Wheels 18" or 20"

[explorer4x493]

Originally posted by Explorer46L
285/50 is the proper size for a 18/9" wheel. 255/55 is the proper size for a 18x8" wheel. I had 18s on my last Sport and those even bent over time. Guess the streets in Ma are just terrible.

The wheels bent??? That's scaring me, because i'm looking into getting 17's or 18's pretty soon. Was it just from alot of bumps in the road or what?

I'm looking at the '03 Cobra's.

 

[Viggen2002]

I was looking at the American Racing Hype's. 18x8.5" with the right backspacing. Since they are 8.5" wide, couldnt I run 285's in the rear and 255's up front. I did the conversion and 285/55R18's come to 29" tall and the 285/50R18's come to about 29.2" tall. Since they are almost the same size, the 4wd will still work fine when I need it. For rubber, I want to run Nitto NT-404 tires. Gimme a shout as to what you guys think about that. It might take me a while to get there but now I think I know what I want.

 

[james t]

if you wanted to run a 255/55 on front, and 285/50 on the rear of a 4WD/AWD it would work just fine. one is 29.0", the other is 29.2". two tenths is not enough difference to hurt anything, even on the street.

if thats the look you want, i say go for it!

 

[Viggen2002]

Hey, quick question. I read on one of these posts that someone with 18x9's had a problem with rubbing. Running the 18x9's upfront and he couldnt turn lock to lock and needed to get spacers. Am I remembering correctly? If so, what backspacing should wheels be? These 18x8.5's that I am looking at have a 4.75" backspacing, is that enough? Also, I can run 285's on the 8.5" width wheel in the rear and not worry about rubbing right? I want to do the Explorer Express drop of about 1 3/8 to 2" and big wheels but I still want to be able to turn the damn thing. Thanks

 

[james t]

you shouldnt have any rubbing issues with that width and backspacing. i am running about the same with a 17x8 on front and dont rub with lots more drop than you want. the rear should be fine also.

 

[Explorer46L]

Originally posted by explorer4x493
The wheels bent??? That's scaring me, because i'm looking into getting 17's or 18's pretty soon. Was it just from alot of bumps in the road or what?

I'm looking at the '03 Cobra's.

Yes you can bend wheels. Go over a big pothole and you can easily bend a wheel when there isn't much sidewall there. Keep in mind I drive around in the city a lot and the potholes can get huge. I love the '03 Cobra rims. Especially in chrome. They are 17x9 so you should throw a 275/55/17 on there. I would recommend Pirelli Scorpion Zero's if you don't use the X in the snow. And if you want the best price on the '03 Cobra's don't order from tire Rack. Order from SpeedDead Link Removed for silver or here for chrome.

 

[TAS98xlt]

I have 17x9 cobras, can I run 255/60/17 toyo proxies or is that too narrow of a tire?

 

[james t]

that tire will work fine on a 17x9.