[grabberorange07]

Hi guys,

I read through the sticky fitment guide thread, lots of useful info in there. Unfortunately, I'm not able to get to the car for a bit to physically take measurements and check clearance, and most of the replies are in regards to 19 and 20" wheel/tire fitment. I need to order a new set of tires asap since I have a trip coming up next weekend so I want to replace the ancient 16yr old oem tires before one dnf's on the freeway! I was hoping to get confirmation from anyone with experience running wider tires on the factory 18" wheels as to what I can safely run, or if I should stick to stock sizes for now. I will be purchasing wider wheels in the future but I do plan to stick to 18s.

Looking at 275/40/18 up front, and 295/40/18 rear

I came across an older thread where a member said he was running 275/40/18 all around with no issues. I was going to send him a PM but it looks like he hasn't been on since late 2019, so I wont hold my breath. I'm hoping I get lucky and someone else might have experience with that tire size up front or may even have a picture of what it would look like.

For reference - I'm looking at Nitto NT05 in the larger sizes - OR - Nitto 555g2 in stock sizes. Coming from the off road world, I know some brands run large, some small. In that realm, Nitto, Toyo seem to run larger than BFG and others. Not sure if that holds true for car tires as well.

The car will see very low mileage, and is a fair weather soldier, never out in the rain. I'm not concerned about rain/all season performance. I enjoy turning though, and will be hitting canyons, and hopefully a track day or two. It will be getting some suspension this summer to get it handling like it should.

Thank you guys in advance 👍

- Eddie

 

[2fordsal]

Well it just happens that I am putting new tires on my 2008 right now and actually have a 295/40-18 NT555 mounted on a 18x9.5 wheel right now.(KR wheel) The front is a 255/45-18 (stock size).I will try to get some pictures today to show you. The Nittos I feel are a tire that runs a little large as the tread is more squared off,so it looks a little more"beefy".My car has KR springs on it by the way so it it slightly lowered.

 

[grabberorange07]

Well it just happens that I am putting new tires on my 2008 right now and actually have a 295/40-18 NT555 mounted on a 18x9.5 wheel right now.(KR wheel) The front is a 255/45-18 (stock size).I will try to get some pictures today to show you. The Nittos I feel are a tire that runs a little large as the tread is more squared off,so it looks a little more"beefy".My car has KR springs on it by the way so it it slightly lowered.

Awesome, if you could post up some pictures I'd definitely appreciate it! I'm hoping for a beefier look and to maybe pull some more grip out of the car, but also don't want to overdo it for the sake of looks and then get into trouble with rubbing and damaging a tire. I do plan to lower it a bit as well, I wanted the FRPP handling pack but it looks like its no longer available so I'll have to find something similar, maybe the eibach kit?

- Eddie

 

[JRF150]

I had nitto 555 g2’s on the rear for a few months in 295/40/18. They didn’t look bad but I preferred how a 285 looked. I eventually swapped them out for the 555 r’s for some more grip. Here’s a few pictures I found. The 295 just bulges more than stock sizes.

 

[JRF150]

And here’s the 285’s in the r2…

 

[2fordsal]

Very nice pictures! So I am at the same spot you were. I only have 1 of the 295 mounted up ,since Im pretty good friends with the tire shop owners, they had these in stock so I could try them on! Now they do bulge more than the original 285 but look ok so far to me. But what do you think about the 555R2"s? I'm still thinking about having them order a set of those ! Did the G2's not hook up at all? Just looking for some more input!

 

[JRF150]

Very nice pictures! So I am at the same spot you were. I only have 1 of the 295 mounted up ,since Im pretty good friends with the tire shop owners, they had these in stock so I could try them on! Now they do bulge more than the original 285 but look ok so far to me. But what do you think about the 555R2"s? I'm still thinking about having them order a set of those ! Did the G2's not hook up at all? Just looking for some more input!

The looks I could live with. They just didn’t hook up enough for my liking. They were definitely an improvement over the stock Goodyears, which were 12 years old anyway. I couldn’t find r2’s so I just did the g2’s all around. I’d spin all the way thru 2nd gear if I was really laying into it. Once I finally found 2 r2’s for the rear I jumped on them. They were honestly the best money I’ve put into the car. Way better grip. No problem hooking up when it’s warm. Still a little wheel spin in 1st if I stand on the pedal before they are heated up but it’s night and day after having driven on both tires.
Just keep in mind that the r2’s are a 100 treadwear so you won’t get much mileage if you daily drive it. Mine is a weekend toy so I’m not worried about mileage. If it was my daily I’d be happy with the g2’s. Any other questions, or if I missed anything just let me know.

 

[2fordsal]

That's perfect info. Mine has only 10k miles on it, so its a drive in the summer only car. Last year I put 800 miles on it.I just a little worried about if I do take a trip if they are fine as a "highway" type tire. I don't take it out in the rain, so rain wasn't my worry , just the sustained cruise on the highway. I talked with Nitto this week and they assured me that the tire would be fine for highway use, just wasn't the tire for the twisties. My Goodyears are now 6 years old and they pretty much suck. My tire guys said I would get between 5-7000 miles out of them?

