225/40-18 up front is best fit on wheels and for wheel lip and fender liner clearance. In back you may have some options, but 235/40-18 looks like the best bet there. 245/40-18 could work, but significantly taller. 245/35-18 could work but then you'd have front tires bigger in diameter than rears, which looks goofy... 255/35-18 might work, but getting kinda wide on +35 if fenders aren't rolled. Some negative camber would help there.

If you're going to decrease the offset save yourself the hassle....roll the front fenders. I had 17 x 8 +34 wheels, with 235 x 45 x 18 tires, (stock is 16 x 8 +50 with 225 X 50 x 16 tires). the FD was lowered about 3/4 inch. Backing out of a driveway caught a fender....not good!

Rolled front fenders = peace of mind.

235/45-18?! That's about 1 1/2" taller than stock! And you were lowered 3/4", no wonder you caught a fender... I think that 225/40-18 (stock width and diameter) on +35 should clear unrolled fenders, especially with some negative front camber dialed in which IMO is a good idea for handling anyway.

You missed the info......they where 235 x 45 x 17's not 18's....Like Blue said....it's easy to roll the front fenders and doesn't mess anything up .....one curb or driveway turn-in and it'll cost much more to fix a front fender.

I've got 18 x 8 +40 with 18 x 35 x 255 fronts.... rolled front fenders....no problems.
18 x 9.5 +40 with 18 x 35 x 275 rears, rear fenders not rolled.

This set-up kept the rolling diameter close to stock.

I didn't miss it where you said "235 x 45 x 18 tires"! I did miss it where you said 17x8 wheels...

It often results in distorted/deformed wheel openings. Mine were professionally done by a good body shop and they're still not perfect.

Well, I was running 255/40-17s on +40 offset with very little camber, at 24.75" front ride height, I did tweak both unrolled front fender lips very slightly, no real damage. So I had them rolled. 225/45-17 tires have the same sidewall height but are 30mm narrower, so tire is 15mm further from the fender lip. Subtract 5mm for +35 offset vs. my +40 offset and you have a whopping 10mm more clearance than I had. That's plenty, should never touch the fenders at normal ride heights, particularly with some negative camber (like -1 or more negative).

I wouldn't run 255/35-18 on 8" wheels anyway... 225/40-18 would be a better fit on the wheel and give +15mm more clearance to the fender lip.
For the 17x8 +35 and 18x8 +35 front wheels kensin and JazzyFD have, I'd go 225 tires (225/45-17, 225/40-18) and not bother with rolling fenders.

Best fit and sidewall height match on 18x8 fronts and 18x9 rears is 225/40-18 fronts with 255/35-18 rears, which I *think* should fit in back with unrolled fenders, but again, negative camber helps and is a good idea anyway for handling. Very close on sidewall heights, BUT check the dimensions for the specific tire you're choosing. Just noticed that Hankook RS4 225/40-18 is much taller than others for some weird reason... *IF* you ran RS4s, you would want 245/40-18 rears to match the sidewall height of 225/40-18 fronts.
Tire Rack website has dimensional data on most tires, check there to be sure.
What kinda tires are you considering, and for what usage?

thank you so much for the information.
my wheels are 17x8 +35 and 17x9 +38
Not 18s lol. But i get the point tho

so 225 40 17 front with -camber and 255 40 17 in the rear

225/45-17 front with 255/40-17 rear for same sidewall height, stock tire diameter.

Hi Guys,

I'm going to be purchasing some wheels in the following sizes

​Front - 18x9.5 +45
Rear - 18x10 +40

What are the max tire sizes I can run for the front and rear? I was thinking either 275/40/18 or 285/35/18 Rear but I don't have a clue about the front. I don't mind rolling the fenders a little but certainly no pulling etc

I'm looking at a few tires but the Michelin Super Sport and the Continental Extreme Sport are looking like winners at the moment.

if im retaining stock diameter and side wall height, wont it rub on the front since i got +35 offset ?

Just to confirm, will this fitment require rolled fenders? Car will be on coilovers.


Looking for atleast 9" on front and 9.5 on the rear. Was just wondering how far you can push it out on unmodified fenders.

I run 255/40-17 on +40 offset, which puts my tire's sidewall 10mm closer to the fender lip vs. 225 on +35. I *barely* tweaked the unrolled fender lips while running very little camber (-0.5° IIRC). With 10mm more clearance, you should be OK even with modest camber (but I'd still run at least -1° for handling). Again, 255/40-17 are the same diameter, same sidewall height as 225/45-17.

Decided to go with 18x9.5 +45 all around.

