[Richm240xi]

Originally Posted by Peter Morrin

Thanks for the response on the wheel set-up. I am intrigued that you are running the 235 in a 50 series up front. Did you ever run the 225/45-17 stock size?

Did you run 235/50-17 with your 17X9 ET 30 Apex 8 in the rear as well?

How is the performance/ride with the 50 series versus 45 series tires? I am sure you could use the greater cushioning of a little more sidewall if you are in NYC.

I personally never ran the stock 17 inch size, prior to my research on stuffing the biggest size possible, I was running 245/45r17 on the 17x9 rims in the front, I always had the 18 inch in the rear just previously with a 275/35r18. For my for sale post I was saying that whoever is interested can run the 17x8.5 in the front and the 17x9 in the rear for a flush fitment all around

[Richm240xi]

And yea the 50 series tire made a big difference with garbage roads here in New York

[Peter Morrin]

I think we are fooling ourselves about the quality of our roads. Anyone who drives where there is frost, is probably driving on a tire that has too low a profile. I like your idea of running a 50 series tire with a wider rim.

I currently run a 17x8 square set up with 225/45-17 tires (Continental DWS-06) with KV-1/-3 springs and suspension. I am currently set a little low, and plan to bring it up to M-sport height. I believe my current set-up is actually very good for an "enthusiast daily".

The next logical upgrade for me would be lighter wheels (currently liking the Apex series) that are a little wider than stock. I really like your idea of a 17x9 wheel with a 235x50/17 tire. I would likely run a square size to allow rotating the tires.

We both currently run the Continental DWS-06. What other tires do you like in this size for the summer?

[Richm240xi]

Originally Posted by Peter Morrin

I think we are fooling ourselves about the quality of our roads. Anyone who drives where there is frost, is probably driving on a tire that has too low a profile. I like your idea of running a 50 series tire with a wider rim.

I currently run a 17x8 square set up with 225/45-17 tires (Continental DWS-06) with KV-1/-3 springs and suspension. I am currently set a little low, and plan to bring it up to M-sport height. I believe my current set-up is actually very good for an "enthusiast daily".

The next logical upgrade for me would be lighter wheels (currently liking the Apex series) that are a little wider than stock. I really like your idea of a 17x9 wheel with a 235x50/17 tire. I would likely run a square size to allow rotating the tires.

We both currently run the Continental DWS-06. What other tires do you like in this size for the summer?

I think 235/50r17 on a 17x9 might be a little stretched. If I were to go back to using a 17x9 I think I would do a 255/45r17 which should drive very nicely on that rim. It’s only a hair smaller then the 235/50 but a lot wider so it should absorb road imperfections well. You might need some camber plates up front though with that setup depending how low you are. As far as experience with other tires, I’ve only always used all seasons due to always having awd cars and out of all that I’ve tried, the continentals have been my favorite as far as traction and comfort go

[Richm240xi]

Here’s a picture of my car how it currently stands. This is on Dinan springs part number D100-0497, Dinan camber plates and Bilstein b4 shocks. Rims are apex arc 8 in 17x8.5 et20 front with 235/50r17 and 18x9.5 et35 rear with 265/40r18. I have a 2 finger gap up front and a 1 finger gap in the rear. Prior to the Dinan camber plates, it was a 1 finger gap all around.

[Peter Morrin]

That front tire looks meaty and the rears wheel wells are definitely "filled".

I really liked your idea of a slightly thicker sidewall. One of the things that bugs me is the sound and feel of a low-profile tire hitting tar strips and transverse cracks in urban pavement. It is mostly noticeable in town when the windows are down, but it is the dominant "negative" feedback I get from the car-road interface.

I was also wondering if the the 235/50-17 tire would be too stretched on a 9" wide rim. I will check tire specs before I buy new rims or tires. I could also go down to an 8.5" wide rim which would give me more rim choices. Have you ever damaged a rim with your set-up?

I run the Continentals as a 3 season tire since I put on snows (Hakapellita R3) November 1. Interestingly the 205/55-16 snows do not give a significantly softer/smoother ride than the 225/45-17 Continentals. I guess that is a compliment to the Continentals.