 

[JRF150]

That's perfect info. Mine has only 10k miles on it, so its a drive in the summer only car. Last year I put 800 miles on it.I just a little worried about if I do take a trip if they are fine as a "highway" type tire. I don't take it out in the rain, so rain wasn't my worry , just the sustained cruise on the highway. I talked with Nitto this week and they assured me that the tire would be fine for highway use, just wasn't the tire for the twisties. My Goodyears are now 6 years old and they pretty much suck. My tire guys said I would get between 5-7000 miles out of them?

Yeah, they’re fine on the highway for sure. Wouldn’t worry one bit.

 

[grabberorange07]

This is exactly the type of feedback I was hoping to get!
@JRF150 in this pictures, is that the stock 255 width up front, or did you go any larger? They look a little beefier but may just be the profile of the tire compared to the oem Goodyears

 

[JRF150]

This is exactly the type of feedback I was hoping to get!
@JRF150 in this pictures, is that the stock 255 width up front, or did you go any larger? They look a little beefier but may just be the profile of the tire compared to the oem Goodyears

I stayed with the stock size up front. They are indeed 255’s.

 

[JRF150]

Here’s a couple closer pics of the fronts.

 

[2fordsal]

The fronts are definitely "beefer" looking compared to the Goodyears. I had one of each mounted next to each other an the Nitto is more squared off so it looks and is a hair bit wider. I know I should have taken pictures!
And your pictures rock!

 

[mavisky]

Wheels are 18x9.5 at all four corners so you could run a 285 at all four, but they are a little ballooned. Not ideal for handling, but then again the stock 1st gen cars on stock suspension don't handle well anyway.

 

[grabberorange07]

Wheels are 18x9.5 at all four corners so you could run a 285 at all four, but they are a little ballooned. Not ideal for handling, but then again the stock 1st gen cars on stock suspension don't handle well anyway.

Yeah, this car is fun in a straight line or just cruising but definitely needs help in the corners! That will be addressed this summer though.

I searched through some different threads on here regarding the 285s up front, and like @mavisky said looks like plenty of people have run them up front on the stock wheels. I was able to remove one of the rears to test fit it up front and it just barely clears.

After lots of indecision, I pulled the trigger on the NT555g2s in a 275/40/18 up front and 295/40/18 rear. They should all be in by end of day Wednesday so I’m shooting to have them mounted on Thursday. I’ll post some pictures once they’re on. I appreciate all of the input and pictures you guys provided. The new tires should be a HUGE improvement over the 16yr old Goodyears!

 

[2fordsal]

Looking forward to the pictures! Haven't ordered the rear tires yet....

 

[Catmonkey]

No tire manufacturer recommends a tire wider than 285 on a 9.5" rim and some installers won't mount them for liability reasons. Just saying.

 

[mavisky]

No tire manufacturer recommends a tire wider than 285 on a 9.5" rim and some installers won't mount them for liability reasons. Just saying.

Agreed, wider tires don't always equal more rubber on the road when they're pinched heavily on smaller wheels. You'll actually round the tire out making it ride on the center of the tread and you'll likely see this show up in the tread pattern.

Personally I would look into a 10" square setup for your car like the 2 options I had on mine or an 11" rear and 10" front if extra width is what you're chasing.

 

[2fordsal]

Yeah, this car is fun in a straight line or just cruising but definitely needs help in the corners! That will be addressed this summer though.

I searched through some different threads on here regarding the 285s up front, and like @mavisky said looks like plenty of people have run them up front on the stock wheels. I was able to remove one of the rears to test fit it up front and it just barely clears.

After lots of indecision, I pulled the trigger on the NT555g2s in a 275/40/18 up front and 295/40/18 rear. They should all be in by end of day Wednesday so I’m shooting to have them mounted on Thursday. I’ll post some pictures once they’re on. I appreciate all of the input and pictures you guys provided. The new tires should be a HUGE improvement over the 16yr old Goodyears!

Any update on the pictures?

 

[grabberorange07]

Any update on the pictures?

Sorry for the radio silence, I've wanted to post updates but life keeps getting in the way. I do have pics, I'll add them here in a few... Overall I'm extremely happy with the appearance and fitment of the new tires! The ride and road feel is so much better than the 16yr old goodyears too LOL.

Happy to report he front 275s have plenty of clearance on the backside even full lock-lock steering. The 295 rears look great as well. It's almost hard to tell the difference from the stock 285s, which look to have had more sidewall bulge but slightly narrower tread area.

@mavisky - The plan for this thing down the road is a square setup, I've had my eye on some Apex SM10 wheels. Thanks for the heads up about actual contact patch on the road with too wide of a tire on narrow wheel. I've dealt with that scenario in the past with off road wheels, but theres more wiggle room with 37 and 40" desert tires. I still need to spend some time and dial in pressures on these, but so far they have a nice even contact patch nothing funky going on to cause poor wear or handling. 👍