sideways2k03

I'm wanting to get new rims and tires but i don't exactly know what will fit and what will not... I am thinking of getting 225/40/17x9.5+44 front and 245/40/17x9.5 +38 in the rear.
If anybody has any knowledge about this or any suggestions, please help a brother out!

Dreaming_S2k

Those wheel sizes/offsets will fit just fine, but the tire sizes aren't optimal imo.

Run 225/45 F and 255/40 R.

UpsFella

225 tire is "stretched" on a 9.5 wheel.. depending on ride height/spring rate you might ruin your front fenders if they arent rolled. and rubbing the inner plastic guards..

the 9.5 +38 will stick out 52mm or 2.04in from where your stock rear wheel sits now.

to fit a 255 tire on a 9.5 +38 will require you to roll fender, shave bumper and relocate tabs, and run camber depending on ride height and spring rate.

goodluck.

DRFlickner

225/40/17 is a pretty obscure tire size. I carry just about every tire manufacture that exists, and from what I can see, I believe only Nitto makes this size, and only in the NT555ZR. Your 9.5" wide wheel will be .5" wider than the maximum recommended wheel width for this tire (Nitto approves wheel widths of 7.5" - 9"), so your tire will be "stretched", which is dangerous for a number reasons. Also, if you drive your car regularly, it will be hard to keep from damaging the lip of the wheel (curb rash, rock chips, etc.), because the lip will be sticking out past the tire (no protection).

My experience with these types of wheel widths and offsets on S2000s is that you will probably rub no matter what fender modifications you do, short of a full wide body kit/cutting up the stock body parts. You will need to dial in so much negative camber to keep from rubbing constantly that you will be burning through tires every couple of months. The car will ride and handle poorly. Bump steer will be common, and the car might be very difficult to control on roads that are anything less than pristine.

The 225/40/17 tires will be slightly under load rated in the front, which can lead to tire failure (which is further exaggerated by the fact that they are stretched on wheels that are too wide), or at the minimum, you might bent wheels/bubble sidewalls. Also, Nitto is the only manufacturer to produce this size for the fronts (as I previously mentioned), and they only make the 555ZR. However, they don't make the rear size in the 555ZR that you are looking for - 245/40/17, so you would have to mismatch your tires with a different model for the rear, or go with a wider size of 555ZR which would rub even more. The front tires would also be significantly shorter than the rear tire, which can throw off your ABS sensors.

Furthermore, the wheels will stick out (assuming you don't have a wide body) to the point that your car looks like a low-rider or a roller skate (skinny tires, wide stance with wheels protruding past the body line).

I hope my post is helpful to you. If it's a show car, that won't really be driven on the street, and this is the look you are going for, I say go for it. If it's a street car, it will be pretty impractical, and possibly dangerous.