17/17 and 17/18 Tire Choices - not much left.

So I guess there's no choice than to either go stretched or go 4x4 mode..... ugh!

I know there used to be 225/40/17's.....

If I went 225/45/17's, would 265/40/18's work in the rear? I dont remember having this much trouble when I had 17/18 last time..

Are you saying that you need something wider than the 215 & 255 usual? Some people seem not to mind the minimal/occasional rubbing they report with 235 & 275.

I tried to list tires I could find in this spreadsheet. It seems like there should be an option or two for everyone.

this is with 17x8 and 18x10 wheels +37 ....so on the front the 215's will look slightly stretched right?

I guess 255/40/17's are no longer available.... meh. I love the Yokohama ADVAN AD08 R... I guess I'll go with 215/40/17 and 265/35/18.....

enkrypt3d said:

this is with 17x8 and 18x10 wheels +37 ....so on the front the 215's will look slightly stretched right?

I guess 255/40/17's are no longer available.... meh. I love the Yokohama ADVAN AD08 R... I guess I'll go with 215/40/17 and 265/35/18.....

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This picture is a 215/40R17 Advan AD08 R on a 17x8 wheel:

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad323/jwmelvin1/Enkei Kojin for the NSX/IMG_0772_zps86f40850.jpg

I don't think the stretch is bad but you might.

I run 255/40R17 in back but most people want 18" for a better look.

remember ,not every tire from every manufacturer runs the same width despite being designated the same size.

True but since I run the same tire he wants I figured it would be a useful data point.

my statement was just random info post unrelated to your specific case.....I have measures up to a 10mm difference in width of the same size tire between brands.

I went ahead with 215/40/17 & 265/35/18's ADVAN AD08 R's......

Has anyone run the Michelin Pilot Super Sport? They come in a 215/45/17 and 255/35/18 or 265/35/18. I was think about getting a set of these.

Blackhorse06 said:

They come in a 215/45/17 and 255/35/18 or 265/35/18.

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If you do that, I would use the 265 rears, as they will have less chance of a TCS issue (2.8% rear oversize vs. 1.7% for the 255) and, less significantly, the front sidewall will be closer to looking balanced with the rear (4 vs. 7.5 mm taller). Although that is based just on the quoted size not the actual tire specs.

For the TCS, it may depend on what year your car is, as the 91-93 had 7.75% rear oversize, the 94-01 had 4.65% rear oversize, and 02-05 had 5.3% rear oversize (I think). I understand (mostly from nsxtasy) that one wants to stay within 5% of the OEM oversize. So especially the 255 rear could be an issue for the 91-93 cars, especially as the rear tire wears.

My car is a 94, so the 265's should be within tolerance of the TCS. I would be putting these on a set of Advan RSII (17x8 +37 and 18x10 +37).

Blackhorse06 said:

Has anyone run the Michelin Pilot Super Sport? They come in a 215/45/17 and 255/35/18 or 265/35/18. I was think about getting a set of these.

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Not a good idea. The 215/45-17 will rub in front. And they don't come in the NSX-friendly size of 215/40-17.

nsxtasy said:

The 215/45-17 will rub in front.

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That's a possibility. My Hankook W310 205/50-16 do not rub on my '97 but the 215/45-17 are a bit bigger. They are only about 1/8" bigger in radius though so you may be fine. I would imagine the TCS is a bigger issue.

nsxtasy said:

Not a good idea. The 215/45-17 will rub in front. And they don't come in the NSX-friendly size of 215/40-17.

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I've heard you say that consistantly on the site, but I haven't seen proof that every 215/45 will rub. If there is any chance that it will not rub, then it will have to be on a x8" wheel and with one of the tires that does not come larger than factory suggestion(dunlops, falken, and bridgestones tend to). Michelin is not known for running larger than the size dictates. Some 215/45s are spec'd on the manufacturer website at 7.5" wheel which would help slightly with giving it a lower profile on a x8" rim. It would not be stretched by any means.

I'm running a 215/40(f) and 275/35(r) with no TCS problems on my 92', but the tires DO rub at full lock and it isn't because of the height.

Example:
Hankook RS-3 O.D. measure up at 24.6" on a 7" rim in 215/45. BF Goodrich g-force sport comp-2 are 24.7" on a 7" rim in 215/45. Falken measures their 215-40 on a 7.5" rim and their 215/45 on a 7" rim because one is XL and the other isn't. Falken says the difference in the tires is .25mm wider from center outward in each direction. (I'm not recommending trying falken. I think their tires are fast wearing, noisy, grease easily, and not great in the wet in my opinion.) The right combo of rim and light camber may make it not rub at all. There's nothing wrong with a little camber as long as the toe in the front and rear is in.

I'm not saying you are wrong, but I wouldn't say there's a tire that will absolutely rub without physically trying every new one out on a specific rim either.

@ Blackhorse06 I've run Michelin Pilot Super Sport on my e46 m3 only, and they are fantastic tires. They will wear faster than your normal tire, but you do have a mileage warranty through Michelin for both staggered and squared setups. Different mileage for different setups. Very good in the wet, excellent in dry, and quieter than all the rest out there. I believe I average around 35k-40k on the squared setup with 5k rotations.

I had a hard time following your discussion..........bottom line if a 215/40/17 rubs on something up front there is a problem(wrong wheel/bbk/ill fitting bodykit ect) ...215/45/17 will rub somewhere most of the time.

