Spring is here, Fed tax check on the way....time for wheels/tires

[St.Mary]

Our great federal government owes me a couple dollars, so I'm looking for a way to spend it.

This is what I'm thinking:
Beyern Mesh 18x8.5's up front (40mm offset) with 245x40x18 Kumho SPT tires
Beyern Mesh 18x9.5's out back (45mm offset) with 275x35x18 Kumho SPT tires

I know I'm going to have to roll/grind the rear fender lip which should be fun.

I'm a little curious with my tire choice - aka. can I go bigger?

The 245 and 275 staggered setup seems the norm. Can I possibly go 255 up front and 285 rear. This question basically goes out to the guys that have the staggered setups already. Any more room for improvement?

[Lothar]

Can I possibly go 255 up front

That will probably rub the strut housing.

[marshallgto]

I have a 19 staggered set on my goat. Mine are 245 up front and 265 in back. The 265's do rub ocassionally but still require fender roll or cutting. Wheels are 19x8.5/35 offset and 19x9/45 offset. Love the look and handling.
Hope this helps, I know you're looking at 18's but this is what I have to share as far as staggered set up's.
Good luck with your purchase.

[DeepBlueZ]

The 245 and 275 staggered setup seems the norm. Can I possibly go 255 up front and 285 rear. This question basically goes out to the guys that have the staggered setups already. Any more room for improvement?


you're definitely pushing it there. I wouldn't risk mounting up 255s just to find out they rub the struts.

[St.Mary]

Thanks for the responses so far.

As far as the 255's up front with strut rub....that's where I'm searching for other's imputs. Stock wheels are 48mm offset....new will be 40mm offset (so 8mm farther away from the strut). Back to english units.... this is 0.31" farther away, so in theory I could go an extra 0.31" in tire (or 8 millimeter on a side - 16 millimeter total) says that a 255 with 40mm offset is actually 3 millimeters farther away from the strut than the stock 245 with a 48mm offset.

Of course, this ignores the fact that all 245/255's are not alike so actual widths may vary.

My bigger concern was with rubbing the fender......

[Lothar]

As far as the 255's up front with strut rub....that's where I'm searching for other's imputs. Stock wheels are 48mm offset....new will be 40mm offset (so 8mm farther away from the strut). Back to english units.... this is 0.31" farther away, so in theory I could go an extra 0.31" in tire (or 8 millimeter on a side - 16 millimeter total) says that a 255 with 40mm offset is actually 3 millimeters farther away from the strut than the stock 245 with a 48mm offset.

If you were using an 8" wheel, yes, but yours is 8.5"

If an 8.5" wheel had the stock 48mm offset, it would stick out 1/4" (roughly 6.4mm) on each side vs. stock. The 40mm offset moves it away from the strut housing by 8mm, so you have about 1.5mm more clearance from the strut than the stock wheel. Stock 18" tires are 235/40. With that extra 1.5mm you might be able to get a 245/40 in there, but I really doubt a 255/40 will work.

[GT086]

If you get these wheels you have to post the pics, every time I see someone with these wheels, they always post the crappiest pics ever and I can't tell how they look.

[St.Mary]

Eh crap....you're right with the 8.5

Oh well, so 245 it is up front.

But for the rear....let's hear some opinions.

275 seems reasonable, and done plenty of times with fender rolling/grinding.

let's just say i'm nuts and have a lot of time on my hands.....do I dare even try to go bigger???

Also, thoughts on my tire choice? They scored top honors on one of the latest tire rack comparisons. I would like to go with the GS-D3's but I can't see spending 250-300 + per tire when the Kumho's have the potential to be just as good for less than half the cost.

Ahhh, here's one more question. What's everyone's take on 19's? I keep hearing that 18's are the best balance of looks and performance...but the mesh just look so good in a 19.