215/35/18 or 225/40/18 on a 9.5 Inch Rim - Appearance Only

[guile]

Legality went out the window with 9.5" wide wheels.

it went out the window a long time before the 9 and half inch rims mate

[guile]

Why those two sizes, if your car isn't slammed stick to a 40 profile otherwise u will have awkward wheel gap.
Don't stretch tyres for the sake of it, do it to suit the fitment on your car.
Test fit the wheels and decide what you need for clearance.

based on the wheels only photo comparison I liked the 215/35...

until I saw them on the car, imo just doesn't quite look right, too small rolling diameter.

my 2c worth

If roadworthiness and performance matters, then 225/40 R18 92Y XL tyres on 8.0 J x 18 wheels.

Otherwise, go with 215/35 R18 tyres if your car is mainly a cruiser. Should go down pretty well with the stretch brigade.

Depends how low you are gonna go. I'd try to match rolling diameter with stock so your speedo stays as accurate as possible. Only stretch if you have to fit it under guards.

I personally like sidewall as extremely low profile tyres remind me of 20s on Commodores.

I think i had already decided to go with the 40 profile and now i've made my mind up. i might check the rolling radius out of curiosity

[guile]

looks like i've definitely made my mind up;

[guile]

I'd say in between the two - I'm all for stretch, but I think the profile on the 35 is just too low!

And if you haven't decided on wheels then you need Bentley's or Helios or something...those wheels look ricey as!

i know what you mean mate but really struggling to find the size i want in 5x100. thinking of going with the gold like below;

[gareth_oau]

i ran 235/40/18 on 9.5: rims on my S3, they looked great, and as mine were the Goodyear Asymmetric 2s the rim protector made them look another 10mm+ wider.

[guile]

i ran 235/40/18 on 9.5: rims on my S3, they looked great, and as mine were the Goodyear Asymmetric 2s the rim protector made them look another 10mm+ wider.

thanks for the info mate, do you have any photos and can i ask the wheel offset?

[gareth_oau]

ignore the front pic as they are 8.5", bit the rears are 9.5"
offset is ET35, compared to OEM of ET33
I'm running 5mm spacers, but that is for brake clearance.
The clearance on the rear of the S3 is huge and so the rims/tyres would have cleared without spacers


on the first pic, you see how huge the rim protector is on the asymmetrics!

[rayray086]

Looked tough as Gareth.

[gareth_oau]

cheers Ray, I wasnt happy selling it, I just couldnt justify the cost of keeping it for the low usage

[jimmjumbo]

I recently fitted 19x9.5 ET35 to the rear of my Audi A4 (b5) I ran 225/40/18. I had to mild flare the rears so it sat flush when lowered



hope this helps you with your decision