Winter tire fittment question

DRKNYTE

Member
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2008 MAZDASPEED 3 (BLACK MICA)
I just bought a set of Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 in 225/45/18. I will be mounting them to my stock wheels...... They will fit right, with no rubbing issues? I`m second guessesing myself right now and need some reasurance, esspacially cause I just dropped $817.64 on them. Thanks guys!
 
I just bought a set of Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 in 225/45/18. I will be mounting them to my stock wheels...... They will fit right, with no rubbing issues? I`m second guessesing myself right now and need some reasurance, esspacially cause I just dropped $817.64 on them. Thanks guys!

why would you go wider for winter tires? that's the opposite of what you should do you know?

can't say if you'll rub for sure. in overall diameter you're close. I was .7" taller than stock and rubbed the rear tires on the inside fender well over dips and pulling into driveways, etc. Your set up is .4" taller than stock. so if .3" makes the difference, you might be okay. in the end, you'll be very, very close. you're not leaving much room for snow to clear out should you be in areas where you get more than a few inches at a time.

my choice....I went 205/50/17's and she plowed through 8-12" of snow from the night before and that same morning just fine :) Same tires as you.

http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/105666227
http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/105667393
http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/105669550
 
Wow, for that price for winters, I would have gotten a spare set of 16" wheels with snows for easy on/easy off. Seriously, I spent $900 shipped for a set of brand new cheapy alloys, that don't look half bad, and performance snows.

I don't think you'll have a problem with rubbing BTW.
 
Wow, for that price for winters, I would have gotten a spare set of 16" wheels with snows for easy on/easy off. Seriously, I spent $900 shipped for a set of brand new cheapy alloys, that don't look half bad, and performance snows.

I don't think you'll have a problem with rubbing BTW.

no kidding...thats why most people avoid 18" snows...and they have less sidewall. I paid less than that for 17" wheels with snows :) And not steelies either.
 
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Here is a comparision in sizes. I added the Continentals that I just bought in a 225/45-18. I really don't think there will be a rubbing issue with the stock suspension

All measurements are courtesy of TireRack.com.

Stock Bridgestones
Blizzak​
ContiExtremeContact​
Max. Load - 1433 lbs
1521lbs​
1356lbs​
Max. Inflation Press - 50 psi
50 psi​
51 psi​
Tread Depth Tire - 10/32"
11/32"​
10/32"​
Weight - 24lbs
26lbs​
22lbs​
Rim Width Range - 7-8"
7-8.5"​
7-8.5"​
Meas.Rim Width - 7"
7.5"​
7.5"​
Sect. Width - 8.5"
9"​
8.9​
Tread Width - 7.7"
7.9"​
NA​
Overall Diam. - 25.7"
26"​
25.9​
Revs Per Mile - 811
801​
805​


My apologies for things not lining up properly.
 
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That size will fit fine, I use the same size for my winter setup on stock rims.

It rubbed a very little bit on the left rear over big bumps, but only with weight in the back. And it stopped rubbing after the tires got a bit worn. You will be just fine.

And don't listen to the "you should get skinny cheap 16" winter rubber" crowd. I kept the 18's and went wider because I'd rather keep the cars sweet handling. And they get me through snow up to the level of the cars ground clearance so no problem there.
 
The "you should get skinny cheap 16" winter rubber" crowd is excited since it only costs 250 bucks to set the car up for winter ;) They'll scoff at your $900 tires!
 
Thanks for the input guys. I bought winter tires for the factory rims because they will be my winter setup from now on. I will be buying a summer set of rims (not sure which ones yet) and will be putting the factory Bridgestones on them.

Believe me it wasn't easy spending that much for tires but they are close to the best, if not the best and I can't put money ahead of safety when it comes to the family.

I`ve read several places in this forum that skinner is better for winter tires but it goes against everything I know about tires, WIDER IS BETTER...... the wider the tire, the more contact it makes with the snow, and the more contact it makes with the snow, the more tread is available for biting into the snow. That's just my thought process.

And thanks for the write up you made Kurt that is very helpful and interesting.

Nate
 
Wider is not better when it comes to snow, a skinnier tire increases the pressure on the contact patch and is better at digging through the snow to get traction on the ground underneath. Look at rally cars, when they run on snow courses they use super-narrow tires. I'm not knocking your decision, it's your money and the tradeoff for skinny snow tires is less grip when the roads are dry.
 
It rubbed a very little bit on the left rear over big bumps, but only with weight in the back. And it stopped rubbing after the tires got a bit worn. You will be just fine.

And don't listen to the "you should get skinny cheap 16" winter rubber" crowd. I kept the 18's and went wider because I'd rather keep the cars sweet handling. And they get me through snow up to the level of the cars ground clearance so no problem there.

I have the same LM-25's and believe me, there's no noticeable loss of handling in the 205/50/17 size on dry pavement. Cold road surface, tire compound and the winter design are are more limiting on dry pavement than the size.

Also , as noted, the contact patch they will make on the ground during snow is better for inclement weather. Wider and narrow is not good. You want a contact patch that allows more actual contact in the direction of vehicle travel ie: from the front of the tire to the rear of the tire and less from side to side and that's what a smaller set up allows to happen.

