purchasing some snow tires and found a good deal on some tires that are 235-40-18 and 255-40-18. I know they are not ideal sizes for snow and the Z, but I was wondering if the 255 tire will be too wide for the stock 18" rim.

thanks!

 

, snow tire, f it and just install it

 

^Yep....not ideal..........but

 

Wheel is 8.0 inches or 203.2mm
Tire is 255 mm. Do not like.

 

yeah david, that's what I was thinking...

may keep looking then

 

You saying we should all be running around on 205's with stock wheels? 255's are fine.....don't worry.

 

For a 255/40 tire, the recommended wheel width starts are 8½". Since these are going to be snow / bad weather tires and you won't be doing a whole lot of high performance driving on them - you'll be okay with them on 8" wheels.

 

Thanks Dave. I was hoping you would chime in. Now by high performance driving, do you mean avoid high lateral g's? Interstate high speeds should be a-ok?

 

Yes - normal roads and speeds are fine. You wouldn't want to take it on a road course for example. When you put the wrong size tire on a wheel, you want to be concerned about hard cornering, braking or other extreme manuevers. That's where you run into problems with sidewall flex and rollover as well as overheating.

 

255 tires are ok on an 8" wheel. It is the minimum, but it's fine. About the same as a 275 on a 9" wheel, which is quite common.

 

Snow tires are made from softer compounds than summer performance tires, and thus provide more leeway when mounting on wheels with less than ideal sizing (wider or narrow).

A 255mm snow tire fits easily and safely on an 8” wide rim. You can improve this by adjusting the tires’ psi.

--Spike

 

Omg! I got the Michelin Alpin tires and they are a night and day difference. Before I got to the tire shop, I drove around a large slushy parking lot, slip light flashing on..slipping sliding.

After the install, I took a worse slushy route. Not one slip light or slide. Plowed right though as if driving on rain. The stop did slide just a little, but nowhere near as bad.

Sorry, I just ecstatic.

 

Glad that worked out for you.

 

Yes… the right tire makes all the difference.

• Summer performance tires are great for high speed driving and cornering on dry surfaces in warm weather. A good summer tire/wheel setup provides the best driving experience for your Z when conditions are ideal.
  
  
• A/S or passenger tires provide a more quiet and comfortable ride for “normal” street driving in moderate and varying weather conditions.
  
  
• Studless snow tires or winter performance tires are a requirement for a rear-wheel drive car when driving on ice, in snow, or in slush.

Off-road drivers know this best. I have three different tires for my 4WD vehicle that I swap for differing conditions (mud/clay, ice/snow, and street driving).

Thanks for posting your experience.

--Spike