viguera

Alright, I need some advice/comments...

I'm thinking of moving into 18" tires for my CLK ('02 320), and I was thinking about something...

First off, what do you guys do about a spare? My car came with a full size non-directional in the trunk, and I assume (probably shouldn't?) that something slightly bigger would fit back there?

I mean, what do people with 18-19" setups do? Pray? Swerve around potholes? I love roadside assistance, but they won't replace a tire that cannot be fixed on the spot, so having *some* kind of spare seems like a reasonable precaution. If you're late for an interview or to catch a flight, you can even roll up your sleeves and be done with it in 10 minutes... if you have a spare.

One of those quick flat-fixer-uppers (a bottle of gunk and a pump) would probably help in a bind, but I've had the pleasure of taking one of these out of my tire once (the nail, not the quarter ):



All of the gunk in the world wasn't gonna fix the holes that badboy made...

So what's the general concensus? Fork over for a BS tire on a BS rim and put it in the trunk or what?

Chappy

I think BMW struggled with this decision on the M5, which do not even come with a spare tire/wheel. Consider installing run-flat tires.

ldangeli

It is all a matter of opinion. If you are putting replacement or bend-a-alot rims as my buddy calls them, you take the chance. it isn't going to kill the car to drive the 50 miles on the spare, even though it is smaller. it may look silly, but you'll survive. If that is the least of your worries with your ride, and you are willing to make the investment, then you shouldn't worry too much about flats. Run flats are good, but they don't help against bending rims, or not bending rims for that matter. Another thing to consider is the side wall height. What are you looking for, high performance, lower mileage or higher mileage while giving up a tad in the performance sector. Are you looking for summer only or all around seasonal? YOU have to decide what is going to fit YOUR needs. I personally like the new Contact 2's. Higher sidewall, great wet and dry traction on both the 03 Targa, and the 04' S4. I left the MBZ with 18's and Yoko's. Don't really like the Yoko's, loud, so-so wet traction, ok dry.

Again it is all a matter of preference. How YOU drive your car.

scorchie

If you go to 18" or 19" wheels (or 17" or whatever), the overall diameter of the tire should remain close to original.

Thus, the original spare, being close to the same overall diameter, can be used to get you where you are going.

You only start to have serious problems when the tire diameters vary too much.

On my CLK, the spare is a 215 width... a 225 width doesn't fit well into the trunk space, and the rear 245 width is definitely too wide. But the diameters are close so they at least sit into the space.

The standard upgrade sizes (225/255 on 18" and 235/265 on 19") are about the same diameter.

-s-

viguera

Somehow, that makes perfect sense, yet I didn't think about how simple it was. The overall size of the tire is close, because the sidewalls on the bigger ones would be relatively smaller -- depending of course on which size you go for...

Makes sense... the space is there to hold the (hopefully never) damaged tire, and you can use the spare until you get to the tire place.

Thanks a lot for clearing that out for me scorchie -- along with everyone else that posted.

str8ridin

I think your other questions were addressed above, but just to reiterate, upgrading your tire/rim package, if done correctly, should maintain the overall wheel/tire diameter of the original. So, a spare will not affect your ride dramatically and should just be temporary until you get your tire patched or replaced.

Also, and YES, when going a plus one or plus two upgrade, you will need to change your driving style. There are no two ways about it. If you want to look good or perform better, that is the trade-off. I’ve had 18’s on my Maxima for 5 years now and I’ve gone though 2.5 sets of new rims….because there are some potholes and bumps that you just can’t escape. And yes, it gets expensive, but DAMN, does it look good.

viguera

I know... I'm glad I have a full-sized spare because sometimes I have to ride 30-40 miles on it to get home... and the fact that it's ugly actually helps, otherwise I'd never get the damaged tire fixed.

Speaking of patched or replaced, I wasn't sold on tire warranties but I got it anyway (from Town Fair Tire)... and since then twice I've had tires that needed complete replacement after blowing out. Some of the best money I've ever spent...

That's the #1 reason I haven't gone that route yet... my sales guy told me right away when I bought the car... in NYC, if you buy anything fancy, be prepared to drop extra cash for replacement tires (and probably rims) within a few months. The roads are terrible in and around the city, and I suppose there's nothing that you can really do to get around that... unless they make some kryptonite rims or something...

I can live with a busted tire every now and then... it's a bent rim that scares me.