New Boots! But I Don't Think My Set Up Will Work.

TCKTGTR

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Jan 27, 2014
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So here's what I picked up, 18" saleen reps by American Muscle. Here's what I'm working with.
1989 GT Cobra (Clone)
Front suspension has Tokiko blues on, rear has quad shocks removed and Tokiko blues on the back as we'll, MM control arms, lowered an 1.5" with eibach springs. I think I have a little bit of a problem. The side wall maybe too tall. Tires are 245/45/18x9 all the way around. Is anyone running a 45 series tire on a 18" rim and lowered suspension. I think I maybe have to sell the tires and go with a 40 or 35 series rubber. 285/35 or 40 on the rear and 245/40 up front
 

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Have you put them on and found clearance issues? They def should fit in the rear. I'm running 245/45-17 in front with eibachs without a problem(I realize it's not 18" and wheel offsets could be different).
 
Have you put them on and found clearance issues? They def should fit in the rear. I'm running 245/45-17 in front with eibachs without a problem(I realize it's not 18" and wheel offsets could be different).
Nothing as of yet. I have yet to convert over to 5 lug. But, my old wheel and tire set up was as such. 17" ROH on a 8.5" wheel. Rears had 285/45/17"s and front was 245/40/17. Never had an issue but for some reason I have a feeling that with these current tires I will. Rims an 1" bigger, but I guess I won't be able to tell 100% until I mount them.
 
Guys, his issue isn't with the width (no pun intended).
A 245 45 18 is a very tall tire.
That's over an inch taller than the 275 35 18 i run.

It's just too tall.
I can damn near guarantee it's going to rub like hell turning in the front.
Maybe hit the tailpipes in the rear, along with looking like a truck or suv tire.
 
Guys, his issue isn't with the width (no pun intended).
A 245 45 18 is a very tall tire.
That's over an inch taller than the 275 35 18 i run.

It's just too tall.
I can damn near guarantee it's going to rub like hell turning in the front.
Maybe hit the tailpipes in the rear, along with looking like a truck or suv tire.
I think your bang on the money. And your right, I'm not worried about the width. It's the height. Previous rims were 17" ROH ZS with a 275/40/17 on the rear, no problems at all, and fronts were 255/45/17. My issue is going to be the height of the sidewall. I may end up having to go with even a 35 series tire. 285/35/18 on the rear, and 255/40/18 up front. I apologize but for right now it's just pure guessing until the car is home from storage this spring. And I don't want it to look like a monster truck lol. I posted the tires for sale already, and summit had nitto 555's a 285/35/18 for $225.00 a piece. Not bad I don't think.
 
No. You should have ordered 245/40-18 front and 275/35-18 rear.

What offset are those rims as what 5 lug swap are you planning. Those questions will impact rubbing a lot more than the tire size.

Discount tire has the FK453 in the above sizes at 169/199 respectively.

Where as those goofy sizes you came up with will run 176/269 respectively.
 
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Ya, i'm with adam, you may have just went with a tire that is now a little wide.
Better start searching for fender rolling.
Fenders front and rear were rolled last year by a shop because I knew what my intentions were come this spring. The wheels are 18x9 all the way around with an off set of +30. And I just changed my order of the tires so I hope you guys are right. Lol!
 
I had 245/45-17 and 274-40-17 on mine. I had rolled fenders all the way around as well.. No rubbing, but it was close. I also had Capri fenders, which added a slight amount width for the tire. I was lowered on Steeda Sport Springs. 94/95 front spindles and a 88 TC rear end modified for 5 lug (same width as 94-98 rear 0.75" wider each side). I had 17x8 +30mm front and 17x9 +45mm rear wheels.

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he woulda been ok the tire calc is a wash between either on the front compared to the 17s he was running... only major difference from his previous set up with the 245/40/18 is the circumference is 3" greater than prev setup vs the 255/35 which is 1" more circ... not sure how that impacts tho because diameter is a wash between all 3 ... nice ride Adam !
 
he woulda been ok the tire calc is a wash between either on the front compared to the 17s he was running... only major difference from his previous set up with the 245/40/18 is the circumference is 3" greater than prev setup vs the 255/35 which is 1" more circ... not sure how that impacts tho because diameter is a wash between all 3 ... nice ride Adam !

18 wheels are a game of millimeters. Nothing is a sure bet. These cars all have different tolerances.
I've been running 18 inch wheels for a long time, had many different tires on the front and back.
Don't rely so much on a tire calculator, it could lead to costly mistakes. Tire companies sizes also vary, what is 10 inches with a nitto, may be 10.5 in a bfg and 9.5 with a sumitomo.

What kind of rubbing a person can tolerate is also different. Some people just don't care, some it drives insane. Other factors apply, do you put people in your backseat? Do you drive hard around corners? Are you willing to remove the quad shocks?

Guess my point is, you can't simply give advice based on a tire size calculator. It's good for a place to start, but doesn't necessarily carry over 100% to the real world, especially when it comes to width.

Honestly, if i were him, even after downsizing, i'd still be worried.
 
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You should prob focus on the 5-lug conversion first before tire selection. Depending on what you run, you may find you need to adjust your tire size down or so to compensate.

You'll def need to focus on a stock track rear 5-lug setup.