Unofficial Big-Wheel Thread: 18/18 and 18/19 - the future for NSX tire sizes

So who is preparing and going to be ready for the NSX tire Armageddon?

Let's face it, 17" wheels were the norm in the 90s and with the move to 18s and 19s being the norm in the 2000s+, the wheel wells and outer diameter of production cars have grown so the 'base' 17" wheels need huge sidewalls to have the same OD as their 18 and 19" wheel options. This means that the tire options for 17" wheels are either going away, or have side walls that wont fit and or look funny for the NSX.

The options for 18's are endless, but unfortunately the NSX does not always look good with 18/18 setups. While i've never been a fan of 'blingy' 18/19 combinations, the reality of things are these are the norm for the market with sidewalls ranging from 30-45, the choices for street comfort, longevity, or performance are far greater than the shrinking 17/17 or 17/18" options. Heck, 19s & 20s are OEM equipped on M3s, Porsche GT3s, Mustang BOSS 302Rs, etc... and their ride qualitys aren't bad.

With 235/40-17 and 265/35-18 as my benchmark. I'm thinking 18x8 and 19x10.5 with 225/40-18 and 295/30-19 are 2.8 and 2.6% larger respectively with 0.3" larger radius -so TCS should be fine. I'm aware that these are both pushing the limits but I know of cars that run 305s with stock bodywork and these wheels can fit with proper homework. Tire models are endless for these sizes. You could also go with a 265-275/30-19 which will have ~ same OD as the 265/35-18.

There are some issues with fender well clearances and i'm working on an option to get around that, but IMO 18/18 and 18/19 is the future and you can be pro-active and work on adapting with life, or be left behind and deal with the ever-shrinking tire options.


Please either post pictures and details (width, tires, offset, suspension) of your 18/18 or 18/19 setup or links to various other threads with pics and details of what big wheel combinations work.



-one of the best (visually) 18/18 combos i've seen:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/151003-18-18-BBS-LM-Wheels-amp-Tires

-VERY good looking Enki RS05RR 18/18

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/177618-My-Enkei-RS05RR-are-here!

-some more 18/18 cars:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...Xs-with-18-quot-front-and-18-quot-rear-wheels



-NICE ADVAN RSii 18/19 wheels:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/172904-New-Advan-RSii-wheels-18-19

-18/19 BBS wheels:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/158279-ESM-004-(BBS-LM-replica)

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...-Mint-Original-Owner-Dunlop-Tires-So-Cal-SOLD

-18/19 ADVANS:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...uot-Wheels-in-Bronze-amp-Dunlop-Direzza-tires

My opinion-

Wheels without lips (most advan wheels): 17/18 look perfect.

Wheels with lips: 18/19 is the way to go.


18/18 is just terrible IMO. Makes the NSX look completely unbalanced.

synth19 said:

My opinion-

Wheels without lips (most advan wheels): 17/18 look perfect.

Wheels with lips: 18/19 is the way to go.

18/18 is just terrible IMO. Makes the NSX look completely unbalanced.

Click to expand...

The point was 17" front tire sizes are so limited and diminishing. I think most would agree that 17/18 is the best visual combo but that's not the future. I never liked 18/18 either but look at the cars in the first two links i posted. When done right they look good.

Also keep in mind the NSX ended its production run with a non-staggered 17/17.

Please post pics of cars!

I have 18/19 setup and can't find one r compound front tire. That's pretty limited too

I really loved my old 18/19 combo, just wish they made some good tires for them really, or rather just as good as the 17/18 selections.

kevgk said:

I have 18/19 setup and can't find one r compound front tire. That's pretty limited too

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Pretty much every R-comp out there comes in 225/40-18:

-Hankook Z214
-Hoosier R6
-BFG R1
-Nitto NT01
-Toyo R888
-Michelin Pilot Sport Cups

And they all come in 18 & 19" 265-295 rears.

Sduff@Composites said:

I really loved my old 18/19 combo, just wish they made some good tires for them really, or rather just as good as the 17/18 selections.

Click to expand...

In 225/40-18 and various 265-295 18 & 19" options, there are FAR MORE tire choices than for 17/18.

This is a question that I have started thinking about as well...my concerns are not just with the tires, but also with wheel offerings.

I have been searching for a while now for a 17/18 combo that isn't commonplace on the NSX, but it seems that all the new wheels that manufacturers are offering in the widths, offsets, and concavity that I want are only available in 18"+ sizes.

I would post some but don't know how to pull pics from my gallery anymore.??

