Need 18" Tires How Big Can I go?

[jeverlof]

I need a new set of tires for my Cayenne. I have the 18" turbo wheels and I'm wondering what's the maximum size that will fit these rims???? Anyone have any suggestions as to the best replacement of the Scorpions? Thanks in advance for your input........

[CT44]

I need a new set of tires for my Cayenne. I have the 18" turbo wheels and I'm wondering what's the maximum size that will fit these rims???? Anyone have any suggestions as to the best replacement of the Scorpions? Thanks in advance for your input........

Maximum size in what direction width? and best type of tires for what type of season?

[jeverlof]

sorry I should have been more specific. All season and I wondering if 265/55/18 or 275/60/18 would work. Thanks for the reply

[gandrade1]

sorry I should have been more specific. All season and I wondering if 265/55/18 or 275/60/18 would work. Thanks for the reply

Hi, I did some research and apparently with the 18''s, 275/55-18 and 285/50-18 (cooler look) will fit, none of your original choices however seem to work. Please, note that the original size for these rims are 255/55/18. The table below will show u the comparisons I put together.

This is one of my sources for research: http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/a...&vid=008400

Hope this helps...

Edited November 22, 2007 by gandrade1

[gandrade1]

sorry I should have been more specific. All season and I wondering if 265/55/18 or 275/60/18 would work. Thanks for the reply

Hi, I did some research and apparently with the 18''s, 275/55-18 and 285/50-18 (cooler look) will fit, none of your original choices however seem to work. Please, note that the original size for these rims are 255/55/18. The table below will show u the comparisons I put together.

This is one of my sources for research: http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/a...&vid=008400

Hope this helps...

Found another important piece of info for you...Please, note the wheels size limits.

Cheers,

Gustavo

[Cannoli]

TireRack.com has pretty good information on standard OEM sizes.

A general rule of thumb is when changing tire size from OE, one should never exceed a 3% differential in tire diameter. I prefer to stay within 1% of the OE size. This is very important today because of all the electronic gizmos that are reading tire/wheel rotation data.

[gandrade1]

TireRack.com has pretty good information on standard OEM sizes.

A general rule of thumb is when changing tire size from OE, one should never exceed a 3% differential in tire diameter. I prefer to stay within 1% of the OE size. This is very important today because of all the electronic gizmos that are reading tire/wheel rotation data.

Check out my post above...It goes to the level of telling you how much 'gizmo's distortion' to expect from adding larger, wider tires.

Pretty cool website.

IMMO,

Gus

[Cannoli]

TireRack.com has pretty good information on standard OEM sizes.

A general rule of thumb is when changing tire size from OE, one should never exceed a 3% differential in tire diameter. I prefer to stay within 1% of the OE size. This is very important today because of all the electronic gizmos that are reading tire/wheel rotation data.

Check out my post above...It goes to the level of telling you how much 'gizmo's distortion' to expect from adding larger, wider tires.

Pretty cool website.

IMMO,

Gus

Very cool indeed!

It's always better to have more tools!

[trevorc]

as a side question to this, what is the offset of the factory 18" wheel? For winter/off-pavement tyres I want to get 18" wheels instead of the 19" I have on mine so that I can go to a slightly higher profile tyre. But as I look around what's available, the tuner wheels don't impress me plus I doubt they are appro off the pavement. So i'm considering either the factory 18" or taking the plunge and getting Compomotive PD1880's. The issue with the Compomotives is what offset and brake caliper clearance.

Trevor

[jwest]

wow, old thread but no definitive info from anyone who posted. The max size without rubbing will be 265/65x18 in something like a bfg at ko (which i had on my vw touareg v10) these were fine at access air height as well except for sharpest full lock turn and that only slightly rubbed the front inside wheel arch covering the tiniest bit. in fact it never even tore due to how minimal the scrub was.

it's a fantastic all around tire and is the same size used by the trans-Siberian version.

