225X40X18 or 255X35X18

[poko]

Hi ,
I am soon going to replace the tires on my leon cupra.
car will be tuned to approx 450+ HP

I want to get the best performance and handling i can get.

for some reasons i have only two tire options right now ,both are TOYO R1R

the first is to stick with the original 225X40X18 and the second is to move to 255X35X18.

running over 2deg camber front and rear

i had various opinions , and i really can't decide.

i cannot do it in a trial and error fashion since obviously i will need different rims and to buy the two different sets of tires.

what do you think ?

[danishmkvgti]

honestly?? 255 would be my choice 

[poko]

the main questions about the 255's are :
1) will they fit ? r1r's are very wide.
2) the contact patch is larger , however the weight on each square centimeter is lower , therefore i am not sure how good it is.

of-course if looks were an issue,  255's will be much nicer.

[Lyons]

What width are the wheels?

[Hedge]

Check JonnyC's build thread as he has just fitted 255's.

I don't think it is as straightforward as you would like.

[poko]

What width are the wheels?

current are 7.5X18
for 255's i will go for 9X18 et42 or maybe 8.5X18

[poko]

Check JonnyC's build thread as he has just fitted 255's.

I don't think it is as straightforward as you would like.

will look , very hard to find something in the 100+ pages build thread.

[Hedge]

Check JonnyC's build thread as he has just fitted 255's.

I don't think it is as straightforward as you would like.

will look , very hard to find something in the 100+ pages build thread.

I appreciate that so I did it for you.
http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=679.msg166657#msg166657

[Lyons]

What width are the wheels?

current are 7.5X18
for 255's i will go for 9X18 et42 or maybe 8.5X18

For 8.5 or 9 i'd go for 255.

[poko]

Check JonnyC's build thread as he has just fitted 255's.

I don't think it is as straightforward as you would like.

will look , very hard to find something in the 100+ pages build thread.

I appreciate that so I did it for you.
http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=679.msg166657#msg166657

thanks.
looks like it should fit.
especially as it looks like he is not running camber currently and with a -2 degrees it will be even an easier fit.
i will just have to find the right rim for it , quite hard to do so in israel.

but still , the question is if there is any performance downside except for the increased drag.

[Hedge]

I'm pretty sure he is running camber.

There had also been some gentle caressing of the wheel arch looking at it on Sunday. 

[Hurdy]

Yeah, Jonny is definitely running camber.

Me too soon

[jonnyc]

If your going with 255's you need the following.. And anything else you will seriously struggle to make them fit.. (bare in mind this is all on a Golf too) I dont know if there is much difference in arch clearances on the Cupra, I know there was with the S3..

* Heavily modified arches all round, cut away bumper support brackets, rolled lips, removed arch liners, pulled LOTS
* Wheels specs need to be 18 x 8.5 / ET50 (48 at a minimum)
* 1.5 degrees front camber or more, 2.0 degrees rear or more (bare in mind you cant get away with as much with a 255
* Also, im not sure on strut diameters of the different coilovers, mine are H&R's and Im running 1mm clearance on the front, 2mm rear..

If you do all of that then you will be able to get a 255 on..

Good luck 

[poko]

thanks for the replies.

Jonny, what was the difference in clearance between the S3 and Golf ?

i have not tested, but by the looks of it the Cupra looks to have a little more space.

when cornering hard do you get any rubbing ?

(it will be used on KW Clubsports with camber plates).

also , how do you compare cornering capability and feedback from the wheels compared to the previous 225X40 ?
i am interested in maximum track performance, care a little less about straight lines.

[jonnyc]

thanks for the replies.

Jonny, what was the difference in clearance between the S3 and Golf ?

i have not tested, but by the looks of it the Cupra looks to have a little more space.

when cornering hard do you get any rubbing ?

(it will be used on KW Clubsports with camber plates).

also , how do you compare cornering capability and feedback from the wheels compared to the previous 225X40 ?
i am interested in maximum track performance, care a little less about straight lines.

Its awesome on the 255's.. Lots more grip as you would expect but still within the capability of the stock suspension geometry.. (I was a little concerned they may be too much) But bare in mind that the TT comes with a 255 section tyre its not so bad.. I want to run 275's in the future..

No rubbing what so ever..

The S3 has roughly 3-4mm more arch clearance than the Golf..