265/35/18 on stock rim ?

I have noticed a couple of people running 265/35/18 on stock 18" rims...are you guys running at the track or street with those sizes?

I would like to do the same with Mich. PSC, but am worried re rubbing issues or handling with a tire that is sl. too wide for the 8" rim up front.

I also noticed that Nick runs stock 18X9 rear rim on the front...any issues with that? Do you need a spacer or is the extra camber enough?

Thanks

A spacer would make clearance problems worse. The camber is needed to keep the rim off of the fender, and a spacer would shove it right in there.

Originally Posted by batmanm3

I have noticed a couple of people running 265/35/18 on stock 18" rims...are you guys running at the track or street with those sizes?

I would like to do the same with Mich. PSC, but am worried re rubbing issues or handling with a tire that is sl. too wide for the 8" rim up front.

I also noticed that Nick runs stock 18X9 rear rim on the front...any issues with that? Do you need a spacer or is the extra camber enough?

Thanks

The fit fine on stock 18's with stock camber. No problems at all.

Alex

Did you have stock camber when you put the Dunlops on the first time? I thought you had at least pulled the pin for the extra 0.5 degrees.

Originally Posted by Pinecone

Did you have stock camber when you put the Dunlops on the first time? I thought you had at least pulled the pin for the extra 0.5 degrees.

Oh yeah. Forgot about that.




Alex

Running a 265 on an 8" rim is certainly not optimal. I think most folks will tell you that on the track there is a good chance you'll get some tread squirm. For autox our primary focus is on mechanical grip at pretty much all costs (wider = better in nearly all situations.)

I don't recall trying those sizes without at least pulling the strut-pin first but I seriously doubt there will be any rubbing on the 8" wheel.

To run the rear 9" wheel up front requires something like -2.5 deg camber and more would be better. At -2.5 it just barely rubs on the fender liner at full lock when the suspension is loaded, which is to say not very often.

Good info, thanks.

Any of you run with the stock susp. mounts (?) swapped left to right? Is that enough camber to run the rear wheel up front or are camber plates a must?

For track use then would you say 245/275 on stock rims would be better than the 265 all round (ie. the excess tread squirm offsetting the extra grip)?

Originally Posted by batmanm3

Good info, thanks.

Any of you run with the stock susp. mounts (?) swapped left to right? Is that enough camber to run the rear wheel up front or are camber plates a must?

For track use then would you say 245/275 on stock rims would be better than the 265 all round (ie. the excess tread squirm offsetting the extra grip)?

I did the hat swap that you're talking about, and it allows me to run the rear wheels up front with 265's with no problem.

Alex

Yes, and Yes. I get about 2.5 degrees of negative camber with swapped hats and the pins pulled. I actually get 3.1 degrees on one side.

No, I would run 265 all around.

Pinecone or BahnBaum
Do you leave your suspension like that for street use as well? What kind of tire wear do you get or are your cars primarily track/weekend cars?

Any idea if all of this would also work with a Stoptech BBK (which requires a 10mm spacer up front with the stock front rims)...ie. would you have to use the spacer as well with the rear rims and if so would it probably hit the fender on the outside?

I'd go and try it but I haven't done the hat swap bit and my stock 18 have winter tires on them still...

Thanks for your patience

Yes, all of us run them this way all the time. Too much trouble to swap back and forth.

I haven't seen any abnormal tire wear, but haven't put that many miles on it. And I haven't had the toe set properly since the swap either.

Why would you have to run a spacer in the rear? The spacer is to clear the larger caliper used on the fronts. Call StopTech and ask.

As for spacing in the front, not sure if you can get by with a spacer at a set of rears.

Sorry, I didn't make it clear enough...what I meant was if I were to use the rear stock 18 up front, would I still need the 10 mm spacer which I need with the stock front rims.

My concern would be I would need the spacer for clearance for the caliper but it would cause problems with the fender by making the offset worse...

(actually, the rear wheel clears the rear caliper...assuming they are the same then I would not need a spacer for using the rear wheel up front)

I definately need to swap hats and try this out.

Originally Posted by batmanm3

Sorry, I didn't make it clear enough...what I meant was if I were to use the rear stock 18 up front, would I still need the 10 mm spacer which I need with the stock front rims.

My concern would be I would need the spacer for clearance for the caliper but it would cause problems with the fender by making the offset worse...

(actually, the rear wheel clears the rear caliper...assuming they are the same then I would not need a spacer for using the rear wheel up front)

I definately need to swap hats and try this out.

Why do you need a spacer?

BIG front caliper. No way of knowing without trying it, os using the template on the StopTech site and pulling a rear wheel to check it out. Rear calipers are smaller, so you may not need a spacer in the rear, but still may need one in the front.

And do you NEED a 10mm, or will 8 or even 5 do?

not sure if you can get away with thinner spacer...10mm is what stoptech recommends with the stock 18" front wheel...