Gs 300 18's 19's Or 20's

[krymsn]

Hey I am looking to upgrade my tires. Which looks the best out of the three sizes listed in the title? I would buy 18's but I don't know if they will look funny or not. I know the larger you go the worse the ride quality gets. What is the importance of having the stagger on the tire/rim sizes. Thanks!

[krymsn]

Hey I am looking to upgrade my tires. Which looks the best out of the three sizes listed in the title? I would buy 18's but I don't know if they will look funny or not. I know the larger you go the worse the ride quality gets. What is the importance of having the stagger on the tire/rim sizes. Thanks!

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I forgot to put that my GS 300 is the 2000 model

[Neo]

Hey I am looking to upgrade my tires.

←

I assume you are upgrading your rims as well. ;)

Which looks the best out of the three sizes listed in the title? I would buy 18's but I don't know if they will look funny or not. I know the larger you go the worse the ride quality gets.

←

Alhough I like 20s, 19s and 18s are good choices too.

What is the importance of having the stagger on the tire/rim sizes. Thanks!

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Car looks meaner. More rubber in the rear on a RWD car helps to put more rubber to the ground. This means better performance.

[krymsn]

Hey I am looking to upgrade my tires.

←

I assume you are upgrading your rims as well. ;)

Which looks the best out of the three sizes listed in the title? I would buy 18's but I don't know if they will look funny or not. I know the larger you go the worse the ride quality gets.

←

Alhough I like 20s, 19s and 18s are good choices too.

What is the importance of having the stagger on the tire/rim sizes. Thanks!

←

Car looks meaner. More rubber in the rear on a RWD car helps to put more rubber to the ground. This means better performance.

←

Neo you are the man. One more question. I love the 20's the most also, does it totally destroy the ride? I know it is gonna look beautiful but will it feel like I am riding in a 94 geo Tracker :o if I go that large in size? Thanks!!

[dcfish]

Hey I am looking to upgrade my tires.

←

I assume you are upgrading your rims as well. ;)

Which looks the best out of the three sizes listed in the title? I would buy 18's but I don't know if they will look funny or not. I know the larger you go the worse the ride quality gets.

←

Alhough I like 20s, 19s and 18s are good choices too.

What is the importance of having the stagger on the tire/rim sizes. Thanks!

←

Car looks meaner. More rubber in the rear on a RWD car helps to put more rubber to the ground. This means better performance.

←

Neo you are the man. One more question. I love the 20's the most also, does it totally destroy the ride? I know it is gonna look beautiful but will it feel like I am riding in a 94 geo Tracker :o if I go that large in size? Thanks!!

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18's, Keep your ride comfort. B)

[Neo]

One more question. I love the 20's the most also, does it totally destroy the ride? I know it is gonna look beautiful but will it feel like I am riding in a 94 geo Tracker  :o if I go that large in size?  Thanks!!

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The ride will get stiffer. What are you on now? 16s? The low-profile tires have stiffer sidewalls as well as less of it. Some tires are smoother than others, though. I am hearing good reviews on the Michelin PS2 but they are costly. The other piece is the suspension. If you have less sporty shock/springs or coilovers, it won't be as bad.

To me, the best combo (as far as wheels go) for ride quality would be 19s with the "fat" tire setup. With this setup, you will have the same sidewall as 18s but have the outside diameter of 20s.

[krymsn]

One more question. I love the 20's the most also, does it totally destroy the ride? I know it is gonna look beautiful but will it feel like I am riding in a 94 geo Tracker  :o if I go that large in size?  Thanks!!

←

The ride will get stiffer. What are you on now? 16s? The low-profile tires have stiffer sidewalls as well as less of it. Some tires are smoother than others, though. I am hearing good reviews on the Michelin PS2 but they are costly. The other piece is the suspension. If you have less sporty shock/springs or coilovers, it won't be as bad.

To me, the best combo (as far as wheels go) for ride quality would be 19s with the "fat" tire setup. With this setup, you will have the same sidewall as 18s but have the outside diameter of 20s.

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Yeah I have 16s right now. My brother keeps telling not to go more than two sizes off of the oem size due to the ride factor. But I do love the bigger sizes. I was thinking about the 19s because they look very much similar to the 20s. Changing the suspension is really expensive isn't it? Like 1500? For the 19s what exactly would qualify as "fat"?

[Neo]

For the sake of simplifying the discussion, let's say you have 18s, 19s, and 20s same width at all 4 wheels (vs a staggered setup).

The typical tire sizes are:

18: 245/40

19: 245/35

20: 245/35

Notice that the 19s and 20s run the same size. This makes the diameter of the 20s setup about 1" more than the OEM setup. The 18 and 19 setup will match OEM. This difference is due mainly to 2 reasons:

1. Most people are not willing to ride on 30 series tires. Too thin = harsh.

2. Tire availabilty is diminished with 245/30 sizing.

To run 19s fat, you are basically making the sidewall fatter. This means you run

19: 245/40

This makes the diameter about 1" more than spec. This is the same as 20s.

