After getting used to the 20" wheel size (and currently being back on 19s), I'm having the 20s refinished in full chrome (I realize not a popular choice with most, but I like it and mostly its maintenance free- no need to repolish every year). It's funny, you ask for opinions and people say "it's up to you" and when you say what you like, you get opinions. LOL.

I also have to admit, if your focus is on ride quality, I'd have to give the 19s the big edge. So the delima I have is this: Ride height and tire sizes. I'll list a few options and reasoning behind them and tell me what you think (preferable based on your/others experience vs. pure opinion). Thanks in advance.

Front: 20 x 9.5 (offset: ~ +09)
Rear: 20 x 10.5 (offset ~ +11)

Setup One (current):





245/35/20
255/35/20

The Good: They fit with no major rubbing issues. Tires are cheaper in these size. No VDC issues.

The Bad: Slight rubbing issue in front. Also, The rims are not very protected due to the stretch. Ride quality is not the best.

The Ugly: The Stretch. I've warmed up to the look (even to the point my 19" proper size tires look odd to me), but this is probably more to do with the 19s looking small w/all the tread vs. 20s w/little. I think 20s with more squared sidewalls would be perfect.

Setup 2:
245/30/20
275/30/20

The Good: Front would not rub and not be as tucked under fender well. Close enough to stock, so no VDC issues.

The Bad: Less wheel protection than above (35 to 30 series. Decrease ride quality).

The Ugly: Same stretch as above but even worse look loosing some sidewall.
Wheel well gap would be more pronounced in the rear but would be fine in the front.

Setup 3:
255/30/20
285/30/20

The good: Close to OEM diameter as possible. Proper size tires for wheel widths.

The Bad: limited tire brand options in these sizes and brands are pricier. Possibility the 285 in the rear would rub with the +11 offset (see pics of Gilley's 285s compared to my 255s). I'm 18mm pushed further out than in his pic. Also, my drivers side is dropped 1/4-1/2" lower than passenger side.

The Ugly: I think the wheel gap in the rear would be essentially the same (but one side of the rear is ~1/2 lower than the other-so it would look big). Front might look better than current tucked look.

Could do coilovers on this setup to address some of the negatives.

Option 4:
245/35/20
275/35/20

OK, here is where it gets interesting. I think (please correct me if Im wrong) the VDC is OK as long as the discrepancy between the front and rear are not > +/- 3% off from one another (so going 1/2" bigger F and R from stock should keep the VDC happy.

Also, this option could help my alignment issues. I determined about how much my car is dropped with the info below:

----------
Grab a tape measure and measure from the ground to the center of the wheel arch and compare to:

From the Factory Service Manual (ie FSM)

Wheelarch Height (Unladen = full tank of gas, spare tire, jack etc in stock)

With 18"
Front: 694 mm (27.32 in)
Rear: 710 mm (27.95 in)

These measurements are from the ground to the high point of the arch (centered on the wheel hub).
----------

My measurements are roughly:

Front: 25.5
Rear Driver: 25.7
Rear passenger: 26.0

I'm dropped on an Eibach Prokit (1.1/1.0) and Tockico 16 ways. That's an inch plus more than expected, meaning spring sag and/or blown shocks could be in play.

I figure if I go with this setup, I could raise the car a bit, so I could eliminate rubbing issues, improve ride quality moving up to 35 series, better rim protection (and safety), and gain the ability to get my alignment more within specs.

I would love to hear thoughts and experiences. Any errors if logic you see? I always seem to miss one (or more :-) critical variable, no matter how thorough I am.
Thanks in Advance

 

Looks good!


I wish I had more science to help you out but IMO I would run those at full stretch.

 

^^^^ Thank You. I just need to figure out the best route to go now.