housecor

iTrader: (2)

MODS - I'm looking for info specific to the 5th gen so could you please leave this for me?

I'm considering picking up Toyo Proxes 4's in 235/45/17 for my stock 17's but I've yet to see any pics of this size installed. I'm concerned that the smaller diameter and lower profile sidewall will emphasize wheel gap.

Also, it'd be great to hear from others running 235's:
- How is handling?
- Any problems with the out of spec width?
- Notice any ride degradation with the 45 series rubber?
- Installers hassle ya?

And yes, I've read all the usual threads on this topic out of the FAQ.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

no problems, handles great and I dont think the wheelgap is an issue.

I will post pics in a min

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Installers didn't hassle me or ? me at all (Local Discount Tire) . Handling is a bit better, though I haven't really pushed it as hard as I want.

They're quieter, and smoother, but then again I had 54k old Craptenzas.

I have Kuhmo ASX now, ordered the SPT's but a big mix up happened and I bought the ASX because that's the way the cookie crumbled.

I can email you pics later (Camera phone, but you can get the idea of the wheel gap).. Also, Keep in mind, I'm still on sotck springs ... There's 0.2" difference in height ..

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

Edit: Before dropping on D2's, still stock springs

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

I'm running Pilot Sport A/S...and let me just say...THEY ARE WELL WORTH THE PRICE!!!!

housecor

iTrader: (2)

Man, you guys are quick! Hey upstate - What rubber you running there? Is the ride notably stiffer w/ the 45 series (I assume) tires? Wheel gap looks a little larger than stock, as I'd expect. I have H&R's so it's hard to say what the difference would look like. Any H&R/Maxspeed owners on 235's out there?

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

They are 235/45/17 Conti Extreme Contacts, I would say ride quality is the same as OEM, it also depends on the sidewall stiffness, some are stiffer, some are softer...

I would say with H&R's you will not really notice a wheelgap difference.

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

Housecor, just to add to what we were talking about before....my ride quality with 40-profile Proxes4 (235/40/18) is actually BETTER than the ride quality of my OEM potenzas or my 225/50/17 Falken 512s...

it's just a good-riding tire all around

MaximaPolak

iTrader: (9)

I have 245/45/17s and they are good....one downside is there is road noise with the 245s...shouldn't be there with the 235s.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

And you're on stock tires? I wou;dn't go that far .. how is the handling?

Fezzik

iTrader: (2)

I have the toyo proxies 4 and they are excellent tires. I have that size on my stock wheel. I dont have the wheel gap b/c i'm lowered thought, but they grip really well and do great during the rain and snow

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

Fuzion ZRi 235/45R17 @ 37 psi on OEM SE rims. Still on the stock springs and shocks.

• - How is handling? Better than the crapenzas, though these tires are loud and follow ruts/cracks on the pavement.
• - Any problems with the out of spec width? None and I push them hard. They have stiff sidewalls. Turn in is sharp and stable.
• - Notice any ride degradation with the 45 series rubber? Hey, stiff sidewall make it for a stiff ride, but that's my choice.
• - Installers hassle ya? As I told you in the other thread, none. The guy even wanted my feedback.

Ataraxia

iTrader: (1)

I'm using Kumho Ecstas and the handling is MUCH better than the Potenzas I trashed a week after buying the car. I'm on stock suspension, no mods, stock rims. The Proxes 4's are nice tires (they'll replace my Ecstas next year). They are well worth the $$.

NisMo-Max

iTrader: (40)

i like my toyo proxe 4's , wheel gap wasnt an issue you can bareley tell. PLus im on S techs but i went with 235 45 17 on my stock wheels, tire tread looks great, as well as comfort and handeling

OOmaxSE

iTrader: (19)

235/45/17 falken azenis st-115. handling is better than stock but sensitive because of the stiff sidewalls, i can feel cracks on the roads. honestly, makes stock wheels look bigger and sportier.

00SEMAX19

iTrader: (4)

I had the 2354517 pilot sport as on my max untill I put on my 19's. They were quiet and had great wet and dry traction but seemed to wander alot. This is a michelin problem not a size problem, That size tire rides really nice and handles great. I have 1 pic on my site of my max on the stock wheels with the pilots if ya want to check it out.

filtor1

iTrader: (7)

Nitto 555's. The last set lasted 36K miles. The rears are still going. Just replaced the fronts. No issues with clearance. I have Tein H-techs /KYB GR2's. I think I could get another 5K out of the rears. I highly recommend these tires. You can't beat them at $104/tire. Oh, they are 235/45/17's.

