I currently have the oem 2011 17" rims on my IS now. I'm lowered on H&R springs and currently have a 1-2 finger gap.

If I jump to 18" or 19" rims.. Is that gap filled in by the tires? Or is the gap going to stay the same and literally raise my car?

Sorry for he noob question but doing research, I've read mixed opinions.

I'm not going to be getting super low profile tires.. If anything, I want some meat on them as I commute a lot.

 

The overall size might be bigger but you'll still have a similar gap. You mostly have to go with a lower profile as the size of the wheel increases to keep the overall rolling diameter the same. Having a lower profile tire won't make the tires last longer but you will fill bumps more with less sidewall.

 

So essentially, I would need a tire that has less sidewall?

 

Unless you want tires with a larger diamater than your existing ones, you will need a lower profile sidewall commensurate with your wheel size increase. The car is set up for a certain rolling circumference and the more you are off from that it screws up things, especailly your speedometer.

I went from stock 17s to 19s and I am running 225/35/19 on the front and 265/30/19 on the rear. The tire width is all affected by your wheel width, but you need lower profile tires as I recall the stocks were 225/45/17 (25 in diameter) and 245/45/17 (25.7 in diameter). A 225/45/19 is 27in in diameter and will rub all day long, especially with already being lowered.

The above 19in tires are at 25.2in diameter. Next set I am going to get 40 series on the front and 35 series on the rear for about a 26in diameter, based on those widths, which matches the stocks on the IS-F and should fit okay.

 

correct

 

Thanks guys. I always thought getting a thicker tire would fill in the gap. Shows how much I know about tires