Apex VS-5 18x9.5 +45 Satin Bronze and 255/40R18

[Spart]

Answers to inevitable questions:

• Apex offers the 18x9.5 in +58 and +38, why +45?
  • I originally wanted to do +58 to maintain the OEM offset. However, after running a +44 setup all winter long and not really getting any torque steer, I decided +45 was the sweet spot. I am too old to think +38 looks cool on these cars. +45 on a 9.5" looks like just about the most aggressive setup an OEM not named Ford might do, and I'm all about OEM+.
• Why 255/40R18 instead of 265/35R18? Doesn't 265/35R18 match the OEM setup for a 9.5" wide wheel?
  • 255/40R18 has a lot of good tires to choose from, it's cheaper, and gives you a smidge more sidewall if you care about that sort of thing.
  • I also happen to think a mild stretch looks good on this type of car. Pictures I saw of 265 always looked a bit more square shouldered, and 275 on a 9.5" wheel just looks too offroader-ish to me. 255 kind of helps hide the gap and looks more natural to my eye.
  • I'm not as hung up on bigger number = better as I used to be. There are tradeoffs in everything.
• Isn't your speedometer way off?
  • Actually, no! With the front tire pressure set to 33psi cold, and setting the cruise at 75, GPS will read 76 about 80% of the time and 75 the other 20%. I think the speedometer in these cars reads a little bit fast, so the taller tire size takes some of that error out (and adds some the other direction.)
• Are those.... all seasons?
  • Yeah. I actually have a dedicated set of winter tires, too. These Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3's are much more of a three-season tire however, and would be awful in snow. They're pretty grippy all things considered, but they won't be dangerous to drive on in temperatures under 45 degrees, which will give me more time to decide when to swap my winter set off and back on in spring and fall. They'll also be significantly safer in the rain than a summer tire would be. My initial impression of them is quite favorable.
• Are you lowered?
  • Nope, don't plan to.
• What lug nuts are those?
  • McGard spline drive with the integrated washer.

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[Tuna_de5]

Looks good, it would be hard for me to sacrifice tire width though. I would definitely notice the difference. Bet it rides so much better than stock.

 

[Spart]

Looks good, it would be hard for me to sacrifice tire width though. I would definitely notice the difference. Bet it rides so much better than stock.

That 10mm (and lack of a digital tire pressure gauge) will spin you right out!

I am giving up significantly more by going to 600TW all-seasons than by dropping from 265 to 255.

And it's not a complete L anyway. Fun fact: the contact patch (in square inches) of a 265 width tire and a 255 width tire both inflated to 33psi will be exactly the same, on the same corner of the car. It's more of a question of what dynamics a certain shape of contact patch provides. Certain things improve with a longer, narrower contact patch. Certain things get worse. Others don't change.

I will say that I think the tire pressure recommended by Acura/Honda is more than is needed and harms grip - but it's done to protect the rim with the extremely low profile tires on the 19s. Because I'm on 18's, I'm able to increase my contact patch by running lower pressures and not worrying about potholes as much.

 

[Tuna_de5]

That 10mm (and lack of a digital tire pressure gauge) will spin you right out!

I am giving up significantly more by going to 600TW all-seasons than by dropping from 265 to 255.

And it's not a complete L anyway. Fun fact: the contact patch (in square inches) of a 265 width tire and a 255 width tire both inflated to 33psi will be exactly the same, on the same corner of the car. It's more of a question of what dynamics a certain shape of contact patch provides. Certain things improve with a longer, narrower contact patch. Certain things get worse. Others don't change.

I will say that I think the tire pressure recommended by Acura/Honda is more than is needed and harms grip - but it's done to protect the rim with the extremely low profile tires on the 19s. Because I'm on 18's, I'm able to increase my contact patch by running lower pressures and not worrying about potholes as much.

Absolutely makes sense. I know its more about the shape of the contact patch rather than the width. All seasons definitely don't help. But once again for daily driving do you really need high performance tires? 90% of the time you aren't ever driving hard enough to notice the difference.
Also you ride better, have less nvh and are faster in a straight line. My car is absolutely slower than stock because of how much tire I have. I'm on VS5RS as well.

I'm on the opposite end running an relatively tight fitment on 275 Indy500 v2 tires and 3.2 degrees of camber in the front. I run about 40 (hot) PSI to reduce camber wear and have sharper steering feel. At least for me and others it rides fine, but I drive very very hard and plan to track once I get new brake pads. But it shows you the dramatic differences needed to run our different setups. I love this stuff! You would probably hate the look of my car.

