Tire/Rim Change....but one question...

Ok here's the thing...I currently have a 1995 XLT 4wd 4dr Explorer. I am getting a set of the beautiful 18"x9" Cobra R rims. Now here's the tricky part....I measured my tires the other day (the stock ones) and I discovered that the overall height (from the ground to the top of the tire) is 28.5". Now...I want my new wheel/tire combination to match the overall size of these tires so as to avoid things like the speedometer being off. So basically, I have 2 questions:

1) Can I match VERY CLOSELY the original overall height (from the ground to the top of the sidewall) of my stock tires with the addition of brand new 18"x9" Cobra R rims?

2) What size (x../XX R18) tires do I need in order to accomplish this seeing as the original height was approximately 28.5"(342.9 mm)?

Oh, one other thing...What kind of tires would you suggest for a asthetically pleasing, functional (dry, wet, snow in that order) and quality tire to match the beautiful Cobra Rs that I'm getting ?

Thanks a lot guys...

God I love this smiley

 

[nyisles_99]

Are you getting rid of the original rims and tires?

If so, what kind of rims are they, pics? Are the tires in excellent shape? How much?

Dan--94 xlt-4X4

 

[ChuckyD]

Where on the Island are you from NYISLES???

 

[ChuckyD]

Yes you can...

255/50 r18 will give you 28"
255/55 r18 will give you 29" <<< recommended
Take your pick


From what i have herd the Pirelli P-Zeros are great in everything except in snow. Troll likes the Dunlop Sport Rover GTX-2's. And if you dont konw who Troll is... www.speedfreak.cc/troll

This is a good thread for ya :
Dead Link Removed

 

[ChuckyD]

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compa...rue&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&do=Search

Check all the boxes and hit the compare button.

 

[SeanM]

Cool guys thanks....One more thing though...anybody got a price for any of those tires? I'm hopin that they're like $100 a piece or so cause otherwise, I might just have to deal with what comes in some packaged deal that I get (the BEAUTIFUL Cobra Rs are beautiful, but they're not wallet friendly)...Waitin for a response

Oh yea, and how goes the project, Troll? Last time I checked, you were still fiddling with a few things.

Sean
_________________________________________
1995 XLT 4.0L V6 OHV automatic 4dr 4wd

Mods:
- Superchip Module
- K&N FIPK (Fuel Injection Performance Kit)
- Flowmaster 40 series Exhaust
- Bosch Platinum +4 Spark Plugs
- Splitfire Ignition Wires

Immediate Future Mods:
- 18"x9" Cobra R rims w/ Unknown type of tires (TBD)
- 2-3" Drop overall (haven't decided which yet, will most likely be decided on the jacks)
- Undercar Blue Neon: 4 tubes(Streetglow or other reputable neon company)

 

[SeanM]

Oh yea and why do you recommend the 255/55 R18 size? I want a middle ground between low-profile and normal tire (erring on the side of low-profile)...Low, but not too low....Just low enough...Ya know?

Sean
_________________________________________
1995 XLT 4.0L V6 OHV automatic 4dr 4wd

Mods:
- Superchip Module
- K&N FIPK (Fuel Injection Performance Kit)
- Flowmaster 40 series Exhaust
- Bosch Platinum +4 Spark Plugs
- Splitfire Ignition Wires

Immediate Future Mods:
- 18"x9" Cobra R rims w/ Unknown type of tires (TBD)
- 2-3" Drop overall (haven't decided which yet, will most likely be decided on the jacks)
- Undercar Blue Neon: 4 tubes(Streetglow or other reputable neon company)

 

[nyisles_99]

Bethpage. You.

so how bout the left over rims...anything good

 

[SeanM]

Oh yea, sorry....Forgot you wanted to know about em...Here's a link that has a picture of my rims (not the ones that are actually on my car, but the same style; the ones on my car are in close to pristine condition)

Dead Link Removed

They're stock tho, I'm pretty sure you don't want em.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO........why are those tires recommended, ChuckyD ??? I want a low-profile/normal tire midground (closer to low-profile though)....And what about prices people PRICES!!!!