The benefits (just like with 20s) are less fender gap and a bit more ground clearance. Both of this means you have to lower the car less to reduce the fender/wheel gap while still having a little more ground clearance for bumps and dips. The ride quality will also decrease less since you are running the same sidewall as 18s.

The drawback (just like with 20s) is that you will have some intermittent rubbing in the front fender trim and wall.

As for suspension, if you are really care about ride quality, I'd recommend saving up for a set of Tein CS coilovers. These will be about $1500 installed. You can gothe way of shocks and springs. There are lowering springs that retain the stock smoothness like Daizen and Espelir while giving you less floaty handling. Then you'd have to mate it with complementary shock. Depending on how serious you are with this, the coilovers will be worth it. I went from s/s to sporty coilovers to cruising coilovers. All that install cost wasted. ;)

[krymsn]

For the sake of simplifying the discussion, let's say you have 18s, 19s, and 20s same width at all 4 wheels (vs a staggered setup).

The typical tire sizes are:

18: 245/40

19: 245/35

20: 245/35

Notice that the 19s and 20s run the same size.  This makes the diameter of the 20s setup about 1" more than the OEM setup.  The 18 and 19 setup will match OEM.  This difference is due mainly to 2 reasons:

1.  Most people are not willing to ride on 30 series tires.  Too thin = harsh.

2.  Tire availabilty is diminished with 245/30 sizing.

To run 19s fat, you are basically making the sidewall fatter.  This means you run

19: 245/40

This makes the diameter about 1" more than spec.  This is the same as 20s.

The benefits (just like with 20s) are less fender gap and a bit more ground clearance.  Both of this means you have to lower the car less to reduce the fender/wheel gap while still having a little more ground clearance for bumps and dips.  The ride quality will also decrease less since you are running the same sidewall as 18s.

The drawback (just like with 20s) is that you will have some intermittent rubbing in the front fender trim and wall.

As for suspension, if you are really care about ride quality, I'd recommend saving up for a set of Tein CS coilovers.  These will be about $1500 installed.  You can gothe way of shocks and springs.  There are lowering springs that retain the stock smoothness like Daizen and Espelir while giving you less floaty handling.  Then you'd have to mate it with complementary shock.  Depending on how serious you are with this, the coilovers will be worth it.  I went from s/s to sporty coilovers to cruising coilovers.  All that install cost wasted. ;)

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What's up Neo,

I am definitely going to run the staggered set up. I am looking at 19" niche rhine's. So put the 245/40 on the front and back right?

[Neo]

I am definitely going to run the staggered set up. I am looking at 19" niche rhine's. So put the 245/40 on the front and back right?

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Sounds like you want the fat setup. :) If I was running 19s, I'd do the same. There are times when I contemplate going down to a 19s fat setup but I can't quite bring myself to lose the 20s. It may still happen one day, who knows? ;)

If you are running staggered, what widths are you running?

Front:

19x8? 19x8.5? 19x9?

Rear

19x9? 19x9.5? 19x10?

What offsets for the front and what offsets for the rear? In general, a 245/40 front and 275/35 rear would be what you want.

[krymsn]

I am definitely going to run the staggered set up. I am looking at 19" niche rhine's. So put the 245/40 on the front and back right?

←

Sounds like you want the fat setup. :) If I was running 19s, I'd do the same. There are times when I contemplate going down to a 19s fat setup but I can't quite bring myself to lose the 20s. It may still happen one day, who knows? ;)

If you are running staggered, what widths are you running?

Front:

19x8? 19x8.5? 19x9?

Rear

19x9? 19x9.5? 19x10?

What offsets for the front and what offsets for the rear? In general, a 245/40 front and 275/35 rear would be what you want.

←

What's up Neo,

The wheels are 19x7.5 and 19x8.5. Are these good dimensions? He didn't give me the offsets for it though.

[Neo]

What's up Neo,

The wheels are 19x7.5 and 19x8.5. Are these good dimensions? He didn't give me the offsets for it though.

←

Those are not optimal sizes for a GS, considering the OEM 17s already were 8" wide. I'd rather fo 19x8.5 all around then do a staggered with only 7.5 up front. You should get at least 8 up front and 9 in the rear with 8.5 and 9.5 (or 10) being better specs.

With that said, the offset is still very important. You can have an 8.5 with an aggressively low offset number and things will not fit.

[krymsn]

What's up Neo,

The wheels are 19x7.5 and 19x8.5. Are these good dimensions? He didn't give me the offsets for it though.

←

Those are not optimal sizes for a GS, considering the OEM 17s already were 8" wide. I'd rather fo 19x8.5 all around then do a staggered with only 7.5 up front. You should get at least 8 up front and 9 in the rear with 8.5 and 9.5 (or 10) being better specs.