00SEMAX19

iTrader: (4)

Nitto 555's are what I have on my 19's...Not great but deffinately not bad for the price

UGAd13

235/45/17 on stock '03 GLE wheels. I haven't pushed it too hard but the ride is great and the handling is awesome. Cardomain is F'ing up and it won't let me upload pics right now. If you want the few that I have I can email them to you. The wheel gap is noticable but I like the way the car looks with the 235/45s and H&Rs.

GreenSeMax

i have Conti extreme contacts 235/45/zr17, they are great all around, awesome wet when new. slight harsher ride, but more grip at the limit, less tire squeal under low speed/high steering input, but definitely accentuates my wheel gaps, but it doesn't bother me much, i am driving a family sedan heheh. They have great dry traction, only thing left to be desired is the compound, they are hard as a rock, and have lasted me 48k miles, and i'm still about a month from the wear indicators(or a couple burnouts). Next time i'm getting potenza RE750. My friend just put 235/45s on his 2000, they are toyo proxes, and now like 6 weeks later they have noticeable wear for the mileage, they are nice and quiet, but the grip dry pavement awesome, especially for the price. I'll never go back to 225s.

Mizike

iTrader: (7)

I picked up a set of Pirelli PZero Nero M+S (235/45/17) on OEM 17's with stock struts and springs. You should not have any problems with this size on your stock rims. Ive had my tires for a little over 10k miles and they show minor wear and I drive spirited!! They are great for dry and wet traction.....no snow experience so far. The Pirelli's are much nicer than the stock Potenzas, which is a given. They are pretty quiet also. I read about them getting a bit loud after they wear down a bit, but I havent experienced that. Installers didnt give me any problems at all,..in fact they complimented me on my choice of tires. Anyhow, to make a long answer short,...you really dont have anything to worry about when choosing this size tire for your stock rims. Good luck with your purchase.

Chris.s

except i run 39-40 dry and 35 or so wet. for some reason i cant find a pressure that is perfect for both.

GreenSeMax

i run 37-38 rear, 32 front normally, i know it's opposite of conventional loading standards, but it promotes more neutral handling because it acts against understeer by allowing more front traction than rear due to contact patch manipulation. try it, trust me playing with pressures will make a huge difference.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Tire specs for the Kumho ASX.
235/45 WR17
94W SL 420 AA A
1477 lbs.
51 psi
10/32"
25 lbs. 7.5-9" This is the recommended widths
8"
9.3"
NA
25.4"
NA

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

that is no secret on the org...

He was asking if anyone has had a problem since alot of people on the org run this tire size on OEM rims. It has been discussed to death if you should run the tire on a 7" rim since it is "recommended" on a 7.5" rim, it is basically the tire company covering their **** in the rare case that something does happen.

you can definantly run the tire, just at your own risk and realize that if it blows out, the tire company will do nothing for you.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

I bet that less than 1/2 of us know about this. I can understand it though 225-50-17 is just a biach to buy and has no good selection. But it should be said.

The chances are probably small if anyone will have a problem. But no one probably drives the car hard enough to become an issue. If one had a tire size related problem on the street, I would think the tire replacement issue would be one of the lesser worries at that time. ie.. running into something, some car or someone. I believe the issue is the load rating. Which probably won't come into play unless you really push the car.

Weimar Ben

iTrader: (5)

I have 235/45/17 falklin's on there now. The michelin Pilot sport 225/45/17 cornered a little better, but they're both great tires. Discount tire didn't give me any hassles about the falklins.

From what I read, 235/45/17's are within the engineering tolerences, just not the official one. Any problems would only manifest themselves in extremely low tire pressures. Bottom line, keep them inflated and you won't have any problems.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

It is a bit of a risk, it just blows my mind that so many people get all heated and spit when someone wants to put on a 235/45/17 tire, yet the only comment they say when some **** puts 20" rims on a max is "it looks ugly" or "yo those are phat".

I would think the the 20's are way more dangerous since most that are putting them on are doing it on factory brake systems and hubs that are not capable of handling that rim. I will take my chances with my 235's.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Interesting comparison. I wouldn't know how to compare the risk of both. But I can say I don't have blanging 20"s yO. hehe Also I don't think anyone that be running teh dubs would know enough about tires sizes to comment. But in general I agree.