My concerns with 18/19" combination is the respective 35/30 aspect ratios of the accompanying tires. If I drove on perfectly smooth roads it wouldn't be an issue, but I see these as exposing your high dollar wheels to possible damage. I like the look of the 18/19" wheels, but for now the 17/18" seems the safer bet.

Umm. I'm pretty sure a 225/40/18 front tire won't fit. Thread of someone that did it:
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/46035-225-40-18-front-tires-problems-turning

Even if it does fit it'll look really out of place.

Here's a 265 or 275/35/19 which is close to what a 295/30/19 would look like.


Bottom line for 18/19s the proper sizes are 215/35/18 front and 265/30/19 rear (or 275/30/19) rear if you have a stock bodied with full fenderliners.

The front tire on a 18 rim is pretty much solidified...

I rubbed very slightly on full lock on bilstein shocks tanabe springs on a 215/35/18 front tire. Not much, but considering if any of those numbers changed it would've been more.

Here are a few from the SOS website.

18X8, 19X9.5 http://www.scienceofspeed.com/produ...van/Kreuzer_series/SeriesVi/advankvi3_800.jpg

18X7.5, 19X9.5 http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exterior_performance_products/NSX/Rays/Gram_Lights/57Extreme/SP-Option.jpg Once you click on this, take _small out of the address bar to see the large photo. I can't figure out how to make it work from this post.

18X8, 19X10 http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exterior_performance_products/NSX/Advan/RSD/RSD_blackpol.jpg

stuntman said:

The point was 17" front tire sizes are so limited and diminishing. I think most would agree that 17/18 is the best visual combo but that's not the future. I never liked 18/18 either but look at the cars in the first two links i posted. When done right they look good.

Also keep in mind the NSX ended its production run with a non-staggered 17/17.

Please post pics of cars!

Click to expand...

I think it also depends on design of the wheel. Some 18/19 wheels without lips like the RSII's look pretty good. Although I normally like 17/18 for wheels without a lip, I changed my mind with Advan Model 5's. I went from 17/18 to 18/19 because I thought the larger sizes looked better in this design.


17/18:


18/19:


18/19 (Note all the following wheels all have a lip, which look best in this size. The lip gives the perception the wheel is smaller then it is).




Needs to be lower. ->


Advan CNR51C in 18/19 look MASSIVE IMO. It could possibly be a perception based on the size of those spokes.

OEM 17/17 is acceptable if you want that factory look. But, that doesn't mean it's the best look. I am not sold on 18/18 in any size/shape/ or form.

This is a great thread. Very limited tire selection for the front 18s convinced me to bite the bullet and install a set of wider front fenders. It just opens up so many more options. I should be able to run the 225/40r18 I THINK. I've had the toughest time trying to find 215/35/18 for the front. The last decent tire was the Eagle F1 Assymetric which was mediocre.

Enkei RPF1 Type RC 18/19 2-Piece
Front 18x8.5 +42 215/35/18 (new BBK setup now requires a 15mm spacer to clear caliper in the front to change offset to +27)
Rear 19x10 +27 275/30/19

Ryu, which fenders did or are you going with?

This makes me think now I don't need to sell my Advans and I can just ad a 8mm spacer up front to my 18x8 offset 45. I'm just wondering how much it would rub since it's not the outside of the fenders but the inners that rubbed at full lock.

DF front fenders but AS Motorsports has some interesting options available also.

synth19 - THANK YOU for your last post. Great examples of good looking, classy 18/19 combos.

Vanishing Point said:

My concerns with 18/19" combination is the respective 35/30 aspect ratios of the accompanying tires. If I drove on perfectly smooth roads it wouldn't be an issue, but I see these as exposing your high dollar wheels to possible damage. I like the look of the 18/19" wheels, but for now the 17/18" seems the safer bet.

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BMW M3's come with 245/35-19 and 265/35-19s from the factory. Pretty much all modern sports cars do this and the OEMs view it as acceptable (Porsche, BMW, Audi, etc...)

Hapa88 said:

Umm. I'm pretty sure a 225/40/18 front tire won't fit. Thread of someone that did it:
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/46035-225-40-18-front-tires-problems-turning

Click to expand...

And the "proper sizes" for the front are 215/40-17 -which is the original problem and reason for this thread. There are not many good tires in this size and more brands are discontinuing this ancient size. 235/40-17 has better options and work perfectly IF: you remove the fender liners (i'm working on a solution that will not damage the fenders). Also there is slight rubbing at full lock -but the rubbing is the tire block on the frame which does not cause damage and you're rarely at full lock and when you are, you're at a parking lot where you can back off the steering input a few degrees so it does not rub. I don't know why this is a big deal for everyone.

