these fender rollers as seen above. It makes the job look more professional than the baseball bat technique.

sv

Eric - I searched and could not find the presentation. If you have it can you post.
I would love to see it - still have not ordred the tires. Looking at Jasons tire, it does not look like it narrows at the rim. But as we all know pictures (angles) can be tricky.

I don't track the car; work and back, that it. Sometines she does'nt see the highway for weeks.

Cy

Sonny,

Here's a picture of my S-O2As from the rear. I would get the occasional rub when my rake was set wrong (nose high), but since getting that corrected I have not had that happen again. As mentioned above, offset of the rims is important here as a 285 will not leave much room for error. Unfortunately I do not know the offset of my rims.



Regards,

Cy

And here's a shot from the front . . . again, it's close but it fits.

jkuniverse

Sonny, I read somewhere in the forum that some folks even prefer 17" wheels over 18". However, I don't track and probably never will...and I love the look of the wide tires in 18" rims. As far as the fitment is concerned, the tire does not narrow at the rim - the 993TTs have the exact same set up. Everyone has different taste and use... I just love my set up for my personal taste.

Cy

Sonny,

Also in your post you mention S02s and SO2As . . . be careful as they are very different tires. The below picture illustrates the difference in tread alone. On the left is the SO2A.

TheOtherEric

Sonny,
here's the presentation. If you don't track the car, it really doesn't make any difference. The only things that should be factoring into your decision of 265 vs. 285 are looks, cost, fit, and maybe (just maybe) understeer.
http://home.comcast.net/~dirtybeigec...esentation.ppt