Bondy009

I got the Pzero nero M S's as well 235/45/17...I love em except they are 130 a tire and I might need new ones after 25-30K which is not bad but still expensive..I would ,I recommend these tires to anyone, they grip like no other, are quiet and snow handeling is excellent. What do you guys use for pressure to get the most life out of tires and how much does it really help..I kno the more the better for tire life so i set it at 34-35..Thanks

Bondy009

about tire size, compare the overall diamter of 225/50 to 235/45, the dofference is like 1.7% which shouldnt cause a problem unless pushed to extremes. Tirerack doesnt offer any good tires at 225/50 except pilot sports both those are $$$, more dough then Pzero's and prolly worse of an all year tire.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Overall diameter is not the issue.

housecor

iTrader: (2)

Actually, the Avon M550's at Tirerack are 225/50, and are getting excellent reviews for only $117. They're my other option. Here's a little info I posted from another thread:

The 235/45/17 Toyos weigh only 24 lbs. vs 29 lbs. for the Avons. This is quite significant when you consider this quote pulled from Google:

"Tires...are all unsprung weight. One pound of "unsprung" weight is equal to 8 pounds of "sprung" weight...For every 10 pounds of unsprung weight removed you may pick up as much as .01 seconds in quarter mile ET."

Therefore, the 5 lbs. saved with the Toyo's equates to the elimination of 160 lbs. of sprung weight! (5 lbs. x 4 wheels x 8) Significant. This is basically the equivalent of removing a passenger from the car. Wow.

Regarding running 235's on a 7" rim, it's hard to say how much the small difference in width could contribute to additional heat or risk of failure. The Avon's are quite wide shouldered for a 225 with a width of 9.1" inflated on a 7" rim versus the Toyo's approximate width of 9.3" inflated on a 7" rim (Toyo site lists 9.4" width on 8" rim - should be slightly lower width on a narrower 7" rim per tirerack). So the actual difference in width between the two tires when installed is only around .2".

In general, I agree it's likely a very minimal risk w/ proper inflation. Problem is, the Avon's are spec sized and have a lot going for them as well. Here's my short comparo list:

Avon:
Appear to be better in snow
less wheel gap (.5")
Within Spec (safer)
Perhaps quieter (more conservative tread pattern - great reviews)
smoother ride from taller sidewall
perfect match for factory size - no speedo error

Toyo Proxes 4:
better handling from lower sidewall
cheaper by $60
Better looking tread/sidewall
lighter by 5 lbs.

Am I missing anything here? I'm suprised the Avon's aren't more popular on the forum. Many Max owners on Tirerack have praised them. The Avon's look better on paper other than weight (which could be a biggie), but the Proxes have gotten excellent reviews around here as well and are killer looking rubber. Tough call.

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

You are missing the unsprung weight calculations you posed in the other thread. That alone is a deal breaker for me on the Avons.

housecor

iTrader: (2)

Nope, the calcluations are actually up there in my gigantic post. And yes, the light weight is likely the single biggest reason I'm leaning toward the Toyo's.

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

Just a couple extra comments about the Proxes...

I got mine in the middle of winter last year, and they did very nicely in the snow, especially for a 235/40/18!

The LATERAL rain grip is excellent compared even to the Falken 512s, which have really good overall rain performance. Cornering in the rain with the Toyos inspires alot of confidence.

The Toyos are VERY quiet....Jason (cutler) rode with me a few days back and the first thing he said was "dude, those tires are really quiet"....

Ride is good, even considering the low profile mine are.

I don't know much about the Avons and can't say anything good or bad about them...but you can't go wrong with the Toyos....

ColdSHO

iTrader: (25)

im running 235/45 Nankang NS-1s i dont think anyone else has them on the org, at least from what ive found. i really like them, but i guess theyre discontinued so i guess ill have to look into something diff when i burn thru these.

Bondy009

where did u get the toyos 4 and how much?

wheeldream76

What can you say about durability and tread life for the Toyos?? How do they hold? I know that Avon are pretty good in this department. They last and last a loong time.

How come no one here mentioned the Pirelli Nero M&S....they are not too $$ and they get great reviews on Tirerack, plus they seem to be very quiet and NOT heavy.

Gears & Crosses

I have the same size on mine. I am very happy with the look and ride on a stock suspension. No big gap here...

Gears