Randy_in_MD

Hi guys. I have read through lots of info on the forums about wider tires but either the information is too vague or I'm too slow (very possible) to get the direct answer I'm looking for...

Can I run 305 Hankook Ventus tires on my stock 2007 base wheels without any offset?

Same question but about 265s on the front?

I understand the bulging, rubbing and possible fender damage aspects. I'm just concerned about offset. Btw, I know offset has to do with bringing the tire inward to avoid protruding from the wheel well, however, is offset adjusting a fairly normal practice? Do most service stations know how to do it? Is it an involved and/or expensive procedure?

Thanks for your help.

Corvette_Ed

305's will fit on the rear. Don't know about the front.

ItsSl0w

305 on stock rears is just fine as long as you don't track the car. I have the Ventus v12 evos tires. Fronts are 275/35zr18 and rears are 305/30zr19

redzone

Cockroach

Could you post a picture? I'm looking at the Hankooks and can't decide on 285 or 305. Thanks

Randy_in_MD

Really dude!?!?

Took a lot of effort to be that condescending. Congratulations. Thanks for taking the time to not answer my question and trying to belittle me for asking a legitimate question and trying to increase my knowledge. You are an asset to the forum. I hope your real estate agent/financial planner/doctor/lawyer is more helpful if you don't have a solid grasp of a given concept.


I was under the impression that offset was something that could be adjusted. I assume I was incorrect and the purchase of new wheels is the only way to change offset. So my question is...can I use 305/30r19 tires on the back and 265/35r18 tires on the front using the stock wheels from a 2007 base car?

Garry in AZ

Randy, the only way to adjust the offset is to use a different wheel. Offset is the amount of distance between the hub mounting surface and the center line of the wheel. To change it, you need different wheels. A related measurement is backspace. Wheel backspace is the distance from the hub mounting surface to the back edge of the wheel.

All tire brands do not have the same exact width for a given size, and the shape of the sidewall can also differ. I have seen guys run 305's with no issues, and I have seen others that had significant fender rub. Sorry, but I can't tell you which tires work best, but I'm sure other members may have more info on that.

Garry

Aliquantus

Technically, you can change the offset slightly by adding hubcentric spacers between your wheels and hub. It's not my favorite solution, but can give you a few millimeters of extra clearance inside your fenderwell for wider tires. It's very common to do on Lotus Esprits.

GhostC6

I may be able to help on this. I have 305/35/19 on the rear of my C6 Base Convertible with no problems. My stock front was 245/40/18 and I went to 275/35/18 and they scrub and hit my fenders when I hit a dip in the road so bad I had to max out the ride height.

I did some research and to avoid this I am going to have to get new 245/35/18 to lower the car back down and avoid them hitting, I may be able to do 255/35/18 but that would be the max I would try. The problem is that the width from a 245 and a 255 is almost an inch, but, from 255 to 275 the width difference is less than an inch, so the big jump is from 245 to 255.

Also, it is not the tread that is hitting the fender and fender liner. It's the sidewall. The tires kinda have that round contour to them instead of straight and its about 1 to 2 inches below the tread on the sidewall where the marks are.

My advice, 305 on the rear is fine, now on the front, 245 but no bigger than 255. Brand of tire matters also, look up your current tire specs, see what the width is, if say the stock width on your current brand is 10.02 and then you look up the width of the tire you want, say a 265 and the width is say 11.35, you may have a problem.

The reason you don't want to go too wide is if the hit and rub, you have a car you can't drive like you want to until you wear them out, or do like me and now I have to replace 2 tires that were about $500 and only have about 50 miles on them. And that sucks. Just an FYI, larger front tires increase rolling resistance so a wider tire really does not offer much of an advantage other than appearance and maybe some added traction, but if they hit the fenders your not going to be able to drive it fast anyway.

I hope this helps.

Just do 245 front, 305 rear.

Randy_in_MD

Thank you GhostC6. My only question would be about problems arising from the difference between the 305 rears and the 245 fronts. I read somewhere that differences which are two great between front and rear tires could result in speedometer issues and/problems with the traction control. I guess that has more to do with the height of the tire than the width but I just wanted to make sure.

mtarr07

Yes. I am running those exact sizes on that exact tire on the stock wheels of my 2009 base.

Problem solved, question answered.

The only way to change the offset is get new wheels or wheel spacers. You can't adjust it. The offset applies to the wheel. So you need to get wheels with the correct offset.

Mike's LS3

Look up the tire manufacturer's rim recommended size.
Normally a 305/35 tire will fit a 10" rim, howerver a 305/30 may not be recommended because the tread width is wider. Some have done it, but there is no advantage having the shoulder of the tire roll up, so a 10.5" rim is recommended.

Diameter difference between front and back should be within a specific range. Going beyond the range will affect the traction control. For example, my 2008 coupe has an oem difference of 1.2" going 1" - 1.4" would be a safe range, beyond that it may or may not work.

HOXXOH

Just curious about the reason you want to run lateral traction tires, so are you planning on running road tracks, autoX, or just wanting tires to handle twisty roads?

Randy_in_MD

No specific reason other than aesthetics and possible increased traction.

GhostC6

You are correct, a change in the tire height or diameter can cause computer issues with the ABS and the Speedometer but a tuner can input the new tire size into the TCM and solve that problem. I have run 305 rear and 245 fronts for over a year and had no issues at all.
The other guy is correct, the only way to change offset is to buy new rims(Wheels) whichever you call them.

I know that in my case with stock shocks and the car at normal ride height, I had no issues with the 305 rear and 245 fronts. Then I went to 305 rear and 275 fronts, the rears are fine, no issues, but the front 275 was hitting on the front fender and fender liner so I had to stiffen my shocks very stiff and max out the front ride height bolts. I am glad the new shocks are adjustable and that I had room to adjust the ride height. I hope that helps some at least.

HOXXOH

OK. I was concerned, since additional width helps lateral traction, but reduces forward traction. I assume in your case it's more about appearance than performance and you won't be pushing the car toward the limits.

zzjakect

You have to be careful how you ask a question on the forum. You will be attacked if you don't already know the answer to your question! What's wrong with you. LOL.

Randy_in_MD

You are...unfortunately....exactly right. It's kind of unfortunate because it has to have an impact on newer members/owners willingness to ask question which might seem silly/obvious to more seasoned members of the forum. That is not something that is limited to this forum either. I have encountered it on forums related to different makes of cars, watches, firearms and others.

mtarr07

I already told you above that I'm running the exact tire sizes you requested and even the exact tires you mentioned on my car with stock wheels. You will fit with no problems.

Randy_in_MD

Yes. I know. I thanked you for your useful and informative response.

My comments that you just quoted are somewhat independent of my initial question...and unfortunately they are valid concerns.