Everyone I know who has used a 215/45-17 front tire on an NSX has experienced some rubbing, with the exception of those who have widebody kits or have removed their wheel well liners (which is not a good idea because it allows "reverse dings" on the fenders from stones getting kicked up by the tires). This includes most of the top performance tires. But you are correct, I have not tried all 82 of the tires that size sold by the Tire Rack so there may be a few that don't rub. If you want to pay for the chance to try others, be my guest. Personally, I wouldn't pay my own money for tires that are probably not going to fit my car - especially when there are good ones available in the size (215/40-17) that does fit, so there's absolutely nothing to be gained by doing so.

Yokohama has a $15 per tire rebate at tirerack until 1/11 - not much but pays for shipping ..

I just replaced my front tires with Khumos 215/40/17. I noticed that taking turns at higher speeds I hear a scrapping type noise...it sounds like my wings west front spoiler may be hitting the ground, but not sure. I only hear it during aggressive driving around turns. Could it be something else related to the new tires?

my car has bilstein shocks and stock springs

Blackhorse06 said:

Has anyone run the Michelin Pilot Super Sport? They come in a 215/45/17 and 255/35/18 or 265/35/18. I was think about getting a set of these.

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I believe Tom King runs them and I currently have them on the rear. I have had them on the rear for 8k so far and minimal wear so far. I wouldn't be surprised if I get over 20k with them. I currently have the Kumho LE up front but I am planning on switching to the PSS when they wear out. My car is not slammed so rubbing should not be much of an issue and I plan on making a few notches in the liners so they fit better like I read back somewhere.

Zmoney said:

I just replaced my front tires with Khumos 215/40/17. I noticed that taking turns at higher speeds I hear a scrapping type noise...it sounds like my wings west front spoiler may be hitting the ground, but not sure. I only hear it during aggressive driving around turns. Could it be something else related to the new tires?

my car has bilstein shocks and stock springs

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If your car is lowered - perhaps you used the lowering perches when installing the Bilsteins - that can reduce the clearance in the wheel wells enough that your tires are rubbing when the suspension is fully compressed, such as when taking corners aggressively. Assuming that the Kumhos are in the 215/40-17 size, it's possible that, in combination with the lowering, the tires are just big enough to rub slightly in that particular circumstance - and it's possible that they will stop rubbing then as they wear (since they get slightly smaller in diameter as they wear). If it bothers you, you can re-install the Bilsteins using the perches for the stock ride height, and the rubbing may go away. (That's how I had my Bilsteins installed.)

nsxtasy said:

If your car is lowered - perhaps you used the lowering perches when installing the Bilsteins - that can reduce the clearance in the wheel wells enough that your tires are rubbing when the suspension is fully compressed, such as when taking corners aggressively. Assuming that the Kumhos are in the 215/40-17 size, it's possible that, in combination with the lowering, the tires are just big enough to rub slightly in that particular circumstance - and it's possible that they will stop rubbing then as they wear (since they get slightly smaller in diameter as they wear). If it bothers you, you can re-install the Bilsteins using the perches for the stock ride height, and the rubbing may go away. (That's how I had my Bilsteins installed.)

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Thanks for the info. Is their any harm keeping the way it is? It does bother me, but if it's not doing any harm then I can live with it until it wears down more. It is 215/40/17

Zmoney said:

Thanks for the info. Is their any harm keeping the way it is? It does bother me, but if it's not doing any harm then I can live with it until it wears down more. It is 215/40/17

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It depends on how badly the tires are rubbing. Shortly after they rub, pull over and take a close look at the tread, including the sidewall. If it's smooth and there's no evidence of anything unusual - and my guess is this is likely - then it's probably fine, just a slight touching of the tread, and it shouldn't be a problem. But in the unlikely event that you see any serious-looking gouges in the tread, then you may want to do something about it, like possibly eliminating the lowering.

nsxtasy said:

It depends on how badly the tires are rubbing. Shortly after they rub, pull over and take a close look at the tread, including the sidewall. If it's smooth and there's no evidence of anything unusual - and my guess is this is likely - then it's probably fine, just a slight touching of the tread, and it shouldn't be a problem. But in the unlikely event that you see any serious-looking gouges in the tread, then you may want to do something about it, like possibly eliminating the lowering.

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ok cool thanks for the info - i will make sure to monitor over the next few weeks. I looked at the older tires that were on there and you did see some wear on the inner side, but nothing crazy. I am hoping after these new tires wear down some more it wont rub anymore.

Running Yoks ADVAN AD08 R

235/40-17 front
285/30-18 rear

Would like to run the Pilot Sport Cups but…alas…every manufacturer is spec'ing 20something inch wheels on their new cars.

Rope said:

I believe Tom King runs them and I currently have them on the rear. I have had them on the rear for 8k so far and minimal wear so far. I wouldn't be surprised if I get over 20k with them. I currently have the Kumho LE up front but I am planning on switching to the PSS when they wear out. My car is not slammed so rubbing should not be much of an issue and I plan on making a few notches in the liners so they fit better like I read back somewhere.

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I am curious to see how this works. I have been reading this thread hoping something will stick out. Nsxtasy had me convinced on the Khumo LE's but now I am concerned because my car is on the lower perch of my Bilsteins with H&R Sport springs. I have a set of Advan RSII's on the way so I will need to make a decision in a few weeks!