# Anyone have pics of 235/45-17 tires on car?



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

235/45/17 is not the tire size you want. To maintain the stock tire diameter, you'll be looking for a 235/50/17. 

I don't have pictures of these on a car, but here's what 235/50 tires look like on 17x7 rims. You'll be looking at the two tires on the left. The two on the right are 225 wide.


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## Sunkenloot (May 28, 2013)

Thanks for the reply. Yes I am aware they will be a smaller diameter. Just curious as to what they looked like.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Sunkenloot said:


> Thanks for the reply. Yes I am aware they will be a smaller diameter. Just curious as to what they looked like.


A marginally smaller diameter than the ones pictured above. 

Sent from mobile.


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## Sunkenloot (May 28, 2013)

Yup, I think it works out to a little less than half an inch. Im curious as to how the wheel wells flush out. I may have to photoshop it to get an idea. 

I wouldn't mind if it looked marginally goofy, just not full retard. 

My main reason is because I want to to run the Nitto nt555. Thats what I run on my 81z28 for autox. I really love the tires and would like to stick with the same model for my cruze which may get pressed into some autox duty as well. 

Ill post some pics of the cruze when I decide what to run, here is a pic of the z.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Sunkenloot said:


> Yup, I think it works out to a little less than half an inch. Im curious as to how the wheel wells flush out. I may have to photoshop it to get an idea.
> 
> I wouldn't mind if it looked marginally goofy, just not full retard.
> 
> ...


If your Cruze is lowered, it would look alright, but I think you'd want to fill the wheel gaps as much as possible at stock ride height. 

I was pretty disappointed when I discovered that Nitto didn't make any tire in 235/50/17, as that's what I plan to run on my Eco when the current tires are up, which, based on the tire rot I'm seeing on the sidewalls, is sooner rather than later. 

Typical Goodyear...


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## prince_bigd (Jul 16, 2013)

yes but if he were already running a 225/50/17 like the 2lt then the 235/50 would be almost a half an inch larger overall diameter. so these would fill out the wheelwell slightly more than stock. This could also cause some rubbing if lowered and if youre autocrossing it thats added weight and sidewall flex compared to the 235/45. Either size would work one is going to be slightly smaller overall diameter the other slightly larger, personally if gas mileage is the concern then a slightly larger sidewall will generally lower your cruising speeds, however taller sidewalls have more flex, and more weight farther out from the hub, and we all know unsprung mass is the enemy of any enthusiast. a slightly shorter sidewall will inherently have less flex in a similar tire, obviously differences in manufacturing and brands will cause greater variances. Also should give you slightly lower final drive ratio, which in these cars may not be great for first and second but could make a small difference in 4th through 6th


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

I am visualizing the automotive equivilant of a five year old wearing his fathers shoes.....

Rob


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## RollinOn18s (Mar 28, 2013)

Just curious as to why you or anyone would need a 245 on our cars? My car is slammed on coils and even with the stock michelins (225/45/18) I don't see a wider tire being a positive. I am guessing your car is stock when it comes to suspension and I think that just a high quality 225 50 17 would be a big improvent on there own. Partner with them with some sway bars andyouwill be happy


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## Sunkenloot (May 28, 2013)

With the things I am considering its not really all about width or performance or any one thing. Like I mentioned I was looking to try and find a pic of the 234/45-17 because the that is the closest size offered in a nitto 555. Even if that is not the "best" tire, I understand. Sentiment, nostalgia and brand loyalty also come into play for me. So yea, I may not be following the same decision process but then again I also love reading and researching.

With some digging I tracked down some measurements. 

My car came with the 16" overall diameter of 26.1".


Where it get interesting ( to me at least) is the specs on a nitto555 245/45-17 are 25.67 in diameter which is close enough to the original to feel comfortable with and risk feeling like the wheel wells aren't full. The catch with these is the 245 width which is 9.57". I'm not 100% sure yet that this isn't too wide. By crossing other makes specs some 235s are a wider width due to brand variance. I need to keep reading some more and check others specs for actual widths that fit but, this is the road I am investigating now at least.

Out of curiosity when a tire that is too wide is run on the cruze where is usually the first point of contact? 

By the way I do appreciate the info guys, I don't want it to come across as not taking it into account. I very much am, I am also looking for the "fail" testimonials. As in yes, I personally ran this size and it didn't work.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

prince_bigd said:


> yes but if he were already running a 225/50/17 like the 2lt then the 235/50 would be almost a half an inch larger overall diameter. so these would fill out the wheelwell slightly more than stock. This could also cause some rubbing if lowered and if youre autocrossing it thats added weight and sidewall flex compared to the 235/45. Either size would work one is going to be slightly smaller overall diameter the other slightly larger, personally if gas mileage is the concern then a slightly larger sidewall will generally lower your cruising speeds, however taller sidewalls have more flex, and more weight farther out from the hub, and we all know unsprung mass is the enemy of any enthusiast. a slightly shorter sidewall will inherently have less flex in a similar tire, obviously differences in manufacturing and brands will cause greater variances. Also should give you slightly lower final drive ratio, which in these cars may not be great for first and second but could make a small difference in 4th through 6th


Reading through the specs on the Bridge stone Turanza Serenity Plus:

235/50/17 tire is 26.3" in diameter. 28lbs.

