Wheel and Tire Woes Options

[Fastbird]

Ok, so we got our new wheels and tires mated together today.

18x8 HP Racing HPR5 Wheels and 215/35-18 General Exclaim UHP tires. Here's the problem.

I feel that the 215's are just too narrow for the 8" wide rim. The sidewall just bows out a little too much for our taste/comfort level. That said, we're looking at selling the Exclaim UHP's and purchasing a wider tire.

A 235/30 would be PERFECT, but no one seems to make one. What are you 8" wide rim guys running in terms of tire sizing and keeping very near the stock diameter.

Right now it looks like the best compromise will be a 225/35-18, but I'm a little weary on how well the 225's will be width-wise.

Thoughts??

[Fastbird]

Here's a couple of pics to illustrate what I'm talking about:


Overall, the sidewall height is 3.0" tall and I'm comfortable with that. But....


You can see here how the sidewalls of the 215/35 tire are being pulled outwards on the 8" wide wheel. Not a terrible concern until you notice that


The first thing to touch anything is going to be the rim. Even laying the wheel down on the back side it lays on the rim and not any rubber.

So the real question, how much wider of a tire should be run on the 8" wide wheel to compensate and how low of a profile? Future plans call for Tein S-Tech springs in the short term, Tein SS coil overs down the road.

I'm thinking a 235/35 would be pretty good, maybe even a 245/35.