# 18x9 rear wheel selection



## Giacobazzi (Aug 22, 2012)

I am doing new wheels and tires very soon and am seriously thinking bout the 18x9's in back with the 275's mentioned in the "wheel fitment" thread. My Q is what are my offset tolerances that I can do on that back wheel, and what are my choices in wheel style. When i do a search, I don't see many 18x9's in an offset that I would need, at least not on tire rack, and a few other wheel suppliers. Also I'm not gonna spend mega $ for this. I see wheels I like for $135-$185 per wheel, but in 18x8. Where should I be looking?

Thanks!


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Ideally you'd like to be in the mid +50s offset. Depending on how aggressively you roll or cut the fenders and tire width (different brands are different widths of the same "size") you could go down to +40. There are only a handful of wheels that fit that definition without going custom.


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## Giacobazzi (Aug 22, 2012)

svede1212 said:


> Ideally you'd like to be in the mid +50s offset. Depending on how aggressively you roll or cut the fenders and tire width (different brands are different widths of the same "size") you could go down to +40. There are only a handful of wheels that fit that definition without going custom.


Here is the fitment info I was referring to. Was on another forum. Anyway if its too difficult, like price or availability, I will just do the 245/40/18's all around. But alota beef out back is always tuff looking

Factory wheels & tires:
17x8 w/ 245/45/17
55lbs each (wheel & tire)
5x120mm stud pattern
48mm backspacing

17's
Front: 
245/45/17 is still the best fit
255/40/17 fit but had to use a 8.5" wide wheel, the required backspacing hadthe wheels/tire sticking out too from the body line
275/40/17 didn't fit, using a 9" wide wheel, the tire was rubbibg the strut. Again using a different backspacing would have the set sticking out too far

ROH Drift R 17x8 w/ 245/45/17 - 47lbs
ROH Drift R 17x9 w/275/40/17 - 49lbs

Rear:
275/40/17 fit no problems on a 17x9" wheel
These stick out just a little more than the factory tires, but I think they still look great!

Recommendation for 17" wheels: Use your factory tires and and put them on 17x8" custom wheels or 17x8" wheel front w/ 245/45/17 tires and 17x9" wheel rear w/ 275/40/17 tires

Personally I would just reuse the factory tires and put 17x8" wheels at all four corners. This will be cheaper to do and looks good.

18's
By far the best way to go!!

Front:
18x8 w/ a 245/40/18 tire - fit is perfect
18x8.5 w/ 255/40/18 - again sticks out too far

Rear:
18x9 w/ a 275/35/18 tire - fit is perfect

Recommendation for 18" wheels: Without a doubt the best set is 18x8 up front with 245/45/18 matched with 18x9 out back w/ 275/35/18. This set looks great, fits porportionally and lets you pick up some width out back. The ride quality is also great. Or use 18x8 and 245/40/18 at all four corners.

ROH Drift R 18x8 w/ a 245/40/18 tire - 49lbs
ROH Drift R 18x9 w/ a 275/35/18 tire - 51lbs

19's

Front
245/35/19 on a 19x8" wheel

Rear
275/30/19 on a 19x9" wheel

Recommendation for 19" wheels: GO BACK TO 18"!! While the look great on the car the ride quality is horrible. If you could care less about feeling every bump in the road and want all the look, these are for you. If you just gotta have them then use 19x8 w/ 245/35/19 front and 19x9 w/ 275/35/19 rear or the 19x9 w/ 245/35/19 all the way around.


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## blackwidow (Jan 9, 2013)

Was hoping to get 18" by 9" all the way around on my ride...do you think wider wheels would work with aftermarket, smaller diameter struts up front and inboard-mounted coils out back?


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## Steamwalker (Mar 9, 2012)

18x9s with +45 offset on my rear with 265s on them. Fender mildly cut. If I rolled the fenders or cut more of the fender, I'd easily fit 275s back there, no problem. Not lowered here at all though.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

9" on the front would be hard to do right. It isn't just the strut but also the wheel well because you're turning the wheels unlike the back. If you go with 18x8 front and 18x9 back with the back's offset 45-55 you would be pretty safe and be able to put meatier tires back there effectively.


