[TrboMike]

The width of the WHEEL will effect the sidewall of the tire being in or out but by millimeters. Since its the edge of the tire (not rim) that will contact the fender or the suspension first, the size of the tire vs where the tire is in space (distance to fender and distance to strut) is what we need to know.

The real number here is the OFFSET of the wheel. 40mm offset is about perfectly middle between the front fender and the front suspension(for the FRONT). 35mm is 5mm closer to the fender. 45mm is 5mm closer to the suspension. IMO a 245 tire will need between 38 and 43mm to fit in the front. If you get a super wide tire (some are wider than others), lower the car, alter alignment, these are all changes that can cause rub or more clearance.

[Maynard]

Another consideration in favor of 235/8.5 is that the 235 is more stretched than the 245, which gives a tauter sidewall and better transitions. On the street I think you'd notice this more than that extra 10mm (it was noticeable to me going up a half inch from stock widths, but that was also with new/different tires, so not a true comparo).

[daneagles]

Thanks for all the posts everyone. Because I'm switching from the OEM wheels, I already have a set of PS4S tires (almost brand new, ~500 miles on the whole set) in the OEM size, 225/40 and 245/35. Since I already have two of each tire, the way I see it I have three options:

1) Buy two additional 245s and try a 245 square setup. Drive the car around both my living area and the usual twisty roads that I go to nearby, and determine the degree of rubbing (if any). If rubbing is minimal and I can avoid it by minor changes in my driving patterns (learning to avoid certain areas with dips/etc. that might cause rubbing), I'll keep the 245s.

2) Buy two additional 225s and run a 225 square setup. No risk here, guaranteed direct fitment. I can drive the car hard and see how much I notice the -20mm of tire in the rear and decide how much I care about it.

3) Buy a full set of 235 tires, sell the staggered set I have now (I already have a winter setup, so I wouldn't need the PS4S set I currently have).

As of right now I'm leaning towards starting with option 1, since two additional 245s would run <$500 which is much cheaper than a new set of 235s. If 245 is too aggressive, then depending on how bad the rubbing is I can downsize to either 225 or 235, based on how much narrower it feels like I need to go to eliminate rubbing. Really disappointed with wheel and tire fitment for this platform, it's insane to me that we have to consider rolling fenders and running camber plates just to squeeze out an extra +10/20mm of tire size...

I won't be mounting the wheels until early spring so will update this thread with the results. In the meantime if you have done any of the 3 options I mentioned here please let me know how it went for you! (specifically not just the tire size but the tire brand, since Michelins run wider than most other compounds)

[daneagles]

Originally Posted by Maynard

Another consideration in favor of 235/8.5 is that the 235 is more stretched than the 245, which gives a tauter sidewall and better transitions. On the street I think you'd notice this more than that extra 10mm (it was noticeable to me going up a half inch from stock widths, but that was also with new/different tires, so not a true comparo).

Really curious how much difference I'd notice going from 225 -> 235 on the same tire, I feel like +10mm probably wouldn't be noticeable enough to justify the cost but this is a great point. What tire were you running in 235?

[Maynard]

I'm running 225 width tire on 8" and 245 on 8.5" (stock tires, wheels each a half inch wider); and I switched to Bridgestone Potenza s007 tires; definitely a noticeable improvement, but too many changes at once to really pin one down. This was always a fairly universal recc, however (stretching a tire gives better response).

[dradernh]

In the event this is useful, these data are what Tire Rack shows for the PS4S in 225/40-18, 235/40-18, and 245/35-18:



My takeaway is that you'll notice the difference with each increase in width. The 245s are clearly superior to the others and worth trying to fit. A minor fender roll, which I have, isn't noticeable and may be what you need to get 245s to fit up front.

[danny228i]

I’m looking to buy some wheels currently looking at 18x9.5" ET43 APEX EC-7 or 18x8.5" ET35 APEX EC-7. I’m not sure which wheel to get and how the fitment will look with these offsets. Also don’t know how wide of a wheel I should get. If anyone can help please do! Or if any has any recommendations!

[SpencerC_6MT]

Sorry to bring a thread back from the dead, but I figure it's simpler to revive a similar thread than start a new one on the same topic.

I'm looking at changing my wheel/tire setup this summer, and I've really got my heart set on 18" Apex FL-5. There's two setups that can fit on the F22 from what I can tell, 18x8.5 ET35 and 18x9 ET30. I'm also looking to run Conti ExtremeContact Sport02's at 245/35/18 or 245/40/18, leaning 40/18 for extra sidewall (I've lost 2 or 3 rear tires in the past 3 years) and appreciably lower cost per set. Does anyone have experience with these setups on stock suspension? What changes might I need to make it fit? I've got a box of H&R Sport Springs sitting in the garage waiting for their time to shine, but I've been holding off until I get camber plates.

[Fiesta ST to M240i]

Originally Posted by SpencerC_6MT

Sorry to bring a thread back from the dead, but I figure it's simpler to revive a similar thread than start a new one on the same topic.

I'm looking at changing my wheel/tire setup this summer, and I've really got my heart set on 18" Apex FL-5. There's two setups that can fit on the F22 from what I can tell, 18x8.5 ET35 and 18x9 ET30. I'm also looking to run Conti ExtremeContact Sport02's at 245/35/18 or 245/40/18, leaning 40/18 for extra sidewall (I've lost 2 or 3 rear tires in the past 3 years) and appreciably lower cost per set. Does anyone have experience with these setups on stock suspension? What changes might I need to make it fit? I've got a box of H&R Sport Springs sitting in the garage waiting for their time to shine, but I've been holding off until I get camber plates.

