Tires and width variances
 

Hey all. Looking to buy new tires soon. I am looking into the new Hankook V12 tires... seems like a good compromise in performance and tread life. Right now I am running Bridgestone RE-01R (got them in the tire rack close out deal). Great tires, but I just drive a lot and this is my DD, I need something that's gonna last a little longer and better in the rain would be nice too.

I got the RE-01Rs in 235/40 (on 8" wide RX-8 wheels). They were a good fit... never rubbed or anything. I am also lowered on BC coils. But I have always felt these tires ran "narrow". They just always looked narrower than other 235/40 tires I had seen. I have a friend who was running the same wheels, with 235/40 tires, except they here Kumho SPTs. His looked a good bit wider- maybe it was just tread design and playing tricks on my mind, but who knows.

So basically I have two questions. For anyone who has ran the RE-01R tires, do you think they ran narrow, wide, or about average?

As for question 2.... For anyone who has ran the Hankook V12 tires, again, did they run wide/narrow/average?

I want to bump up to 245/40 tires. I'm confident 245/40 RE-01R tires would fit just fine--but they don't make them anymore and I want something not so soft. I'm afraid of the worst case scenario-- RE01Rs run narrow and then new tires I get run wide, and I increase width by 10mm = rubbing on new setup. I could always roll fenders, but I'd like to avoid that if possible.

Thanks for any and all comments!

It's not a trick - the Kumho's are VERY wide for their width. I ran them on my SRT-4, which was also lowered on BC coils, and while my Toyo Proxes T1R's would not rub, the SPT's would.

so perhaps the SPTs are just throwing stuff off

sounds like I will be OK with 245 then as long as I don't get Kumho

In my experiance Bridgestones always seem to run a little wider cause of the rim protector they have. Nittos seem to run really narrow and BFG and Kuhmos seem to run really wide. Knowing Nittos run small I was going to try to squeeze a 235/40 on my 7.5" RPF1s but you should be fine squeezing a 245 on an 8" wheel.

yeah technically, 245/40 on 8" wide is fine (within tire specs). And just looking at how the 235 fits, i Know 245 will be fine.

OK now I just need to do some research regarding Hankook and how they run I guess-- anyone have any info?

Well, for what it's worth, I have an unmounted set of 235/45R18 Hankook R-S2s sitting in the other room, and they measure significantly narrower than my last two sets of 235s (Kumho XS and Nitto NT-05) when they were unmounted.

The NT-05s were ~9.6" wide (as were the Kumhos, IIRC) and the Hankooks are more like ~9.3" wide.

How much space is there to work with between the stock strut and tire?

hangooks

Those 245's should fit, but be careful when you have extra weight in the back (rubbage).
I did have a slight rubbage on the front inner fender plastic when fully turned. Did you roll the rears already?

Top of tire to strut spring perch will be about 1/8"-1/4 clearance.