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## blackwidow (Jan 9, 2013)

svede1212 said:


> 9" on the front would be hard to do right. It isn't just the strut but also the wheel well because you're turning the wheels unlike the back. If you go with 18x8 front and 18x9 back with the back's offset 45-55 you would be pretty safe and be able to put meatier tires back there effectively.


would an 18x8 be too narrow for a 255? most tire sites recommend an 8.5 - 10, but its only a half inch...


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## Steamwalker (Mar 9, 2012)

Honestly, you are not going to see any benefit running a 255 on an 18x8 than a 245 on an 18x8.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

The only benefit you see is with certain brands. Nittos for instance are a size smaller than BFGs. I went up a size going to Nitto to keep the same tread on the ground as my "smaller" old tires


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## blackwidow (Jan 9, 2013)

svede1212 said:


> The only benefit you see is with certain brands. Nittos for instance are a size smaller than BFGs. I went up a size going to Nitto to keep the same tread on the ground as my "smaller" old tires


ever heard anybody running the hankook ventus v12 evo's? do these tend to run wide or narrow? These are what i'm putting on the goat...got 285/35/18 for the rear, and looking at 255/40/18 or 255/35/18 for the front.


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## Steamwalker (Mar 9, 2012)

They would be wider on the Hankooks than the Nittos. For instance, a 275/35R18 on Nittos run 10.79" wide, the Ventus V12 Evos are 10.9". The same size on my BFG Comp 2s are also 10.9" wide.


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## blackwidow (Jan 9, 2013)

Okay, so i did some research...here are some size spec comparisons that I was able to find on tirerack.com

BFG G-force sport Comp 2:
Section width / tread width
bfg 11.9 / 10.7 (275/40/18)
bfg 10.2 / 10.2 (255/40/18)

Hankook Ventus V-12 EVO K110
Section width / tread width
HK 11.4 / 9.8 (285/40/18)
hk 10.2 / 8.7 (255/35/18)

It appears that the hankook's have a good bit less tread width than each respective tire than the BFG counterpart; the 255's have the exact same section width, but a solid 1.5" LESS tread width :confused

Are the bfg's just known to run extremely wider than spec, or are the hankook's just really narrow? And will the tires have a better chance of fitting due to narrower tread width, or will they still not fit due to wider section width?


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## Steamwalker (Mar 9, 2012)

I'd strongly recommend 275/35R18s over 275/40R18s. Otherwise, you're throwing your speedo off 5% and going to have even more issues with rubbing.


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## blackwidow (Jan 9, 2013)

Steamwalker said:


> I'd strongly recommend 275/35R18s over 275/40R18s. Otherwise, you're throwing your speedo off 5% and going to have even more issues with rubbing.


Im going with the hankook's, i was just trying to compare the hankook's section / tread width to the BFG's respectable size (I am going with a 285/35/18, bfg doesn't make this size...closest thing is the 275/40/18 or 35/18, and both have same section width


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## Steamwalker (Mar 9, 2012)

It'd probably work but Hankook recommends a minimum 9.5" wheel for 285s. You may have a bulge though.


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## blackwidow (Jan 9, 2013)

Steamwalker said:


> It'd probably work but Hankook recommends a minimum 9.5" wheel for 285s. You may have a bulge though.


what's your opinion on the front 255/35/18s on an 18x8" +45 wheel? maybe try mounting them on an 18x9 +45 and try to squeeze them into the goat's fender well?


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## Steamwalker (Mar 9, 2012)

I went conservative on tires and went with 235s in the front. I'd do 245s max although even they have been known to rub the strut without a good alignment and I wouldn't personally do 255s in the front. I am sure with spacers and fender rolling, you could get anything to fit.