Cruze Eco's 215/55/17 tire is 26.3" in diameter. 25lbs. *Note: exact same diameter.*

Cruze 2LT's 225/50/17 is 25.9" in diameter, which is 0.4" smaller. 25lbs.

The 215/60/16 tire on the 1LT is 26.1" in diameter. 25lbs.

A 235/50/17" tire will fit just fine and will be the same diameter as the tires on the Eco. It is 3 pounds heavier, if that makes a huge difference to you. 

The 235/45/17 is too small at 25.4" in diameter. Even lowered, it will look too small. 

We have seen members run far larger tires without rubbing before.

Sent from mobile.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Sunkenloot said:


> With the things I am considering its not really all about width or performance or any one thing. Like I mentioned I was looking to try and find a pic of the 234/45-17 because the that is the closest size offered in a nitto 555. Even if that is not the "best" tire, I understand. Sentiment, nostalgia and brand loyalty also come into play for me. So yea, I may not be following the same decision process but then again I also love reading and researching.
> 
> With some digging I tracked down some measurements.
> 
> ...


We've had members run 245 wide tires. I don't recall hearing any reports of rubbing. We have members currently running 235 wide tires. No rubbing issues at all.


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## Sunkenloot (May 28, 2013)

Here is a good example of how the numbers stack up. Using the Bridge stone Turanza Serenity Plus XtremeRevolution mentions above VS the Nitto555. 

Bridgestone: 235/50/17 is 26.3" in diameter. Sect width is 9.7"

Nitto: 245/45/17 is 25.67" in diameter. Sect width is 9.57" 

By these measurements the Nitto is a smaller all around tire and "should" fit. 

My car originally came with the 16's with a 26.1 diameter. The difference is -.43 from stock to the nittos and within the 2% rule. 

I understand the tire will be slightly smaller in diameter from where I am now, Im ok with that.

Could anyone chime in that is currently running 235/50-17 with no issues as to what brand you are using?

That would give me greater numbers to baseline measurements.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Smurfenstein is running 235/45/18 tires. 26.3" diameter. 

No rubbing.

Sent from mobile.


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## Sunkenloot (May 28, 2013)

I promised pics when I finally pulled the trigger. I did eventually go 235/50-17.

I really did want to use the Nitto555 tires but I realized that the 245 was the same size I was running on the front of my Z28, on an 8" wide rim. While it would have worked on the 7.5" I think I would have gotten too much side wall bulge for the look of this car.

The other factor was running across a screaming deal on tire price I couldnt pass up.

Overall, I am happy with the look. The original idea was to dip them anthracite but, I may run them this way for a while till I need a change. 

The hard part now will be convincing myself not to lower it. Since this is a lease, when I go to turn it in I can swap wheels easily and recoup some money from them, changing may be too much work on a lease. I wonder if the dealership would notice if I turned it back in lowered? lol. I know I dont want to go as low as the Z, it scrapes on everything.


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## Cruzado (Sep 9, 2012)

Im running 235/45/18. NO rub etc. heres a pic


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Sunkenloot said:


> I promised pics when I finally pulled the trigger. I did eventually go 235/50-17.
> 
> I really did want to use the Nitto555 tires but I realized that the 245 was the same size I was running on the front of my Z28, on an 8" wide rim. While it would have worked on the 7.5" I think I would have gotten too much side wall bulge for the look of this car.
> 
> ...


Those tires look perfect on that car! Just the right amount of bulge to protect the rim a bit better from curb rash, and the rims look great! Great work!


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## nike12000 (Sep 13, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Those tires look perfect on that car! Just the right amount of bulge to protect the rim a bit better from curb rash, and the rims look great! Great work!




Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
Looks nice think your should drop it a tiny bit looks like lots of opening wheel well did you want a taller tire maybe I missed it but seems like a 45 or 35 side wall would have been a little more "sporty" but that's just my 2 cents still looks nice


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

nike12000 said:


> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
> Looks nice think your should drop it a tiny bit looks like lots of opening wheel well did you want a taller tire maybe I missed it but seems like a 45 or 35 side wall would have been a little more "sporty" but that's just my 2 cents still looks nice


Lower profile, sure, but would have been smaller diameter than stock. 

Sent from mobile.


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## Sunkenloot (May 28, 2013)

I got bored and decided to dip the wheels black.


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