some suspension designs (like my SR4Ti back in the 80's) have MAJOR camber built in, so you wear them uneven and that's just the way it is. rotating those would definitely be unsafe. is that what you had, major camber on the rear axle?

 

Anyone been able to answer this question?

I am picking up a 2007 Journey with wheel / tire pkg this weekend.

Searched on tirerack.com and the only tires in the world are Bridgestone Potenzas with horrible treadwear rating.

What are people experiencing on treadwear?

Since the front are 50's and the rear are 45's would it be preferable to get 45's in front and back as replacements or 45's in the front and 40's in the rear?

My concern is keeping fronts slightly larger to maintain the ratio of larger in front versus back....

There are tons of tires available in 45's and 40's.

The front 225/50/18's are the real problem....

What if Bridgestone stops making these tires? They are the only company in the world that apparently makes OEM replacements...this really really sucks.

 

as far as rotating, there was another thread on this. the 050A's are not directional. They are asymmetric tread pattern though, so you won't be able to dismount and remount.

Well, you will, but it's functionally equivalent to swapping left and right which you can do assuming they are indeed not directional. I don't remember seeing direction arrows which directional tires have.

 

Hmmm ... no one answered this so I'll take a crack at it. Size is not a problem, offset is. The stock offset in front is 45mm. The stock offset in back is 50mm.

If I did the math right, the back wheel can go in the front if you use 15mm spacers to shift the wheel back out. You also have to remove the key that keeps the back wheel from being mounted in front.

Anyone agree?

 

+100 the Bridgestones don't have directional arrows

Quotes from a British web site.. excuse the crazy spelling of 'Tyre'

Asymmetrical: the tread pattern changes across the face of the tyre. These designs normally incorporates larger tread blocks on the outer portion for increased stability during cornering. The smaller inner blocks and greater use of grooves help to disperse water and heat. Asymmetrical tyres tend to also be unidirectional tyres.

Unidirectional: designed to rotate in only one direction, these tyres enhance straight-line acceleration by reducing rolling resistance. They also provide shorter stopping distance. Unidirectional tyres must be dedicated to a specific side of the vehicle, so the information on the sidewall will always include a rotational direction arrow. Make sure the tyres rotate in this direction or you'll get into all sorts of trouble.

 

I've been thinking about this also. For now I plan to bump up the tire sizes to 235/50-18 front and 255/45-18 rear. There are several choices in those sizes and the slight increase in diameter should make the speedometer more accurate. When I get time I'll put the OEM rears on the front to check for interference, offset ,etc. and may try to find a pair of OEM rear wheels. I had read the OEM offsets were 45 mm front and 50 mm rear. If that is correct, I can live with a 5mm difference.

 

I have 18 x 8.5 wheels with 245/45 18's on the front, so yes they will fit. The offset is 50mm I believe on the factory rears, so as terrycs said you might need a spacer but I bet they will fit as is. The reason I say that is the Journey and the Sport both have the same sport wheels available and they fit on both cars the same way, at least visually. The Journey's wheels (17") are the same front and back so I don't think the offset will matter at all. I'll bet the bolt right on with no problems.

As another option I think you could put a 225/40 18's on the front and 245/45 18's on the back. It would lower the nose about 1/2 inch and the bearing would get just a touch more use, but I've heard the speedo cable is attached to the rear wheels not the front, so if that's true it may not matter. just a thought.

 

Yes - Lack of tire choice and lack of HP all seasons is somewhat disturbing. I would like to put all-seasons on the 18 in. wheels, so I dont have to worry as much about the freak april Boston snowstorms after I take my snow tires off. Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S or Toyo Proxes 4s would probably work great with the G, but- they don't make the 225 50 R18s.

I just left a note on the Pirelli web site urging them to add this as another size. If everyone does this maybe the tire makers will get the message that they are "missing" a size and add 225 50 R18s. The Chevy Malibu SS and Pontiac G6 also use this size tire, so its not like there is no other market.

Pirelli - http://www.us.pirelli.com/web/contactus/CUEntryPoint.do

 

malibu and g6??? how embarrassing to be associated

 

Ok, I'm pretty new at the whole tire thing...I know just enough to be dangerous.

The OEM size is 225/50/18 on the front, are you saying 235/50/18 will fit on the stock rim?

If that is the case, couldn't you just use 235/50/18's up front and 245/45/18's in the rear?

Tire experts, what is the *best* alternative if no one else steps up and fills the void?

1. 225/45/18 in the front and 245/40/18 in the rear
2. 235/50/18 in the front and 245/45/18 in the rear
3. 235/50/18 in the front and 255/45/18 in the rear

Thanks again.

 

So the Chevy Malibu SS and Pontiac G6 must also use the Bridgestone Potenzas???

If so, that is good news since it is not only one car...more chances of manufacturers jumping on board for the 225/50/18

 

Most of the guys running 8.5" wheels in front are using 35mm offsets. You might be getting a little close to interference on the suspension side .... but all it takes is a spacer and possibly longer studs.

 

(Below was posted on a similar thread but is relevant)

You could consider a 235/50 front and 255/45 rear. If you check the Tire Rack web site and search by size, using the "different back tire size" feature, you will find a half-dozen or so tires in that combination. All show 7.5" and 8.5" rim widths within the acceptable range for the 235 and 255 respectively. The rolling radius is about 2% larger for both front and back, so the VDC won't know the difference. Of course the speedometer and odometer will read about 2% lower than they do with the 225/245 combination.

 

That's the really strange thing.

When you research the "ideal rim size" for the Bridgestone Potenzas, the recommended size in the front is 7" (225/50/18) and the rear is 8" (245/45/18). Yet Infiniti chose wheels that are 7.5" in the front and 8.5" in the rear, which according to Bridgestone and Tirerack is *not* the perfect size rim, those rims are 1/2 inch too large.

The manufacturer recommended size tires for the 7.5" front rim are 235/50/18 (which now lets us get Pilot Sports, Goodyears, Pirellis) and for the 8.5" rear rim are 255/50/18...

So, in short, the rims Infiniti chose are a little "too big" for the Bridgestone Potenzas that come from the factory...the rims are within the specificed recommended range but not perfect.

 

I am running 8.5" X 18 with a 42mm offset with 255/40/18 tires all around with no clearance problems whatsoever on my 07 G35X.