[DUTCH VanAtlanta]

wow, old thread but no definitive info from anyone who posted. The max size without rubbing will be 265/65x18 in something like a bfg at ko (which i had on my vw touareg v10) these were fine at access air height as well except for sharpest full lock turn and that only slightly rubbed the front inside wheel arch covering the tiniest bit. in fact it never even tore due to how minimal the scrub was.

it's a fantastic all around tire and is the same size used by the trans-Siberian version.

265/65-18 is what was used on the Transsyberia rally cars. The Cayenne S Transsyberia being sold to the general public comes with 255/55-18 all season tires.

I haven't seen it yet for myself; but I've been told there are several tire size options available for selection in the driver's computer display - 285/60-18 being the largest.

Edited July 14, 2009 by DUTCH VanAtlanta

[jwest]

wow, old thread but no definitive info from anyone who posted. The max size without rubbing will be 265/65x18 in something like a bfg at ko (which i had on my vw touareg v10) these were fine at access air height as well except for sharpest full lock turn and that only slightly rubbed the front inside wheel arch covering the tiniest bit. in fact it never even tore due to how minimal the scrub was.

it's a fantastic all around tire and is the same size used by the trans-Siberian version.

265/65-18 is what was used on the Transsyberia rally cars. The Cayenne S Transsyberia being sold to the general public comes with 255/55-18 all season tires.

I haven't seen it yet for myself; but I've been told there are several tire size options available for selection in the driver's computer display - 285/60-18 being the largest.

yeah, 285/60 is wider than mine but mine was taller. the nitto terra grappler is pretty good (had some on a previous rover) and in that 285/60 size but not as good as the bfg at ko. it's totally cool tire sizes can be selected in the computer - you think that applies to the gts too?

[Toddi]

I just tried the BF Goodrich AT 265/65R18 (31.5") and had some rubbing in the front of the front wheel arches when turning. This came well before full turn as the edge of the BFG is very sharp. The tire shop didn't like this and I was a bit sceptical so we aborted the mission.

However I opened up the wheel arch covering and found nothing but air beneath, so I'm planning to bend the covering using a heat torch to get some more space. Hope to get this done tomorrow.

Thor

[jwest]

However I opened up the wheel arch covering and found nothing but air beneath, so I'm planning to bend the covering using a heat torch to get some more space. Hope to get this done tomorrow.

Thor

Exactly - a simple solution. These cars likely come out slightly different so mine did not have much contact at all even though it was close. Good luck. Your results should be well worth the effort.

[Toddi]

Made the tire change yesterday and drove carefully to my friends garage where we removed the front mud flap, bent the lowest part of the wheel arch cover over the lip of the bumper where the flap had been and then fastened with screws. At maximum height the tire would touch the mud flap so we decided to remove instead of operating on it.

Then we heated the arch cover and pushed it a bit in in the places that rubbed.

Now I have clearance of about 1.5cm when turning.

Very happy with the change, road noise has not increased and ride comfort is good. Haven't done any high speed turns yet and will do some rough trails over the weekend, so I'll know more soon. I'll try to take some pictures so those that are thinking about the change can see the stunning good looks of the Cayenne with the BF Goodrich tires!

Thor

[jwrosen]

Made the tire change yesterday and drove carefully to my friends garage where we removed the front mud flap, bent the lowest part of the wheel arch cover over the lip of the bumper where the flap had been and then fastened with screws. At maximum height the tire would touch the mud flap so we decided to remove instead of operating on it.

Then we heated the arch cover and pushed it a bit in in the places that rubbed.

Now I have clearance of about 1.5cm when turning.

Very happy with the change, road noise has not increased and ride comfort is good. Haven't done any high speed turns yet and will do some rough trails over the weekend, so I'll know more soon. I'll try to take some pictures so those that are thinking about the change can see the stunning good looks of the Cayenne with the BF Goodrich tires!

Thor

I'd be really interested to see some of the pics as I'm planning on some different wheel/tire combo for winter here in Mich

Thanks, Jay R

Edited August 24, 2009 by jwrosen

[Toddi]

Sorry for the late reply guys.

