A6TwinTurbo

Does the awd cause excessive wear on the tires?
I don't mind the slight increase in height from the 245's (1/4"???) or the difference in speedometer readings ... more concerned with tire extending past the sheet metal or clearance problems with brakes or suspension ????

SnowToy

I had that setup - ATP 05's w/ D5000's
Great looking, and no clearance problems with either my original PSK or the Eibach heights.
Without mudflaps you will throw stuff up however.. even with flaps it's a bit tough to keep it clean.

The extra width and grip was worth it to me for that tradeoff - I just wish I could fit a 245/40/18 on now....

FWIW - I love the S-03's !! the Dunlops seemed prone to getting out of shape...but they work very well in all conditions... and the ATP's are very soft rims... but then again I live in the sticks in Maine...

BEst of luck - regardless of which way you go, it'll be a great improvement!

MarkFank

You can squeeze a 235 on to a 7.5" wheel but it would be better to have an 8" wheel with a 235 or a 8.5" for a 245 width.

Singletrack

Any suspension mods now or upcoming? If you're buying wheels I would go with at least an 8 inch width.

-st

myfirstimport

I have 245's on 18 inch wheels. Does not stick out past fender.

DWP

I think you need an 8" wheel. Or 7 1/2 at the very least!

TXurS6

Tire widths vary by brand even with the same labeled width. You wouldn't really want to try and mount 245's on a 17X7 rim anyway. It's really too narrow for even the 235 width.

Post this question on the Wheel and Tire forum and say what wheels and tires you are considering. There's probably someone who has tried the combination and can give advice.

captainbilly

Fat tires on narrow rims will give poor handling qualities. The narrow rim doesn't support the sidewall properly so the tire flexes more than it should and responds slowly. You can also get tread rolling under when cornering hard. You will notice, if you look at the specs. of most high performance cars, that they use relatively wide wheels for the tire size they are using.

235/45/17 on 8 - 8.5" rims or 235/40/18 on 8 - 8.5" rims would probably be ideal. You could try 255/40/17 (like the 4.2 sport package) but you may have some fender rubbing on a 2.7t since the 2.7t doesn't have the wide fenders.

7" wide rim is too narrow for performance use and I believe that 7.5" is the narrowest rim that the manufacturer of tires would suggest for a 235.

carbonLORD

Is the offset for a 2.8 different from the 2.7T?

Shai

No clearance problem w/ brakes or suspension but they do stick out a little (but then again I like the look)