Again, there is not a very good tire selection for 215/35-18 and that selection will get fewer and fewer. 225/40-18 IS a size that will stick around for a long time to come and the selection is plenty. So moving forward (and thinking forward, realizing that our beloved 215/40-17 and 215/35-18 front sizes are going away), we need to figure out what wheel offset and width, and any other modification will make 225/40-18 work.

We are limited by the tire choices in the market. If you're fine with no-name brands and don't care about top level of tire models/techology/performance, and you can source 215/35-18 tires, this thread is not for you.

If you want the best tires in the market, and a supply and selection that will be around for many years in the future, 225/40-18 is the future and you will need to most likely remove the fender liners (hopefully my fix works), might have to go to wide DF style front fenders (which I have, think they are great quality, and look OEM), and accept slight rubbing at full lock. -Again, who is driving around at full lock anyway and why is this even an issue? If its THAT bad, buy a set of $20 rack-stops to prevent you from getting the last few degrees of steering angle that causes rubbing.

Hapa88 said:

Here's a 265 or 275/35/19 which is close to what a 295/30/19 would look like.

Click to expand...

35, not a 30, and a 295/30-19 might look like that on a narrow rear wheel (<10") and will require a 10.5 to not have as big of a sidewall. Also the 225/40-18 front will have a bigger sidewall to match that rear better. I agree that this pic above does not have sidewall matched tire selections, which is why my proposed F&R sizes will match with appropriate wheel widths.

Hapa88 said:

Bottom line for 18/19s the proper sizes are 215/35/18 front and 265/30/19 rear (or 275/30/19) rear if you have a stock bodied with full fenderliners.

Click to expand...

For the rear we were talking about:

265/35-18
275/35-18

or (to match the 2.8% larger front diameter of the 225/40-18 front):

265/30-19
275/30-19 or
295/30-19

My concern is that the 225/40-18 up front is 8.7% ('91-'93) and 6.2% ('94-'01) larger than stock. The 295/30-19 in the rear would only be 4.5% ('91-'93) and 1.1% ('91-'94) larger than stock.

Now look at the relative difference F-R between stock and the new 18/19 aftermarket setup. F-R difference = 7.7% ('91-'93) and 8.7% ('94-'01). The F-R difference between the 225/40-18 and 295/30-19 setup is 3.5%. I'd be worried that you would constantly trip the TCS with a setup like this. A 295/35-19 would yield much better results with a F-R difference of 8.1%.

What no one is talking about here is WEIGHT. There are plenty of aftermarket 17/18 setups that are lighter (sometimes 4lbs total) than the OEM 16/17 setup - is the same true of 18/18 or 18/19? Or, at least, are there any that aren't *heavier* than OEM?

Those of us running stock power levels really feel every pound - heck, I feel the difference between a full tank and a half tank of gas. I can go to a wide fender to fit the right 18/19 setup (and running 305s in the back Porsche GT3 style would be *sweet*) , but I won't add any weight to the car.

Only problem I really have with the OEM 16/17 setup is that the Michelin Pilot Super Sport is not available in the front size so I am stuck on the (much harder and louder) Falken Azenis.

225 40 18 is wider but also much taller than the 215 35 18... I would love for a good solution to this though. I'm surprised nobody is complaining about the added weight of these tires especially a 295 rear It will really slow down a normal NSX probably though it will add more lateral grip. Boosted cars won't care much though!

RYU said:

This is a great thread. Very limited tire selection for the front 18s convinced me to bite the bullet and install a set of wider front fenders. It just opens up so many more options. I should be able to run the 225/40r18 I THINK. I've had the toughest time trying to find 215/35/18 for the front. The last decent tire was the Eagle F1 Assymetric which was mediocre.

Enkei RPF1 Type RC 18/19 2-Piece
Front 18x8.5 +42 215/35/18 (new BBK setup now requires a 10mm spacer to clear caliper in the front to change offset to +32)
Rear 19x10 +27 275/30/19

Click to expand...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/18-215-35R1...s_Car_Truck_Tires&hash=item56486bf839&vxp=mtr

last pair here - hurry!

How will the stock front fender with liner handle the 225/40R18? I am interested in how this will be accomplished.

Lol.......Billy sounds very passionate about this whole 17 inch tire extinction....but since my head is buried in the sand.....I'm still under the belief that the 17 inch wheel will stick around for many years because it is still an oem size for lots of cars other than bmw/Porsche/ferrari /corvette/viper/mercedes/ ect.....there are still plenty of people who want sticky tires on midsize sport coupes/sedans.

Rope said:

How will the stock front fender with liner handle the 225/40R18? I am interested in how this will be accomplished.

Click to expand...

It will handle it by being completely annihilated.

lol............