I snapped some pictures last weekend while fishing. In the second picture you can see the front wheel arch, where I removed the mud flap and bent the plastic from the wheel arch over where the mud flap was fastened. This is basically plastic to plastic with screws, but it holds pretty well. It doesn't look pretty up close, but you never notice it.

I had the BF Goodrich 265/65R18 tires microcut (as can be seen on the close up image) to be able to use them in the snow. Road noise has not increased noticeably. The car handles a bit differently, much better on gravel and only slightly worse on asphalt.

I recommend the change to those that want to use the Cayenne off-road or on rough roads.

Thor

[odix]

Very cool. Thanks for posting the pics. It looks great. What an awesome off-road vehicle.

[Toddi]

Thanks, I bought it to take it off road and that's what I'm doing.

The only issue I have left is the air intake which is lower than I'd like, but I doubt I'll buy a snorkel for it ;)

Thor

[roberinot]

I was always taught that when off roading you want the smallest amount of rim and the maximum amount of tire to increase the amount of passive suspension you can out of the tire itself.  Also gives you more face to rub without damaging the rim.  I have an 08 cayenne s that currently has 20'' rims on it for the street and I have a spare set of 17s that I want to put offroad tires on.  I was wondering if you can make a suggestion as to what the largest tire is that would fit both the vehicle and the 17'' rims.

[nerdtalker]

I used this thread as my guide for some new wheels and tires for my 2004 CTT. Previous owner had installed some 22" rims with low profile tires that were pretty rough around town and not quite my style.

 

I went for some BFGoodrich TA KO2 tires, per this thread size 265/65-18, and bought some 18" rims from a newer Cayenne. The installer I brought it all to thought I was crazy and was sure they would rub, but a few hours later they called back completely surprised by the good news - no rubbing even with the factory wheel liners and mud/splash guards. I did later make it rub (only on the passenger side) at the lowest ride height setting with the wheel at full lock and suspension at extension turning around a ramp in a parking garage, but it's very minor and rarely am I in anything but normal ride height. 

 

I did some off-roading in the Hollister ORV park with the tires, everything worked out great through all the green trails and both obstacle courses. Lots of curious glances and comments there and since then. There's nowhere near as much road noise or groove following with these KO2s as I've experienced with my old truck and similar aggressively cut off-road tires. 

 

I definitely recommend the change if you're interested in taking the Cayenne off road or are going for a completely different look that fills out the wheel wells more. 

[Cannoli]

I successfully run 295/40ZR20 tires ... No fitment issues whatsoever.

[Smurfwarrior911]

Here's a follow up question for you gents.    I have a Cayenne S without air suspension and am looking to put 265/60R18 tires on for mild offroad use.    Has anyone gone this big with a Cayenne without the benefit of the air suspension lift to increase clearance?   Thanks for the help! 

[smithh]

Hi,

 

Just about to do the same thing with Tyres. Assuming 265/65/R18 is max size.  Deciding between BFG KO AT2s and General Grabbers (Although not sure tyres size is available.

 

Also, my 957 2008 Cayenne GTS has air suspension, offroad its really useful to have the suspension on the full high setting, but it auto lowers above 20kph(roughly), has anyone been able to disable this. Dashing between dunes, its easy to exceed that, and it puts awful load on the compressor to keep raising it.  (I've had the compressor overheat).

Edited April 18, 2017 by smithh

[nerdtalker]

On 4/18/2017 at 0:53 AM, smithh said:

has anyone been able to disable this. Dashing between dunes, its easy to exceed that, and it puts awful load on the compressor to keep raising it.  (I've had the compressor overheat).

 

I'm not sure if it'll work, but you could raise it to the max setting and then disable auto regulation by holding the raise rocker switch in the raise position for 10 seconds. That'll pop up a regulation disabled message, but I'm not sure if it'll override the speed limit interlocks before lowering itself.