Lastly, the $65 per tire price delta between the OP's size and mine isn't exactly chump change.
 
I just bought a set of Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 in 225/45/18. I will be mounting them to my stock wheels...... They will fit right, with no rubbing issues? I`m second guessesing myself right now and need some reasurance, esspacially cause I just dropped $817.64 on them. Thanks guys!

Well after talking with the guys at Tirerack, they insisted that I didn't go that route cuz of rubbing, it's because not only are you going wider, your also increasing the aspect ratio of the tire so that's why, normally the way it goes is...increase the width, decrease the aspect ratio that way you know it will not rub. so ie 215-45-18 -- to 225-40-18's works no rub. Now with the setup I purchased I went with 215-50-17's and it works beautifully.
 
I`ve read several places in this forum that skinner is better for winter tires but it goes against everything I know about tires, WIDER IS BETTER...... the wider the tire, the more contact it makes with the snow, and the more contact it makes with the snow, the more tread is available for biting into the snow. That's just my thought process.

And thanks for the write up you made Kurt that is very helpful and interesting.

Nate
I know that a lot of what you read on forums can't be depended upon, but in this case, the forum's concensus that narrower is better in the snow is correct. You are absolutely correct that a wider tire will grab more snow - it tends to float along the surface as opposed to cutting through it - however that is the opposite of what's desired. Even with a snow tire, snow affords little grip. You want the tire to be in direct contact with the road as much as possible. A snow tires's tread, compound, and size all help to that end.

Also, as pdqgp said a couple posts ago, bear in mind that although it's counter intuitive, tire width does not affect the actual surface area of the contact patch (eg a wider tire will not make more tread available for traction). A narrow tire has a narrower rectangular contact patch more parallel to the direction of travel; a wider tire has a wider rectangular contact patch more perpendicular to the direction of travel (which aids in acceleration) but both have the same surface area (provided both tires have the same inflation pressure and the weight of the vehicle has not changed).

Just wanted to bring some of this stuff to light... It's tough to abandon pre-established notions, but it's always better to do real research instead of trusting your instincts or relying on forums ;)

/soap box
 
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All that being said, I wouldn't second guess your decision. No matter what, your new LM-25's will be sweet in the snow, I don't think they will rub, and the cost isn't that important in the long run. Your car will indeed look better and handle better on dry roads than mine will with its second-hand 16" Revo1s!
 
All good info guys. I just got the tires today and will be getting them mounted on Saturday. I will keep everyone posted on how they do in snow and ice. Fortunatly I used Firestore Winter Force tires on my old Civic w
185/60/14 size so I`ll be able to compare a little between skinny and wide. I do see your point bacarl. Thanks again guys.... maybe this should become a sticky, some really useful info here.

Nate
 
Nate, I just got my ContiExtremeContact (225/45-18) mounted last night. There is a slight rubbing on the inside when you hit a bump or go around a sharp corner with using this size tire. Without taking the wheel off for a full inspection, I think the rubbing is on the inside. I don't see any marks on the outer sidewall. I am going to try a very thin spacer and see if moving the wheel out 3mm to 5 mm will give me the clearance needed.
 
Look at the rear wheel-wells about 3/4 in from the side of the car. They may also be catching on the wheel-well vents on the front / drivers side.

Nate, I just got my ContiExtremeContact (225/45-18) mounted last night. There is a slight rubbing on the inside when you hit a bump or go around a sharp corner with using this size tire. Without taking the wheel off for a full inspection, I think the rubbing is on the inside. I don't see any marks on the outer sidewall. I am going to try a very thin spacer and see if moving the wheel out 3mm to 5 mm will give me the clearance needed.
 
hey kurt, thanks for the heads up.... Keep me posted on what happens with the spacers I may need to do it too. I`m getting them monted tomarrow morning. I`ll let you know if I have problems also.

Peace Out!
 
Ok guys, I got my Blizzak LM-25 225/45/18s installed on the factory rims. There are no issues with fit what so ever. They fit extremely well on the rim and add a nice wide stance to the car. Performance wise they have exceeded my expectations. The control they offer in deep snow is amazing. Dry pavement is also uncompromised. It was about -5 F last night and did some second gear launches and there was no wheel spin. I would recommend these tires in any size for any car. If you would like pics just let me know and I`ll post some up. One side note, The rear wheels now have a slight camber inward which I thought was pretty interesting.
 
Look at the rear wheel-wells about 3/4 in from the side of the car. They may also be catching on the wheel-well vents on the front / drivers side.

On the front of the rear wheel well? Or the rear wheel well and the vents on the front?

Ok guys, I got my Blizzak LM-25 225/45/18s installed on the factory rims. There are no issues with fit what so ever. They fit extremely well on the rim and add a nice wide stance to the car. Performance wise they have exceeded my expectations. The control they offer in deep snow is amazing. Dry pavement is also uncompromised. It was about -5 F last night and did some second gear launches and there was no wheel spin. I would recommend these tires in any size for any car. If you would like pics just let me know and I`ll post some up. One side note, The rear wheels now have a slight camber inward which I thought was pretty interesting.

I noticed the slight camber increase also. Have you had any rubbing issues yet. It sound like we both go great tires. I had my first snow/ice fun Saturday night. It felt like I was using snow tires instead of all season tires.
 
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