Vegassc400

I just got a set of Racing Hart M5's. Fronts are 19x8 and rears are 19x8.5. My problem is that I don't like Pirelli tires and they (from what I can tell) are the only company that makes the tire sizes (front and rear) I need. My main issue with Pirelli is tread wear. I don't want to go ghetto and put different tires on the front and rear. The size on the front is 225 35 r19 and rears are 255 30 r19. Are these the only sizes I can put on these rims? I wouldn't mind going to a wider tire or even a little larger. Some of the pot holes here in Vegas can swallow a rim and destroy it. Any suggestions would be welcome.

GS4Will

you sure the rear is not 9 or 9.5s?

front: 235/35/19 is ok

Vegassc400

I'm pretty sure it's only 8.5". At least that's what the guy I bought them from told me. When you measure the width is it from the inside of the lip or the total width from outside lip to outside lip?

GS4Will

outside to outside

Vegassc400

I looked on the back of the wheel and it says 19x8 on the front and 19x8.5 on the rear. I'm assuming those are the correct. Then I laid the rim flat and measured top to bottom and it was 9.5". Anyway, the wheel came with 255's on it and I think that might be what I'm stuck with. It would be nice to get a bigger tire and not get stuck with Pirellis.

SoCalSC4

Argh!! People screw this up all the time...

Wheel width is always measured bead-seat to bead-seat , which is the inner portion of the rim bead to the opposite inner rim bead. You'll need to have the tires off of the wheel to get an accurate measurement.

The rim flange thickness is 1/2" (x2 flanges). Therefore, a 19x8 is really 19x9" wide overall (outside to outside). Tire manufacturers are only concerned with how the tire mounts on the wheel. This is why a 275/30-20 (10.8" wide) looks perfect on a 20x9.5 wheel- it's actually 10.5" wide.

If you mesure the wheel with the tire on it, and it measures 9" wide overall, subtract 1" to realize the "technical" or correct width.

225/35-19 is REALLY short for an SC. From a distance, it will look like the car has NO tires on it!!
I would recommend at least 235./35-19- you could still squeeze a 265/30-19 on the rear, even if it is only 19x8.5. This also opens up quite a few more tire options.

Vegassc400

Thank you soooooooo much for the info. The thought of spending about $550 on rear tires and then replacing them in 6 months is kind of agonizing. I would rather have a little extra rubber on the tires just to protect the rims. They're at the wheel shop now getting stripped and repolished.