235/45x17 onto 9 inch rim?
 

i have some good 235/45x17 tyres that came off front 8inch rims and some empty rear 9inch rims that used to hold 255/40x17 tyres

if i try to fit these front? tyres to these rear? rims will i find that...

a/ they just won't fit and hold air etc.

b/ they will fit and hold air but won't work well

c/ they will fit and work well enough for me to go down to the big abandoned carpark and practise my drift technique on some chalked out corners

eric e

more time and imagination than cents

The maximum recommended width for a 235/45 17 tire is a 9-inch wheel, so you will be just fine.

"c"

They'll fit, but they'll likely look "stretched" (too much rim, too little tire), and the lip of your rims will not be protected as well, if at all, so watch out for curbs and rocks and shit... :)

They'll fit but they will be too narrow. I had 265's on my 17x9"

curb rash - they will protrude alot farther out then the tire wall will.

Let's put it this way... I'm about to put 245s on 8.5" rims, and I'm worried that the tires will look too narrow on wheels that width. :)

The rim width should (in theory) be the nominal width of the tire in inches for maximum contact patch. A P245 should therefore be put on a 9.5" wide rim, according to this thinking, because 245mm = 9.65". I, on the other hand, think this looks like ass. :)

The Supra came stock with P255s on 17x9s in the rear, and it looks horrible. A P275 is perfectly proportioned on a 9-9.5" rim, in my opinion. Whether or not that "maximizes" contact patch is irrelevant (also in my opinion) as long as it's "close".

You don't want to go overly narrow or overly wide. A P275 = 10.83" wide, nominally, but a P275 on an 11" rim would look like hell. All tires are not created equal, and some may look wider (and can actually be wider) than a different brand rated as the same size/width, but it's fair to say that you can probably always get away with a rim one inch narrower than the nominal width of the tire. In the case of the P275, a 9.5" rim.

In the case of your P235 (9.25"), an 8" or 8.5" wheel would work just fine, and in fact, I'd recommend 8". You can fit the P235 on a 9" wheel, but don't expect it to look right, and you won't have any protection for the lip of the rim with the tire sidewall pulled in so far.