Had the springs installed this past weekend. The drop is perfect! Also the ride is pretty good, just a little stiffer then stock. I have to drive 70 miles for work every day, so I didn't want anything too harsh. Camber doenst really look like an issue. The front is just a tiny bit higher then the rear....Overall Im very happy with the springs!

Hopefully these pics will help out anybody looking at getting these springs. I tried to lighten the contrast so you could see exactly where the top of the tire was in all shots.



Front -



Rear-



Now i just need some tires !

 

Looking good, I need to work on my suspension also, just don't have the time. Speaking of tires, I believe the oem tires at least the yokohamas, are suppose to be good for 45,000 miles, not sure about the toyo's which probably are the same. BTW, what size are the gold rims?

 

thanks man, the new wheels are 18x9.5 ET44. I hope they fit

 

Yea, it might fit. Here is what mine looks like.. I used the OEM key so you can get an idea how high it sits...

"1stOne" is running 18x9.5" Limited Edition Black Enkei RPF1 wheels, 255/40R18 Advan AD08, but thats with trd springs...





Front




Rear(holy wheel gap!!)

 

Get tires for those Rotas...now!

 

^yea haha. I'm sticking with the oem rims, just getting some Kuhmo Ecsta XS tires for my track days... They don't have them in your size. Are you looking for just daily driving tires, or a blend of performance and daily driving tires. I see that you drive 70 miles to work but you might want to hit the twisties every now and then..

 

As for tires im looking at:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

or

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes


Lug nuts should be here today, so im going to bolt on one of the rotas and lower it down on to some 2x4's and see what kinda clearance I have. Prolly order the tires tonight!

 

Nice! I like them! When you grabbin tires?

 

Well, I just did a test fit. Bolted up the wheel and lowered it on to some 2x4's stacked the same height as a sidewall on a 245/40/18 (98mm). The lip of the wheel is about 1mm in from the fender. I think the 245/40/18 will fit. Im really a new to all this so...im not really sure Lookin at tires as we speak

thoughts...suggestions are always welcomed


Last weekend I had nightmares of tire fitment issues! lol

 

You'll be the first to experiment with that width and that drop. I think a 245 will work for you though just from referencing off mine.

 

Is that seriously sitting normally on stock springs? Wow, I don't know if it's the angle or just that I'm getting used to seeing lowered tCs, but that seems crazy high...

 

It was slightly downhill. But still need a drop lol.

 

For an 18 X 9.5 wheel, this is the tire that you need while keeping the diameter the same...
http://www.michelinman.com/tire-selector/size/emetric/275/35/18/(Y)/pilot-sport-ps2/tire-details

 

Actually, a 255/40R18 is the perfect size and closest to stock while still retaining the best fitment characteristics for a 9.5" wide wheel.

However, the 245/40R18 is a hair smaller at 1% less than stock, which will improve the off the line "snap" and provide a little more clearance to the fender, which is what Tanked is concerned with.

The 275/35R18 is 1.55% smaller than stock, meaning its the furthest out of all tire sizes recommended here. The added width means that he wont be able to fit this size into the wheel well.

http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

Use this to compare.

Again, stick with the 245/40R18. Crawford Racing ran this before switching tire brands/compounds.

 

Late night

Here are the pics from the test fit last night. It looks awful close to me.





245 might have just enough stretch to do it...maybe?!?

*275/35/18 would be too beefy!

Appreciate all the help!

 

1stOne, did you even read my post before spouting off? Your information is a bunch of generalized rules of thumb, only good for getting you started looking in the right direction. You need to go to tire manufacturer’s website (not a sales site) to get engineering data. Data are facts, sales information is bunch of BS…that will get you into trouble.

The tire that I recommended is specifically designed for an 18 X 9.5 wheel. A Michelin 245/40R18 tire has 803 revolutions per mile; the tire that I recommended has 815 revolutions per mile. [815 – 803] / 803 = 1.5% lower. The tire that I recommended will only show you 1.5% higher speeds on you speedometer… This is well within the 2% rule of thumb.

Don’t look at a sales site’s general rules…do your homework and look and the tire specifications that you are considering on the manufacturer’s website and then make your decision.

 

You've got a nice car and nice wheels...you could have awesome performance too, with the right tire choice. I’m sorry to hear that you are going to screw up a good thing by stretching tires… good luck.

 

245/40/18 are recommended for that specific wheel size on the manufacturer website. I just want a tiny slope in the sidewall to clear the fender. Its not like im one of those vw guys trying to stretch a 195 on there

Section width on a 275/35/18 is 11 inches. That would have a 1/4 inch over hang on each side. Also the contact patch would be 10.8 inches. It just wouldnt fit with the setup I am running

 

The Continental Extreme Contact DW tire 245/40ZR18 is designed for an 8.5” wheel. It will fit onto as much as a 9.5” wheel…maximum. These tires will perform better on an 8.5” wheel. If that is the tire you want, why didn’t you buy 8.5” wheels? I used to have Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 on my Honda…then Michelin quit making them in that size, so I was forced to change the tire brand. I went with the DW tires you are considering. As a direct comparison, the DWs are not as precise as the PE2. Still a good tire, but I would change them out to Michelins if given the opportunity.

 

Ok, your clearly going to argue with me regardless, so let it be known that this is the last time I'm doing this.

Do you honestly think I just make up statistics to post here in the attempt to allude members? You must because you post up everytime stating "engineering" this and that like I seriously give a damn about your supposed mathematical theory.

What I posted was a link to a tire calculator. What I referenced was the tire manufacturer's web site. Your recommended tire size is 25.6", the tire size I recommended is 25.7". The tire size I run is 26". The tire size factory is 26". Are you going to continue to argue with me that what I am suggesting for tire size is wrong? The difference is, mine will actually fit on the car in discussion, yours wont.

Additionally, if you want to continue spouting off about Michelin tires, that's fine, but the Exalto PE is a junk tire in comparison to the DW. But your clearly a Michelin fanboy, which is totally fine, just make it clear that your recommendations are based on personal experience and not "FACT" as you call it.

Why would a tire manufacturer state that their tire will fit on a wheel width range when in fact, your saying that that is false and wont perform properly if you use said range!!?!? OMG, the world IS FLAT!

The fact is, they give a range because that IS the range. Also note that every manufacturer designs tires a little differently. One manufacturer may have more of a "stretch" to the tread while others use a squared shoulder. Dunlop is well known for using a square shoulder approach and Falken is known for stretching a little, hence why VW guys like Falken for tire stretching.

Also, a little tire stretch is good as it adds cornering stability by removing a lot of side wall sway. Putting the max tire on the minimum wheel wont provide you that light stretch and therefore you'll feel it more when you corner hard.

But what do I know, I only know from practice...we all know that everything works better in theory...right...?



Tanked, PM is always open bud, as you know! Love the wheels and can't wait to see it with some tires!