I'm really thinking of selling my 17s before i buy tires for them and mount them because I'm afraid i will regret getting 17s later on.

I am just wondering how long 18" tires last as opposed to 17"s?



Post your driving style and amount of miles the tires lasted.


thanks

 

My friend says the tread can last just as long, the only difference is the 18" tire has harder steel belting to comphensate for the lesser amount of air in the tire.

BTW, Look one or so threads down. I can let you in on my deal.

 

I agree with Craig. It has little to do with the tire size and everything to do with the tire type/brand. That having been said, you're less likely to find a mild-performing, higher-mileage tire in lower profile tires than taller ones, which is why the misconception may be out there that lower profile means less life. Just make sure you read up on the tire before you purchase...the TireRack's feedback ratings are a fantastic way to get an idea of how the tire will do. Also, stay away from the higher performance tire categories if you want higher tread life, i.e. choose high performancee instead of ultra high perf or choose ultra high perf instead of maximum perf.

 

interesting
It seems like most people are happy to get around 20k miles out of their 18" tires..

Which is pretty sh!tty to me. Especially after paying 150$ or so per tire.. i thought it is just an expected thread life for low profile tires, even less than the same exact tire in a taller profile.. which kind of makes little sense.


Craig Mack,
thanks for the flava in my ear but I am skeptical about those wheels, although i think they'd look pretty funky I'll let you be the lab rat and try them 1st..

 

The UTQG rating will give you a good idea of just how long a tire will last. A tire rated at 400AA will last twice as long as one rated at 200AA. On the other hand, a tire rated at 200AA will be made of a softer compound and have better grip than the 400AA rated tire.

DW

 

I know how to read the life ratings

i was just wondering if low profile tires really do last a lot less than 16s etc.. even if it's the same exact tire, just in a different size/profile..

 

Tread wear ratings can only be compared to other tires made by the same brand.

 

Ahhh, I did not know this. Thnx for the heads up

DW

 

Yeah, there are alot of misconceptions about 18's, especially the one that says it will slow down your car. Yes, science can be applied to real-life situations but common sense has to be applied as well. the M3 and 745i have 18's standard and 19's optional. BMW would never offer as an option something that is pure looks at the expense of performance. 19" is higher performance than 18".

The myth that I believed until I slapped the 18's on was the "be very careful, you have so little sidewall--hit a pothole and your rim is done!" Baloney! The new rubber has alot more design technology so you can realistically ride on a 40's series tire everyday. What impresses me is that when they say 18" M+S all-season, they're not kidding!

Maxima is not a high performance car, so imho the addition of 18's probably increases the skidpad performance but nothing else. It does make a 4th gen look much better because the 16's (or 15's on a GLE/GXE) look so puny. However, if I already had 17's going to 18's is nothing more than looks, so save the $$$. Gotta go +2 if you spend the dough. 19" on a Maxima? Probably overkill.

 

Yes, bigger rims like 18s will slow down your car. Just because BMW puts them stock on their cars doesn't disprove anything. Of course car makers will want to put the bigger rim on their cars b/c it makes them look way better. The bigger rims on cars is just the evolution of standard equipment. Soon enough, even Maximas will have 18s standard, too. If a guy who owns a BMW puts 19s on his car, they are bound to be slower, and harder on the suspension. Also, the shorter sidewall thing is true, too. You can compensate for the laws of physics with tougher tires and whatnot, but you can't defy it completely. I bet that as wheels get bigger and bigger, and tires get lower and lower in profile, the rim straightening business will just grow and keep growing.

I'm not trying to argue, I always try to present the good with the bad. 18s are great looking, will give you awesome and better cornering power b/c you can put on fatter tires, but when put on a car which originally came with 16s, something will give, mainly harsher ride, braking and accelleration will suffer, etc. If you can live with it, so be it.

DW

 

They will last a long time as long as you dont drive hard and take turns fast. Mine only last about a year.

 

They used to say the same thing about ice hockey, that it was an advantage to be smaller, even shrimpy, like 5'10". Now they say there is absolutely, positively, no advantage to being smaller in the NHL. Physics says a 5'10" can outperform someone who is 6'4". It's called inertia. When you pull your arms in you spin faster. Look at Eric Lindros--he is just as nimble as a midget who is 5'9".

Maybe you're thinking Maxima where people may put the wrong width, offset, and tire, so performance is worse than stock. Stick with +1/+2, 17's will probably be optimum on a Maxima, but 15's will never be. btw 15<17 There is NO advantage of a 15" tire over a 17", you're talking a 65-series compared to a 40-series. 15" represents a cost-savings to the manufacturer of the car.

 

Sounds to me like youre talking more about spinning (figure skating) than hockey.

Now back to cars; having bigger wheels WILL slow you down, but there are always lots of variables. I have 18s and 16s, and I can tell you that with my 18s I hop a LOT harder on launches and my car feels slightly slower off the line (a lot of it has to do with learning how to launch differently though). Physics says that the more weight you have closer to the center of the wheel the faster you can accelerate. You can test this with cans if you so desire so you can see the "real world performance" difference.

Icm=MR^2
-hype

 

You have some points, but I would ask, "slow you down" in what way? On the skidpad? Slalom course? 0-60? 0-100? 1/4 mile? Braking (which would be a plus)?

The wheel hop is FWD. mine did it with the RS-A and it does it with 18's. I'll be honest, I don't know which is worse because I try to avoid it so I ease the clutch.

My common sense would say that 18 is not optimum on a Maxima due to the geometry of the suspension. Not only that, but the 18 is the same width as the correct 17. So I would say 235/45-17 is the best for a max. however, 40's series are more responsive.

one last comment, quality often goes up with increases in rim diameter. who in their right mind would put a cast rim on their car in a 19" size? forging is obviously the only way to go.

 

The 18s are harder to start accelerating with (from a stop), and also increase braking distance due to the greater rotational inertia. I believe the 18s help in handling, but I can't actually prove that.

Here's an example: Lets say 2 identical cars come with 2 different sized wheels (18" and 16") which weigh exactly the same. If you took both cars up to a certain speed (60mph for instance) on the same level stretch of highway the car with the 18s would roll further than the car with 16s because of the extra rotational inertia.

I know all about wheel hop I also have an ACT, and with 18s its harder to get a smooth start because the wheels don't start turning as easily.

My wheels are 18x8 with 235/40/18 Nitto NT555s. A lot of people get 17x7s, so the width wouldn't be the same.

-hype

 

BTW to get the thread back on topic:

My Nitto NT555s were at about half life when I got hit and got a few set of tires So, I would say that the half life of the NT555s was around 15k. 30k is reasonable to me since they are Z rated tires and I do drive relatively agressively.
-hype

 

 

Like I said, you've got some good points. I think it was R&T that tested a BMW 5-Series a few years ago. at the time, 17's were optional BMW rims. Believe it or not, I think 15's were standard. R&T went up to 18" (19's were not realistic back then in 1997). The 17's offered the highest performance all-around. 15's and 16's which were smaller did worse.