Same inquiry I went through ending in post #536 above.

hi zdan sorry to keep asking these questions lol
i finally secure a good pair of wheels for the front
17x8 +45 fronts and 17x9 +38 rear
The rear im set on 255/40 the front however still debating on either 235/40 or 235/45. Will either 1 of the tire choice make the front look bulky/fatter than the rear ? Seems a bit goofy...I dont want that. Either same bulkiness or less fat? The car is mostly street driven

235/45-17 is going to be 0.3" to 0.4" taller than 255/40-17, so yeah, slightly taller sidewall and might look more bulky which is a look that I hate on the FD...
You could go with either 235/40-17 which is slightly shorter vs. 255/40, or 225/45-17 which is same diameter as 255. Either of those sizes would be legit IMO.

You can always check dimensions of specific tires at TireRack.com, some run wider and/or taller vs others in the same size.
Of course the most important thing is to pick the best tire make/model for your specific wants/needs/usage.

18x12 +20 with the 7.29" backspace would be considered conservative on the backspace and normally one would run 7.5" or 7.77" backspace to fit the widest possible tire on the FD.

But 4 years ago when you were considering these same wheels you stated your aftermarket rear trailing arms forced you to push your 7.5" backspace out with a spacer.

https://www.rx7club.com/suspension-w...heels-1072961/

So, I guess you either run +20 offset or you put different trailing arms on/run less toe-in and run higher offset wheel and pull the fender less to fit the tire (though, you will have to order and wait for the higher offset 18x12 because I can't find any off-the-shelf solutions).

Back in the day FD owners went to even greater lengths to fit more tire under the fenders with less fender modification.
People have used offset rear shock mount bushings and offset aftermarket rear trailing arms to enable 8" and more backspace.
One owner went to cantilever rear suspension with the shocks mounted in the hatch.

But at some point there is a bulge in the wheel wells that limits the possible backspace/tire ingress even if you move the rear trailing arm and rear shock, but I think you said in this thread in 2011 that you already pounded that in to fit your 285 Hoosiers on +50 offset.

You might be running too much rear toe and overheating your tires making them greasy/oversteer-y based on your tires being too close to your trailing arms and too close to the inside front unibody with the 285/30-18 Hoosiers on 18x10 +50 wheels as I run 18mm more inboard and wider tires and I clear both frontal obstructions with zero rubbing.

The more tire you have the greater the effect of toe, so if you have upgraded bushings to control the movement you should be able to run low toe-in.

I 100% understand that. I don't know if I could cut such a beautiful body up. Black is my favorite color FD to look at.

Oh, I hadn't thought of rear negative camber because I am still on stock roll centers and running my FD at monster truck height.
I have minimum negative camber which is -1.2 deg static, but I don't think that will work for you with your stiffer springs and stickier tires. I think you are probably in the right range/shooting for right range regarding static camber judging by how much lean I see on Nationals SSM FDsmin pictures.

Well. I would hook up with someone that has lots of experience rolling fenders and do a little traveling if you have to to get an aggressive roll with pull. I have seen some great results, but one has to have patience and experience to know how much to roll out and how much to pull so you don't get the dreaded buckle in the sheet metal above the fender arch.

I guess if you don't like how the roll/pull goes or its still not enough you can go back and cut it up for arches!
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...7c480bf244.jpg

Anybody have experience with the Titan 7 wheels? i am looking to purchase a set 17x9.5 +51mm or the wedsport Tc105X 17x9 +49mm. My car is lowered with coil overs the height is about the same as stock. I am just wondering if i still need to roll my fenders ( which i prefer not to do) i am trying to pick up a set of wheels/tire combo that doesn't require to do. I am planning to run 255 +40 17 all around. with + 2 camber in the front and 1 ish in the back Please, any input would be great! thanks

quick advice
i have 17x9 + 38 in the rear with 255/40 17

im mounting a 17x9 +45 in the front

is 245/40 17 a good tire to mount and able to have a slightly even profile ( with the front tires over all diameter just a tad smaller ) and still functional with out rolling fender lips

Check the offset.....very important for a non-rub fit. I did front wheel 18x8 +40(offset), 255x35x18 tire ....back wheel 18x9.5 +40, 275x35x18 tire. The car is on Eibach springs dropped 1 inch. I rolled the front fenders, the back fenders are stock, with 275x35x18 tires, it's never rubbed. I tried the rear 9.5 wheels on the front to see if they'd fit...with the 275x35x18 tires they looked like they would clear, a 255 tire will have more stretch...but I'd still roll the front....turning in a driveway may catch a fender...a big mess! Rolling is easy and cheaper than a new fender! Hope that helps.

