I went from the stock 16s to 18x8 inch rims with Nitto 555 235/40/18 and 245/40/18 on them. I seem to have lost some handling and nimbleness. I put on a front swaybar and strut tower bar and gained some back but it seems like my FD rides high now. Would lowering springs and shocks help my FD handle better? A lot of people say Nittos suck but a lot of guys like the 555s and how they handle - any ideas?

 

yeah..get some lower profile tires! get 245/35 in the front, and 285/30 in the back. or 245/35 on all corners. or 225/40 front and 245/35 back. anything but the sizes you have now. who the hell told you to get 245/40s?? go and slap that dumbass.

its amazing how soooo many people do not know how to plus size correctly.

 

maybe the guy was sizing for 17's lol

 

Well what wheels did you put on it? This question is key. Your stock wheels are extremely light and it would be quite expensive to get anything as light as them in the same width. So if corners were cut to achieve aesthetics, that's all that you'll get. I could be wrong though, but doesn't sound so by your dilemna.

The NT-555's have a veary high treadwear rating, 300, and therefore you can assume that they would not be as sticky as something like a AVS sport or Bridgestone S-02. Now, there are companies that have performance tires with high treadwear ratings, but handle very well also. But this is due to the different materials and plys used to make the tire and would therefore be limited to those manufacturers. A lot of tires have now incorporated silica for all weather performance purposes. THe new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. I would suggest a tire like the Bridgestone S-03 or Michelin's.

Anyways, post what wheels you put on there and we'll be able to tell you how much unsprung weight you may have added. Your tire sizes are fine, I would look into the wheels and see where you may have gone wrong.

What kind of tires did you have on your stockers? They may be a better tire than the Nitto. I use the Nitto a lot, but mostly for cars that just cruise. These are just assumptions and I may be totally wrong, but I thought I'd point out some good possiblilities.

See ya, Rishie

 

Your tires are now a bit taller than stock. I'm running 225/40/18 up front, and that matches well. In the rear you should be running 245/35/18 if you want the tire to have the same height as stock.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ARD T2
Well what wheels did you put on it? This question is key. Your stock wheels are extremely light and it would be quite expensive to get anything as light as them in the same width. So if corners were cut to achieve aesthetics, that's all that you'll get. I could be wrong though, but doesn't sound so by your dilemna.

Exactly, most 18s are expensive, but LIGHT 18s are incredibly expensive.

G'luck.

PaulC

 

i choose 17's for a good reason - street use where the roads can be uneven and also lighter as well as cheaper tires.

18's imho are more for looks.

 

The ride with 18's sucks, unless you only drive up and down your driveway.

 

Great I should ok then

Since mine stands still most of the time...been so long I had to charge the battery this morning...
doh

 

Unsprung weight. Ain't it a bitch.

 

Yup, physics stinks.

 

Hey, where's quickrx7? I thought you wanted some advice. Are you gonna tell us what rims you got, so we can at least get some assurance on our assumptions?

I would run the same size tire all the way around since the wheels are the same width as well.

All my cars ride great with 18's. The only one that doesn't is the one that has heavy *** wheels. So, 13Bace, your ride issues can be solved by getting some lighter wheels and using tires that aren't soooo wide for your vert. I doubt the width has much more functionality than the standard sized tire that would be run. Tires are heavyyyy, so just go as big as you need to if these are a concern. But you probably already know this stuff, so why did you get the Konigs? Price?

I hear complaining from people all the time about not wanting to spend the money to get a well built lightweight wheel, but you always get what you pay for. Your ride, handling, steering response, and braking are all drastically improved with a lightweight wheel. I look at it like this, we spend all this money fine tuning our suspension only to bottleneck it when we get heavier than stock wheels.

See ya, Rishie

quick, speak up man.

 

My ride isn't really that bad. I think that the main problem is that I live in NY. The roads in NYC and Long Island are REALLY Bad. When you combine that with stiff springs and shocks, well...

I went with the 275's in the back so that I wouldn't lose traction too easily. The car still breaks loose, but not like it did with 225's. I was going to stay with the convertible rims with 225/50's, but I wanted to try something different. I've always like the Konig Villains, and I was wndering what 18's would look like. So that's how I wound up where I am now.