ESLexus300

I posted this in the ES300 forum, but figured I might get additional feedback here from some of the wheel/tire experts on board.




I know the consensus here in the ES300 forum is a 225/40-18 for 18" wheels.

I finally decided on some rims today and went with some 18x7.5 +43 Volk GT-N's, now I just need to make a decision regarding tires.

Ideally, I'd like to go with some 215/45-18 tires, but as we all know, options are limited. I considered the Bridgestone Potenza SO2 A, but I'd like to have something with better treadwear rating, and certainly don't need that level of "performance" in a tire. It's a great tire, just "over kill" for my application.

I'll probably end up with a 225/40-18, but just don't like fact that it is .41" smaller in overall diameter than the stock wheel with a 205/65-15. The overall diameter for a 225/40-18 is 25.08", while a stock 205/65-15 is 25.49".

However, the 225/45-18 seems to be a viable option. The overall diameter is 25.97(.48" larger than OEM rim/tire combo) and offers .44" more sidewall then the 225/40-18.

The overall diameter difference between stock and the 225/45-18 is 1.85% and will read 1.13 MPH faster at 60 MPH(1.885%). A pretty minimal difference.

So, can somebody give me a reason not to go with the 22/45-18? Will this size cause any rubbing?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Chris