I have AP2 V2 wheels
I'm planning on going 225 in the front. For the rear I cannot decide between 245 and 255 and I'm reading it's better to go with a better TIRE for 245 than to have the extra 10mm width. But assuming the tire is equal what is the downside and upside to going with either for performance/looks?

I'm guessing 255 will be slightly more understeer, less acceleration but more grip. I have an Ap1 so maybe the tail happy ness will be toned down a little.

Does the 245 or 255 look better? Don't really like the sunken in look, I'll consider spacers after I get tires and buy lowering springs but for now, the rear tires are priority.

Anyone have pictures showing the difference between 245 rear and 255 rear on stock AP2 wheels? hard to find..

 

If you are going 225 front then I wouldn't even consider a 245 rear tire. It's a minor difference, but the front will have a larger diameter than the rear which isn't a good look IMO. A 225/45 is increasing width AND diameter, in order to keep things proportional a 255/40 will be a better match.

 

Hmm I haven't thought about diameter. It's only a .4, .3 difference from the front and rear when you go from 215 to 225, and 245 to 255. Is this going to throw the speedo off?
I'll take the benefit of the 255 width but I dont want to do it at the price of giving up a lot of acceleration and having to do deal with major side effects.

 

Not only is the 225/45-17 taller than 245/40-17, it will pooch a bit more on the 7" front wheels vs. 245s on 8.5" rears. Taller front sidewalls + more front pooch = front tires absolutely look beefier than the rears.

The diameter difference between 245/40-17 and 255/40-17 is only about 1%. You will never notice that in terms of acceleration. Would be like going from the stock 4.10 diff to a 4.06 ratio. Essentially no difference.

 

Another thing to consider is that the stock RE050 215 front tire runs very narrow. Stepping up to a 225 front is adding a lot of grip and will have a slightly heavier steering feel. A lot of people run the CR 215/255 setup because of this which might be worth considering. Again, we are talking about fairly minor differences here, just depends on your personal preferences.

 

Yeah a 215/45 would be the best match for the front 7" rim, and will be about 20mm wider in an extreme summer like the z2, then the same size in the stock ap2 RE50 that came on your wheels. Id pair that with a 255 in back to help balance the traction bias to more neutral, rather then over steer as it is now. 215/255 is my vote with ap2 wheels on an ap1 chassis.

 

Ah okay. So correct me if I'm wrong but if I were to go 215, there would be more understeer than 225s, which would be better for me since I have a tail happy AP1? 225 also will give a less responsive steering feel due to the width in the front?

In terms of purely LOOKS/COSMETICS, you guys are suggesting 225/255 is more evenly matched then 225/245 due to the 225 being meatier?

So either way, 255 should be the better choice than the 245 regardless of the front tires I'm guessing.

 

Yep, you got it.

 

Sweet thanks for the help. 255 it is.

 

1. On my 04 I've been running 225 on my fronts for 3 summers and 255 on the rears for 1 summer.
2. Since the cost were only a few bucks more, I liked the "beefier" look they gave.
3. I drive my car back and forth to work mostly, and so performance is not an issue with me, so I can't give you any input there, except to say that I "felt" like it was a more "solid" feeling also.