Remind me in a couple weeks to let you know lol

I'm about to get my wheels in. Setup for my M240i XDrive will be:
-Dinan springs with bump stops
-no camber plates (alignment is front -0.5 camber / rear -1.5 camber)
-245/35/18 Michelin PS4S
-18x8.5 +40 wheels, no spacers

From what I've researched this should be aggressive and MIGHT rub the front fenders under hard compression/turns.

I do not track the car but it is my daily and I like to push it here and there. The roads aren't perfect here, so we'll see how it goes. I figure worst case I'll buy camber plates if there's issues.

[Duguccio]

Any update on how the 245 square setup went? I’m thinking 235/40r18 front & 255/35r18 back once my Contis are worn out and I put those arc-08 ET38 on

[Fiesta ST to M240i]

Originally Posted by Duguccio

Any update on how the 245 square setup went? I’m thinking 235/40r18 front & 255/35r18 back once my Contis are worn out and I put those arc-08 ET38 on

Is this directed at me?

I ended up deciding last minute I wanted more sidewall so exchanged them for 235/40/18. Fits no problem. Once these need replacing I may roll the dice on 245/40 square. Pics are in the Apex wheel gallery thread of how they turned out.

Also if you're xdrive I think you need to pair 235/40 with a 265/35 in the rear or you can do 225/40 and 255/35

[SpencerC_6MT]

Originally Posted by Duguccio

Any update on how the 245 square setup went? I’m thinking 235/40r18 front & 255/35r18 back once my Contis are worn out and I put those arc-08 ET38 on

I've got 18x8.5 ET35 Apex's on mine, 245/40/18 Conti ECS02 rubber. Camber plates are absolutely mandatory, and I'm running -2.3f. Lowest you could likely get away with is -2.0, but I wouldn't suggest it. In this current setup I never get rub in daily driving, only when the wheels are turned sharply and you're going up a driveway does it rub. I'm also on H&R springs, which are pretty aggressive.

The rears are surprisingly narrow on clearance. I'm running stock rear camber at -1.7, and the edge of the tire pokes out from the fender at rest. Thanks to suspension geometry, they just barely tuck under the fender under compression, but it's close.

P.S: I'm on 245/40/18's rather than the stock 245/35/18 rears. For anyone considering it, I would recommend it. It visually fills the wheel wells much better, and has a very satisfying 'meaty tire' look to it. I also believe I've survived a couple potholes that would've put me on a flatbed before. As a final note, my speedo error is corrected so that it mostly matches GPS (3.6% increase in diameter), but the speedo error is actually programmed in, so my odometer reads a little slow now.

[Fiesta ST to M240i]

Originally Posted by SpencerC_6MT

I've got 18x8.5 ET35 Apex's on mine, 245/40/18 Conti ECS02 rubber. Camber plates are absolutely mandatory, and I'm running -2.3f. Lowest you could likely get away with is -2.0, but I wouldn't suggest it. In this current setup I never get rub in daily driving, only when the wheels are turned sharply and you're going up a driveway does it rub. I'm also on H&R springs, which are pretty aggressive.

The rears are surprisingly narrow on clearance. I'm running stock rear camber at -1.7, and the edge of the tire pokes out from the fender at rest. Thanks to suspension geometry, they just barely tuck under the fender under compression, but it's close.

P.S: I'm on 245/40/18's rather than the stock 245/35/18 rears. For anyone considering it, I would recommend it. It visually fills the wheel wells much better, and has a very satisfying 'meaty tire' look to it. I also believe I've survived a couple potholes that would've put me on a flatbed before. As a final note, my speedo error is corrected so that it mostly matches GPS (3.6% increase in diameter), but the speedo error is actually programmed in, so my odometer reads a little slow now.

My gosh that looks great. Do you think Dinan springs and stock alignment (-0.5 front, -2.0 rear) on an 8.5 +40 would work or hard to say? I really want to bump up to a 245/40 PS4S when these 235/40 wear out.

[SpencerC_6MT]

Originally Posted by Fiesta ST to M240i

My gosh that looks great. Do you think Dinan springs and stock alignment (-0.5 front, -2.0 rear) on an 8.5 +40 would work or hard to say? I really want to bump up to a 245/40 PS4S when these 235/40 wear out.

If you're already on those wheels and tires, I'd use what you're seeing already as a frame of reference. Your wheels are 5mm inset compared to mine, so imagine my setup inset half a centimeter with less front camber. My best guess is you'd be fine with potential minor rub up front, but it could depend on springs, tire compound, and 500 different contributing factors. Trial and error is your best option, but if it were my car, I'd feel comfortable giving it a shot. And the rears will be completely fine, I'd figure you can run -1.0 out back and it'll look similar to how mine do now.

[Fiesta ST to M240i]

Originally Posted by SpencerC_6MT

If you're already on those wheels and tires, I'd use what you're seeing already as a frame of reference. Your wheels are 5mm inset compared to mine, so imagine my setup inset half a centimeter with less front camber. My best guess is you'd be fine with potential minor rub up front, but it could depend on springs, tire compound, and 500 different contributing factors. Trial and error is your best option, but if it were my car, I'd feel comfortable giving it a shot. And the rears will be completely fine, I'd figure you can run -1.0 out back and it'll look similar to how mine do now.

I figured as much. Appreciate the insight though definitely helps!. I could just get camber plates if it doesn't work. I'd just rather not for a daily. Also enjoy those FL5!! Just checked and they've very recently been discontinued :/