With that said, the offset is still very important. You can have an 8.5 with an aggressively low offset number and things will not fit.

←

Ok so I got the dimensions for the width. What is the ideal offset i should be looking for?

[Neo]

Ok so I got the dimensions for the width. What is the ideal offset i should be looking for?

←

If you are doing 19x8.5 all around (or any size all around), you will be limited by the front wheelwell since that is smaller. For a safe conservative setup, +38 would be fine.

If you go staggered with a 9.5 rear, +38 would be good there too. If a 10 rear, +42 - +44 would be OK.

[krymsn]

Ok so I got the dimensions for the width. What is the ideal offset i should be looking for?

←

If you are doing 19x8.5 all around (or any size all around), you will be limited by the front wheelwell since that is smaller. For a safe conservative setup, +38 would be fine.

If you go staggered with a 9.5 rear, +38 would be good there too. If a 10 rear, +42 - +44 would be OK.

←

What do you think of these?

http://www.tirerack.com/servlet/CallJsp?ta...Special=Pricing

http://www.tirerack.com/servlet/CallJsp?ta...Special=Pricing

What exactly does the "offset" mean?

[Neo]

Links are dead. :(

As for offset:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.jsp

http://www.yokohamatire.com/utcustom.asp

[krymsn]

:)

Links are dead. :(

As for offset:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.jsp

http://www.yokohamatire.com/utcustom.asp

←

Thanks for the info. :) What do you think of hyper black 19" rims on a white gs 300?

[Neo]

:)

Links are dead. :(

As for offset:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.jsp

http://www.yokohamatire.com/utcustom.asp

←

Thanks for the info. :) What do you think of hyper black 19" rims on a white gs 300?

←

Pretty mean, if that is the look you are going for. :)

[krymsn]

:)

Links are dead. :(

As for offset:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.jsp

http://www.yokohamatire.com/utcustom.asp

←

Thanks for the info. :) What do you think of hyper black 19" rims on a white gs 300?

←

Pretty mean, if that is the look you are going for. :)

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Kool. thanks for all your help. I got a deal on some 20's so I may end up getting them after all. I'll post some pictures when I get them.

[scriber]

I am looking at the Niche F18's 20x10 +18 offset in the rear

and a 20x8.5, +20, +34, or +45 offset in the front. I am going for an aggressive look and want to know if this would fit?

[Neo]

I am looking at the Niche F18's 20x10 +18 offset in the rear

and a 20x8.5, +20, +34, or +45 offset in the front. I am going for an aggressive look and want to know if this would fit?

←

My answer in the thread you opened. :)

[scriber]

Ok so I got the dimensions for the width. What is the ideal offset i should be looking for?

←

If you are doing 19x8.5 all around (or any size all around), you will be limited by the front wheelwell since that is smaller. For a safe conservative setup, +38 would be fine.

If you go staggered with a 9.5 rear, +38 would be good there too. If a 10 rear, +42 - +44 would be OK.

←

What do you think of these?

http://www.tirerack.com/servlet/CallJsp?ta...Special=Pricing

http://www.tirerack.com/servlet/CallJsp?ta...Special=Pricing

What exactly does the "offset" mean?

←

I am going for an aggressive look, I want to go +18 offset in the rear with a 20x10 wheel. Can this work on a 98 GS?

[Neo]

Ok so I got the dimensions for the width. What is the ideal offset i should be looking for?

←

If you are doing 19x8.5 all around (or any size all around), you will be limited by the front wheelwell since that is smaller. For a safe conservative setup, +38 would be fine.

If you go staggered with a 9.5 rear, +38 would be good there too. If a 10 rear, +42 - +44 would be OK.

←

What do you think of these?

http://www.tirerack.com/servlet/CallJsp?ta...Special=Pricing

http://www.tirerack.com/servlet/CallJsp?ta...Special=Pricing

What exactly does the "offset" mean?

←

I am going for an aggressive look, I want to go +18 offset in the rear with a 20x10 wheel. Can this work on a 98 GS?

←

Do a quick Google for wheel offset and you will get a slew of writeups on what offset means. ;)

As for the practical answer related to your question, the lower the offset number, the farther the rim will stick out.

The offsets you want will work but not without work. If you notice in the pics you posted, the tires are smaller than spec and you see the rim lip beyond the tire. This is how the wheel is able to move up and down without rubbing. If that car (and I think I know whose care that is ;)) had regular tires, there would be problems.

If you are going for this VIP look, then all the numbers I am familiar with goes out the door since the guys that do this will tweak their setup (tire spec, roll/shave, camber) until it works. It may look cool to some but it will not be optimal for daily street driving. The ride quality will be crappy and you can't drive the car aggressively. Just some compromises for you to keep in mind. :)