 

[ChuckyD]

Those are closest to the stock size as you said.. and the others are recommended because they are good... people aroud here have used them and liked them. Go on www.tirerack.com for prices. if not there then www.discounttiredirect.com
if not there go to the thread where i linked you to b4, read that thread.. your asking pretty much the same questions as spas who is looking for some new tires.


Also you may want to shorten that sig... 6 lines max.

 

[SeanM]

Alright, I'm kinda confused....I went out and did some measurements on my tires today. My current tires are as follows: 245/70 R15

The width of the tire (what hits the ground, basically) is the first number, in this case 245 in millimeters. There are 25.4mm per inch. Hence, my stock tires are 9.65" wide. However, in reality, I went to measure my tire and it (the tread) comes out to be ~8".Why??????

Secondly, I found a formula that says the following:

section height(or sidewall height)/section width (the tread) x 100 = the second number (the aspect ratio, 70 in this case)

As a decent (and I do emphasize decent) math student, that would mean that you can find the sidewall height by this equation:

section height = section width x (aspect ratio/100)

Therefore, the height of each of my sidewalls should be 6.75", when they are actually ~ 6".

What the h___ is going on? Why don't the numbers make sense? Am I doing something wrong? If so, what?

How come my tire(~8") is supposedly wider than the rim its on (15x7)? HEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!

 

[SeanM]

Wow, I've stumped everybody, eh? Come on.... Anybody have anything?

 

[Robb]

width (at the rim) in mm / height (in % of width) / rim size

that's why you have to go to, basically, low profile to meet stock height

hope this helps,

Robb

 

[Robb]

.........and it is hard to go off of actual tire measurements on the vehicle b/c, for example, on a 7" wide rim, you can mount anything from around 195/s to 265/s (that prolly isn't very accurate, but you get my point). So the first number would be the width of the tire at the rim not mounted.

BTW: To avoid the low profile look, you may want to go a little taller. Most of the time, with an X, you can go up to 31" with little or no rubbing. But, with your wheels, and therefore tires, being so wide, this may become a problem.

Yea, I know, I'm prolly confusing you more (I'm confusing myself)

Robb

 

[SeanM]

Quick question....I've found what I believe to be an acceptable price for (4) Silver 18"x9" Y2k Cobra R rims and (4) 255/55 R18 Toyo Proxes S/T ($1275, in case anyone cares;$128 per Toyo, $189.75 per Cobra R)....Only one question......The rims are replicas.....Anybody have replicas? How are they? Any bad things to report? Let me know....Thanks guys

 

[MicahX]

Aspect ratio

I believe you have to go from the inside edge of the tire, where it is hidden behind the rim (the seat)....seem that would add about another 3/4" to your measurements.



MicahX

 

[SeanM]

Oh, and what is the required backspacing for a 1995 XLT Explorer 4wd 4dr??? What is the bolt pattern too? Thanks guys....

 

[SeanM]

Alright, so I got answers to the backspacing and bolt pattern questions, but I would like to know something. How can you tell which size is appropriate for your wheel, as far as tires are concerned??? For example, can you make a 11" wide tire fit a 9" wide rim? Should you?

Basically, how do you know what size tire, as far as section width and aspect ration is correct for your wheel and desired application???

 

[GenerationX]

I would like to know where you get 18x9 Cobra replicas for 189.75 apiece (awesome). SeanM can you help me out? thanks.

 

[SeanM]

The site is as follows: Cobra R 18x9.5 ($187.50)

They offer them as a set, but I did the math and it comes out to be cheaper than anywhere else I've seen them. Let me know if u want to know where I'm getting the Toyo Proxes S/T for $128 a piece too.

Now....Back to my question....How can you tell which size is appropriate for your wheel, as far as tires are concerned??? For example, can you make a 11" wide tire fit a 9" wide rim? Should you?

Basically, how do you know what size tire, as far as section width and aspect ration is correct for your wheel and desired application???