Buzz
Member
I was looking to get winter tires for my GT for a road trip through the north and winter driving, as part of this I was looking to increase the sidewall as much as I could and move to a symmetrical setup for more economical tire rotation and treadwear warranty. Figured it's overdue to write up what I did and how it turned out. I know people love big wheels with super low profile, but I'm fatigued of that and was looking for a larger more aggressive looking wheel and sick of the sacrifices super low profile comes with, I also didn't want to change the gearing or speedo characteristics. So downsizing to 18s and upsizing the sidewall was the way I wanted to go.
The wheel options drove the decision, and after much searching I found economical $115 per wheel KONIG CONTROL 18 X8 5-105.00/114.30 40 BKMTXX as I was looking for something simple black, that would clear the brembos from a decent name brand without being crazy heavy. I checked with Koenig and they said multiple other options would not clear the caliper sadly.
I settled on 235 / 45 R18 98V XL Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ , as these tires are all the "Winter" performance you need in North Carolina, cold mornings with no snow to contend with. The A/S 3's are not the kind of all seasons that can deal with real snow and ice, but they don't lose traction on cold mornings like the OEM PS4s.
Best price seems to be here right now DT-78110 | Konig Control Matte Black Wheel 18x8 5x105/114.3 40mm
So far I'm loving how it feels, the ride is noticeably quieter and smoother with 20% more sidewall, I have 7% less contact surface in the rear, and slightly 4.5% more in the front, but RPMs and Speedometer is a near perfect match (1MPH off at 90MPH). And I really love how it looks, It's summer now and I still can't bring myself to switch back to the OEM setup. Total cost was $1500
I would have liked to have achieved an equal or wider wheel on the rear, but many options wider than an 8 didn't clear or cost hundreds more per wheel, but if anyone finds a good option
Other wheels I got fitment results on...
"Heard back from Koenig regarding Konig Lockout 18x8.5 +45 wheels and we were told they, unfortunately, will not clear the Brembo's on your vehicle. "
"We just heard back from Versus Racing and they stated the Versus Racing VS541 18x8.5 35 will NOT clear. "
"Avid1 stated, "We haven't had the opportunity to try this out yet, but I am willing to give it a shot. The AV26 AVID1 AV26 18x8.5 35 model has pretty good clearance but I just don't have any specs on the Stinger brakes at all that I have access to."
"XXR 568 18x8.5 38 stated they should clear your brakes!"
Fitment Industries | Largest Selection of Custom Car Wheels and Suspension Kits was incredibly helpful doing all the above homework for me, great people to work with.
Fitment concerns were legitimate as these wheels just barely clear by a hair, but clear they do.
Rear
Front
The wheel options drove the decision, and after much searching I found economical $115 per wheel KONIG CONTROL 18 X8 5-105.00/114.30 40 BKMTXX as I was looking for something simple black, that would clear the brembos from a decent name brand without being crazy heavy. I checked with Koenig and they said multiple other options would not clear the caliper sadly.
I settled on 235 / 45 R18 98V XL Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ , as these tires are all the "Winter" performance you need in North Carolina, cold mornings with no snow to contend with. The A/S 3's are not the kind of all seasons that can deal with real snow and ice, but they don't lose traction on cold mornings like the OEM PS4s.
Best price seems to be here right now DT-78110 | Konig Control Matte Black Wheel 18x8 5x105/114.3 40mm
So far I'm loving how it feels, the ride is noticeably quieter and smoother with 20% more sidewall, I have 7% less contact surface in the rear, and slightly 4.5% more in the front, but RPMs and Speedometer is a near perfect match (1MPH off at 90MPH). And I really love how it looks, It's summer now and I still can't bring myself to switch back to the OEM setup. Total cost was $1500
I would have liked to have achieved an equal or wider wheel on the rear, but many options wider than an 8 didn't clear or cost hundreds more per wheel, but if anyone finds a good option
Other wheels I got fitment results on...
"Heard back from Koenig regarding Konig Lockout 18x8.5 +45 wheels and we were told they, unfortunately, will not clear the Brembo's on your vehicle. "
"We just heard back from Versus Racing and they stated the Versus Racing VS541 18x8.5 35 will NOT clear. "
"Avid1 stated, "We haven't had the opportunity to try this out yet, but I am willing to give it a shot. The AV26 AVID1 AV26 18x8.5 35 model has pretty good clearance but I just don't have any specs on the Stinger brakes at all that I have access to."
"XXR 568 18x8.5 38 stated they should clear your brakes!"
Fitment Industries | Largest Selection of Custom Car Wheels and Suspension Kits was incredibly helpful doing all the above homework for me, great people to work with.
Fitment concerns were legitimate as these wheels just barely clear by a hair, but clear they do.
Rear
Front
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