Tire side wall height F/R

[burt ragio]

It has been two weeks since I have changed from winter tires & wheels back to OEM. What a difference in noise comfort & handling. Due to the difference in oem tire sizes percetage of sidewall height creates a constant fight of push & pull from side to side. To correct this I was thinking of going to taller side wall in front or shorter side wall in rear. This way side wall front & rear would be more proportional. I was thinking 225/55/18 in front & oem 245/55/18 in rear. What are your thoughts ?

[ctrlraven]

Me personally I wouldn't want a skinnier and taller tire on the front unless it was strictly for drag racing use. That extra sidewall is going to flex more when you take turns or have to do some maneuvering.

I went with 255/45-18 (front) and 265/50-18 (rear).

[JOEMERC]

Its such a small height diff. Thats not gonna soften ride that much,i would stay oem size and watch your tire pressure maybe drop a few pounds and see.or change tires with a diff. Speed rating (lower rating)will have a softer sidewall .

[burt ragio]

So true how tire pressure can make such a big difference. I really want the same profile in all four corners. The only combination I found in 18" was 255/55/18 rear & 225/55/18 front. This combination would give me the same profile all around & I would stay within the percentage of 3-6% reqired by the traction control.

[ctrlraven]

So true how tire pressure can make such a big difference. I really want the same profile in all four corners. The only combination I found in 18" was 255/55/18 rear & 225/55/18 front. This combination would give me the same profile all around & I would stay within the percentage of 3-6% reqired by the traction control.
The 2nd number in the tire size is the % of the width pattern. 255/55 (55 height is equal to 55% of the tire 255 width) and 225/55 (55 height is equal to 55% of the tire 225 width).

[GetMeMyStogie]

The 2nd number in the tire size is the % of the width pattern. 255/55 (55 height is equal to 55% of the tire 255 width) and 225/55 (55 height is equal to 55% of the tire 225 width).

In other words, since traction control requires that the rear tire *must* be taller than the front tire, just because you put 55 series rubber all around, you will still have a taller sidewall on the rear tire.

If you want to bring the sidewall heights closer together, you'll have to switch to a staggered rim setup, like 18" up front with 19" rear, or 17" & 18" or 19" & 20", etc. Probably a 1" difference in diameters will be close enough, but you could do the calculations for a 2" diff to be sure.

[ctrlraven]

^Bingo.....

[burt ragio]

In other words, since traction control requires that the rear tire *must* be taller than the front tire, just because you put 55 series rubber all around, you will still have a taller sidewall on the rear tire.

If you want to bring the sidewall heights closer together, you'll have to switch to a staggered rim setup, like 18" up front with 19" rear, or 17" & 18" or 19" & 20", etc. Probably a 1" difference in diameters will be close enough, but you could do the calculations for a 2" diff to be sure.

Wish I could afford to try that type of set up. 18" front & 19" rear. Does anyone make our wheel in 19" ?

[ctrlraven]

No, you'd have to go completely aftermarket.

http://www.americanmuscle.com/2005wheels.html