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## Lautinjr (Mar 27, 2010)

BC up front would be the way to go with wider wheels. im running 18X9.5 +35 all aroundand Bridgestone RE-11's no issues. Rears are cut front is factory with 1.5 negative camber. tire width is measured outer most sidewall to outer most sidewall. Cheaper tires all have less actual contact patch, and the Evos are a very cheap tire.


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## blackwidow (Jan 9, 2013)

Lautinjr said:


> BC up front would be the way to go with wider wheels. im running 18X9.5 +35 all aroundand Bridgestone RE-11's no issues. Rears are cut front is factory with 1.5 negative camber. tire width is measured outer most sidewall to outer most sidewall. Cheaper tires all have less actual contact patch, and the Evos are a very cheap tire.


This is great news, coming from someone running a similar setup...I have BC's in the front of my goat, and was always curious to know if the smaller dimensions of the struts would allow for more tire / wheel. Been on the phone with a summit rep for an hour or so today, I decided to go with BFG KDW in a 245/35/18, their tread width is almost 1" wider than the hankook's 255, with a BFG KDW 275/40/18 rear (gforce coils out back, cut fenders). 

Lautinjr, What do you think of a 18x9 in +45 ET for the front? Think they will squeeze in there, with the front end lowered about 1"?


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## Steamwalker (Mar 9, 2012)

Lautinjr said:


> tire width is measured outer most sidewall to outer most sidewall. Cheaper tires all have less actual contact patch, and the Evos are a very cheap tire.


Just to be clear, tread width is the width of the tire as called out for example as 255. Section width is the width of the tire from widest part of the sidewall and depends, in part, on the width of the wheel the tire is mounted to. Tread width is clear but section width will take a bit of research.


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## Lautinjr (Mar 27, 2010)

Steamwalker said:


> Just to be clear, tread width is the width of the tire as called out for example as 255. Section width is the width of the tire from widest part of the sidewall and depends, in part, on the width of the wheel the tire is mounted to. Tread width is clear but section width will take a bit of research.


your terms are right, but when a tire says its a IE 285 it has nothing to do with tread width only the size of the tire from sidewall to sidewall at its widest point mounted on the correct size wheel. That is the standard all manufacturers use to determine size. People just confuse this tread width alot and assume a wider cheaper tire will be more contact. IE 265/35R18 Sumitomo HTRZ1 had almost the same tread contact as my Bridgestone 760's.

Basicly section width is clear tread width takes a little research.










blackwidow said:


> This is great news, coming from someone running a similar setup...I have BC's in the front of my goat, and was always curious to know if the smaller dimensions of the struts would allow for more tire / wheel. Been on the phone with a summit rep for an hour or so today, I decided to go with BFG KDW in a 245/35/18, their tread width is almost 1" wider than the hankook's 255, with a BFG KDW 275/40/18 rear (gforce coils out back, cut fenders).
> 
> Lautinjr, What do you think of a 18x9 in +45 ET for the front? Think they will squeeze in there, with the front end lowered about 1"?



One thing from my experience is no 2 cars are exactly the same, but my next wheels I'm planning a 18X9 +42 custom made Forgeline should tuck and leave alot of room for adjustments. you do need to measure your car for clearance. I am running a 1" drop front and rear now.The 9.5 I have now tucks the tire, but does not tuck the rim 9 should be perfect, but have not been able to find 18X9 +42 anywhere except a set of Falcons at discount I didn't like and price was high. Current wheels I picked up during a sale and couldn't pass them up.


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## Steamwalker (Mar 9, 2012)

Lautinjr said:


> your terms are right, but when a tire says its a IE 285 it has nothing to do with tread width only the size of the tire from sidewall to sidewall at its widest point mounted on the correct size wheel. That is the standard all manufacturers use to determine size. People just confuse this tread width alot and assume a wider cheaper tire will be more contact. IE 265/35R18 Sumitomo HTRZ1 had almost the same tread contact as my Bridgestone 760's.
> 
> Basicly section width is clear tread width takes a little research.


My information was incorrect as far as the 255 meaning the tread width. It does indeed reflect section width. The confusing part is tires with the same "section width" from two different manufacturers can be wider than one another for whatever reason.


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