I'm sorry, I wish I could be of help. I started a big home renovation project right after I got the tires mounted, which includes replacing my garage. The wheels have just been shuffled around from place to place because my car is stored at my parents' until I have the time and space to get wrenching again.

^^Bummer for me^^ The tires you got were the set up I am looking at - 255/35/18 with a rim size of 18x9.5 +45, sure was hoping to hear these fit with no rubbing and no rolling.... Thanks for the reply though!

Thanks Blue TII, I'm going to go for it and see what happens. Between your post and a few others that have chimed in I think I should be ok. Worst thing that could happen also is I may be forced to upgrade some coil overs, bummer for me right? Damn money pit. All for a good deal on tires and wheels... (I just happen to like)

I definitely agree that rolling fenders preemptively is the way to go unless your FD is a museum piece.
Problem is, the shops/friends/people that are most willing to roll fenders are usually the ones you want to avoid. You gotta find that one friend with nice even rolled fenders on stock paint and have him help you do it.

The 18x10 +50 classic fitment would still be 5mm more "conservative" for tire fitment to the fender than 18x9.5 +45.
It is only the offset that matters for where the tire is positioned in the fender well.

Granted, if you are stretching a 225/40-18 on the 18x10 +50 it would be hard to still call that conservative fitment; however I mean more conservative as far as tire outer sidewall to fender lip interference.


https://www.willtheyfit.com/js/wtf/w...177&aspect2=35

We've done your fitment many times and the only thing I would do for my clients is bend back the front fender liner mounting tab. That's all I've had to do for a 9.5 +45 with 255/35. I think you'll be just fine.

Ok so most of the "jacked up fenders" in my experience are more driver error than anything. This is mostly in reference to approach angles and strategies for going up steep driveways. I see a lot of guys going at an angle and then turning the wheel while one is on the driveway and the other is not. Then suspension compresses on one side and the tire catches the fender as they turn the steering wheel. I don't recall the alignment specs but nothing out of the ordinary. Usually customers would reference the Petit specs and ask me to align accordingly. We also ran similar height on the car. Under corner loads at the tracks and hitting burms are an area I can't comment on.

Anyone knows if the aggressive fitment Enkei RPF1 would fit the Sakebomb Wilwood brakes?

Well, yeah, fender lips get pulled when you turn into like a parking lot or something, and there's a transition there which compresses the suspension while the tire is rotating turned... which is basically like every parking lot, gas station, culdesac, etc. in America, so unless you can give yourself a slow, wheels-straight approach, which is either difficult or annoying to other drivers or both, you're going to jack your lips up. Not exactly diver error.

Rolled front fenders are a must.

^^^^THis!
Very much this :(

I know howard espoused the 25" ride height regularly but that is just too low IME on the various suspension setups that I've run. The shocks need some room to do their job and 25" won't cut it on some/many setups (mine included). I'm somewhere between ~25 1/4 - 1/2" and that works well for my overall setup.
You kinda need to get under the car and cycle the suspension and wheel and measure/observe how much shock travel you have, when you are hitting the bump stops etc to figure out your minimum ride height.
YMMV.

25" is LOW, especially depending on the height of your front tire. And, you want the back 1/4 to 1/2" higher for a little rake.

If you set FD up with Ohlins at Ohlins recommended height and then corner weigh it my experience is the car is 25.25" to 25.5" floor to highest point in fender arch with no rake (Ohlins raises rear spring rate ratio to tame FD natural understeer instead of running rear high with rake).

Hey guys,

So while my FD is getting resprayed I got my dream wheels but I am afraid maybe the fronts are too agressive?

They are 18x9.5 ET31
Please give me an opinion if they will fit with my 235/40/18 semi slicks
When I got the car it had some XXRs that were 18x9.5 ET30 and with a 225/40/18 it fit okay only rubbed inner wheel well on full lock sometimes.
In the first photo you can see how much the lip pokes out of the fender with the car on jackstands.https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...bcfcc180f2.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...8210431c77.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...cda54ba7f6.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...1451a459f0.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...2a69abb54a.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a2e6271868.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...514760bbd1.jpg



Still on my 18x11 +45 Forgestar F14.
Tire now is Hoosier made Continental W-R Rolex GT rain race tire 305/650R18 which is 305/30-18 in DOT tire sizing.

They are 13" wide at the beads unmounted.
Hoosier lists them as 11.75" tread width and 12.6" overall width mounted on 18x12 wheel.

Wow! How does it not rub fenders and inner fenders?