18” Tyre recommendations for 8J wheels

[Stay Frosty]

A pair of RE XXX 18" sub woofers... or if your spell checker mangled "spacers" then 25mm thick!
The spacers came as a set with matching longer wheel bolts from various forum members reccomendations.

 

[Rids]

There are plenty of options according to the online tyre calcs but I'm curious what people are actually running?

My preference would be to go a smidge oversized both in terms of radius but also width (to get some rim protection but also because I don't like the 'stretched' tyre look). Probably no more than 5% oversized on radius though.

I'm not fixed on having 8J rims but, since I'd be buying new wheels, this seems like a common wheel option.

Thanks.

Hi
I went for 255/50; these fill out the arches by 11mm radius, and made my speedo read within 1mph of true, give plenty of tyre profile to smooth out the road surfaces and decidedly non stretched look and hence good rim protection…
These isn’t many tyres to choose from but they are 106 load rated though!
This is lowered by about 50mm…
But don’t buy these wheels as it turns out they are NOT 900kg rated as wheelbase Alloys claimed & I’m now back on the std wheels awaiting replacements!

 

[Barley53]

235/60 Nokian all weather on my t28, lovely ride, according to willtheyfit this size returns the most accurate speedo readouts for my van

 

[Cuiken]

235/60 Nokian all weather on my t28, lovely ride, according to willtheyfit this size returns the most accurate speedo readouts for my van

That must be for 17" wheels no? On 18" wheels, will they fit saus that will under-read by 6.68%

 

[Cuiken]

Hi
I went for 255/50; these fill out the arches by 11mm radius, and made my speedo read within 1mph of true, give plenty of tyre profile to smooth out the road surfaces and decidedly non stretched look and hence good rim protection…
These isn’t many tyres to choose from but they are 106 load rated though!
This is lowered by about 50mm…
But don’t buy these wheels as it turns out they are NOT 900kg rated as wheelbase Alloys claimed & I’m now back on the std wheels awaiting replacements!

View attachment 128610

These look fantastic. Are you lowered at all?

Only issue, as you say, is tyre choice. I really need all season tyres where we live (just to make it the 200m from our house up the hill to the ploughed roads in winter) and there don't seem to be many (if any) options in that size.

Ta.

 

[Rids]

These look fantastic. Are you lowered at all?

Only issue, as you say, is tyre choice. I really need all season tyres where we live (just to make it the 200m from our house up the hill to the ploughed roads in winter) and there don't seem to be many (if any) options in that size.

Ta.

The van is on air, in that pic I think it's about 50mm (maybe a bit more) lower than standard.
Yeah tyre choice is rather limited in my size....
I'll be keeping the original 17" for winter use, they're currently on the OE all season tyres, when they're worn out I'll be going for full winters.

 

[Cuiken]

The van is on air, in that pic I think it's about 50mm (maybe a bit more) lower than standard.
Yeah tyre choice is rather limited in my size....
I'll be keeping the original 17" for winter use, they're currently on the OE all season tyres, when they're worn out I'll be going for full winters.

Sorry, last question before I bite on a set of 255 50 18s. Do you know the offest of your wheels and are you using spacers?

Thanks

 

[Rids]

Sorry, last question before I bite on a set of 255 50 18s. Do you know the offest of your wheels and are you using spacers?

Thanks

Hi
Did you find some all season tyres? If yes which?

Thwheels in the pic are 8 x 18 with ET43, at that they just inside the front arch…


I’m thinking of adding a 5mm shim to the rears..

 

[Cuiken]

Hi
Did you find some all season tyres? If yes which?

Thwheels in the pic are 8 x 18 with ET43, at that they just inside the front arch…
View attachment 128720

I’m thinking of adding a 5mm shim to the rears..
View attachment 128721

Sadly not, the best I can find is some winters (hancook). I'm up in Scotland. It never gets above 25 degrees here. I'm pretty sure winters will work out okay.

The wheels I have bought are ET45, looks like the most I'll need (as you say) are some shims for the back.

Okay, so this is my actual last question, any hint of rubbing on those front arches? My van is on H&R coilovers and has a minimum drop of around 70mm. So, maybe a hair lower than yours.

Thanks again!

 

[Rids]

This is by my “motorway” setting…
Prob about -75mm. It has 380mm vertical from wheel centre to arch rim, front and rear… I had no rubbing at that…

 

[Rids]

Do check the clearance between the front strut spring by platform and the tyre shoulder… it was down to 5mm with my air suspension… that’s as small as I’d like!

 

[Cuiken]

Do check the clearance between the front strut spring by platform and the tyre shoulder… it was down to 5mm with my air suspension… that’s as small as I’d like!
View attachment 128726

Great tip, thanks.

 

[Rids]

I just found some ride height measurements from my van “as delivered”…
It was 470mm front, ((wheel centre to arch rim) so that motorway ride height is actually -90mm from standard.

 

[Flatfour]

255 45 18 is standard sportline size

 

[Cuiken]

I just found some ride height measurements from my van “as delivered”…
It was 470mm front, ((wheel centre to arch rim) so that motorway ride height is actually -90mm from standard.

You are a legend! Thanks, that is really helpful.

I'm afraid, if you're going to post info as helpful as that, I'm going to ask another question

You don't happen to have the equivalent 'as delivered' measurement for the rear height do you? Oh, and is yours a T32 or a T30?

The 'center to arch' on mine is currently 400mm front and rear. Also, being coilovers, I have loads of clearance between the front strut assembly and tyre. So, looks like 255 50 18 should fit fine.

cheers.

 

[Rids]

It was 465mm at the rear with only about 20kg in the back.
It’s a T32 4motion Kombi so a pretty heavy base vehicle.
ET45 is also what I’m getting for the replacement wheels, so I may end up with some shims (3mm were easy to find) on the front too to keep that gap to the spring platform safe…

 

[Cuiken]

Tyres ordered in 255/50/18. Let's see how this goes

 

[Rids]

I’d like to hear how you get on & how good those hankooks are in some snow…

Oh & we should compare notes on best pressures to run at…
I started at the std sportline (255/45 R18 in the pic earlier in this thread) values and was heading down from there… till they had to come off…

 

[Cuiken]

Will do, I'll post pics and everything

Just waiting for it all to be deliovered now.

What was it about the std sportline tyre presure that made you want to reduce it (just comfort)? Ohh and where did you get to with tyre presures before they had to come off?

 

[Rids]

I was just experimenting; going on feel, turn in and bounciness then measuring tyre wall temperature rise and pressure rise from cold after approx 20mins of 30mph+ driving an empty van.
Test was somewhat compromised by intense sun on one side of the van, but I got down to 40F but still 36R and it was driving great...