XenonES3

I searched through the entire forum but ended up a lil confused.

What size of 18inch wheels (offset n ish) and tires fit the 92-96 ES300 without requiring any modification to body or suspension?

thanks

Kyle Harty

iTrader: (17)

I know from experience 18x8, 40 offset and 225/40/18 tires will fit without problems, I can't vouch for any other setups. If you put the wheels on, you're gonna want to drop the car, any 17's or 18's will look really funny without lowering. I got my wheels a few days before the suspension, so I threw them on to test fit everything, the car looked lifted and the fender gap looked real bad. The general guideline is that it will look funny if the fender gap is wider than the sidewall of the tires, and in my case it was significantly wider. A 1.6" drop took pretty good care of that, but it could still be a little lower.

XenonES3

hey thanks for the help.

yah thas tru a non-dropped es on on big rims would look real funny and i bet through off the handling.

wut springs are best for the ES, i c most people either have intrax or B & G.

also, does the speedometer have to be readjusted and have you experienced any rubbing?

thanks a lot

Kyle Harty

iTrader: (17)

I've got the B&G's, no complaints.

I haven't had any significant rubbing, there might be a tiny bit of rubbing on a hard corner when the back is loaded down, but not enough to even leave a mark on the tire.

The 225/40/18's have the same overall diameter as the stock tires, so no speedometer problems.

XenonES3

thanks I'm gonna go ahead and get some 18's then probably with the B&G and Monroe Sensatracs.

How many miles are those tires usually good for and do they handle snow well?

Kyle Harty

iTrader: (17)

I wouldn't recommend 18's in the snow, it's a very slim chance you'd find tires that would work in the snow, and even then the winter would be hard on your wheels.

As for tread life, that'll depend on the specific tires and you're driving style, but you'll generally get less tread life out of real high performance-low profile tires.

squarehat

Keep your stock rims handy for the winter months, if they have a good set of all season tires on them that's good, if they need replacement, and you plan on going to "summer" tires on 18's for the dry months, you can put a set of snows on the stocks for even better performance. I had a set of Michelin Pilot Alpins on my old BMW 318i (RWD), and it handled better in snow and slush than my FWD Camry with good Michelin all-season tires did.

XenonES3

thanks kyle and squarehat,

I've found some rims on Victoriatire.com in 18x8, made by ASA (never heard of them, but they look sharp and are sale priced- i may keep browsing) and am just waiting to find the best deal on some B&G's.

As for snow, I'm totally shocked that your Bimmer handled better with snow tires than your all-season clad Camry! I guess goin' wit stock rims on snow tires is the best way to go then.

The_Hitman

I know this is kind of an old thread, but I'll ask here anyway. How is the ride affected after putting on the 18's and lowering it so it looks good? I'm just curious about the ride quality after you did this. I am thinking about doing the same thing because I need some new rims, and I want to go with the 18's.

Kyle Harty

iTrader: (17)

The ride is definately stiffer and tighter, you feel bumps more but it also feels much more controlled and sure-footed. It really doesn't bother me very often, only if I'm on a real bumpy road; otherwise I don't mind and really like the extra confidence in handling.

The one thing that can get to be a pain is having to be real aware of potholes, railroad tracks, and stuff like that so you don't risk bending or cracking a wheel; but that's the price you pay for running big wheels and IMO it's worth it.