 

[Spart]

I'm on the opposite end running an relatively tight fitment on 275 Indy500 v2 tires and 3.2 degrees of camber in the front.

What width wheels?

 

[Tuna_de5]

What width wheels?

You're going to hate me even more, 19x9.5+45

 

[Spart]

You're going to hate me even more, 19x9.5+45

I'd consider running a 19x10 to get a mild stretch (with the same rubber) to improve the turn-in feel. Less drawbacks than higher pressure IMO.

40 hot is higher than most folks run during track days, kinda sounds like you're compensating for the tire rolling over because your tire is on the wide side for the rim.

 

[Tuna_de5]

I'd consider running a 19x10 to get a mild stretch (with the same rubber) to improve the turn-in feel. Less drawbacks than higher pressure IMO.

40 hot is higher than most folks run during track days, kinda sounds like you're compensating for the tire rolling over because your tire is on the wide side for the rim.

I used to run a 275-30 ps4s before I did front ball joints and H and R lowering springs and was getting really bad rollover because I didn't have as much negative camber at the time. Currently the 35 (indy 500v2) has absolutely helped with that at the expense of a smidge of initial turn-in but mid corner rotation has improved and because of the increase of negative camber my turn in has improved (of course keeping in mind of tire wear). But its complicated as I have a whiteline 22m rear swaybar as well. So that factors in with the general handling as well. I am really happy with the balance of the car as is now. Tons of grip but forgiving enough to not go ass-over or anything like that. For hard driving I have notice a net positive handling improvement, but I am using grippy summer tires with a very squared shoulder. But the look is definitely niche. I would worry I would rub on a 19x10. And ironically my car is slower in a straight-line now but the handling improvement is absolutely worth it for me.

But its a complicated situation because of course I'm working outside of factory spec so there's a lot of mystery. It probably would have been safer to use a 275-30/or 265-35 but I like trying stuff out that not as many people do. My goal at the end of the day is have something that I like the look of and it improves the dynamics of the car. My philosophy with mods is to never ruin the experience of the car, I need to have some sort of net-gain to the dynamics while combining it with the looks I like. It might be interesting to try a 265-35 on my setup.

Anyways I can sort of go on and on about it. But I like talking about wheels and tires/chassis stuff its quite fun.

 

[Tuna_de5]

I used to run a 275-30 ps4s before I did front ball joints and H and R lowering springs and was getting really bad rollover because I didn't have as much negative camber at the time. Currently the 35 (indy 500v2) has absolutely helped with that at the expense of a smidge of initial turn-in but mid corner rotation has improved and because of the increase of negative camber my turn in has improved (of course keeping in mind of tire wear). But its complicated as I have a whiteline 22m rear swaybar as well. So that factors in with the general handling as well. I am really happy with the balance of the car as is now. Tons of grip but forgiving enough to not go ass-over or anything like that. For hard driving I have notice a net positive handling improvement, but I am using grippy summer tires with a very squared shoulder. But the look is definitely niche. I would worry I would rub on a 19x10. And ironically my car is slower in a straight-line now but the handling improvement is absolutely worth it for me.

But its a complicated situation because of course I'm working outside of factory spec so there's a lot of mystery. It probably would have been safer to use a 275-30/or 265-35 but I like trying stuff out that not as many people do. My goal at the end of the day is have something that I like the look of and it improves the dynamics of the car. My philosophy with mods is to never ruin the experience of the car, I need to have some sort of net-gain to the dynamics while combining it with the looks I like. It might be interesting to try a 265-35 on my setup.

Anyways I can sort of go on and on about it. But I like talking about wheels and tires/chassis stuff its quite fun.

also I wanted to add, don't get me wrong. I am absolutely working with a sub optimal situation, its the balance between getting the looks and dynamics to work. I just think its an interesting conversation as you are sort of working outside of the norm as am I.

 

[Spart]

also I wanted to add, don't get me wrong. I am absolutely working with a sub optimal situation, its the balance between getting the looks and dynamics to work. I just think its an interesting conversation as you are sort of working outside of the norm as am I.

It definitely looks pretty good.

VS-5 are pretty perfect for this car.

 

[Tuna_de5]

It definitely looks pretty good.

VS-5 are pretty perfect for this car.

Much agreed, they don't break the bank either. I really wanted Volk Go25's but they are diabolically expensive, maybe further down the line.

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