Can anyone confirm if 245/45-R18 tires offer any rim rash protection?

[insaneoctane]

Lots of talk about people trying different tire sizes, but I have yet to conclusively read if replacing the OEM 235/45-R18 with 245/45-R18 results in the tire sidewall extending slightly beyond the rim. Standard size tires offer ZERO rim rash protection because the rim is beyond the tire. I'm considering 245 *IF* it helps here...

 

[dennisvab]

I may be wrong. But I think some tires just offer more protection in that same size than others. I’ve experienced this with my BMW X5 when replacing with the same size. I plan to replace with Continental DWS 06 tires in the fall, and I am expecting them to protect the rim better.

 

[Sky-Pilot]

dennisvab is correct. Many newer tires have, for lack of better terms, a "lip" in which the tires fits into. I have the Conti DWS and it has a nice little lip and my rims are fully protected. Go to tirerack.com and look at a close up of the tire and look for a lip. Open the link below you can see the small lip or indentation that the rim fits into.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/BigP...rch=false&fromCompare1=yes&sidewall=Blackwall

 

[bbell]

I think this person has the best idea.

 

[Sky-Pilot]

I think this person has the best idea.

View attachment 434099

Didn't 007 have those on his DB5?

 

[KenC]

That's the Messala spoke option.

And I would agree with Dennis and Skypilot that you need to look at the various tires on offer to see if they have a lip on the sidewall to help prevent road rash

 

[insaneoctane]

dennisvab is correct. Many newer tires have, for lack of better terms, a "lip" in which the tires fits into. I have the Conti DWS and it has a nice little lip and my rims are fully protected. Go to tirerack.com and look at a close up of the tire and look for a lip. Open the link below you can see the small lip or indentation that the rim fits into.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/BigP...rch=false&fromCompare1=yes&sidewall=Blackwall

your pic didn't work.

What size tire did you buy?

 

[afadeev]

And I would agree with Dennis and Skypilot that you need to look at the various tires on offer to see if they have a lip on the sidewall to help prevent road rash

Neither the +10mm wider tires, nor rim "rash guards" are EVER a match for a curb.
If your wheel intersects with a curb, the curb will win, every time.

Having said that, wider tires do improve lateral grip while cornering (at the expense of slightly increased energy consumption), and provide additional rim "buffer" during storage (if you swap for winter/summer rims).

a

 

[insaneoctane]

Neither the +10mm wider tires, nor rim "rash guards" are EVER a match for a curb.
If your wheel intersects with a curb, the curb will win, every time.

Having said that, wider tires do improve lateral grip while cornering (at the expense of slightly increased energy consumption), and provide additional rim "buffer" during storage (if you swap for winter/summer rims).

a

I wholeheartedly believe the small rim rash episodes on my Model 3 (not all by me) are a result of lightly touching the curb at very low speed while parking and would NOT exist if the tire touched first.

 

[gilscales]

I changed my tires on the 19” sport wheels to a 255/40/19 (dws06 conti’s) and while 27” tall vs. 26.4” of the stock size my speedo is dead on now and comfort has improved as well as handling, I did tsk a 7 or 8% range hit so not too bad I guess and best thing is the rim rash protection, I know it works because my wife came home recently with curb rash on the sidewall and wheel was fine, no clearance issues, no rubbing at all and I highly recommend the 255 width in the same aspect ratio as stock for this car with its heavy weight

 

[Sky-Pilot]

your pic didn't work.

What size tire did you buy?

Yeah, you really have to click the link. Now sure why when I pasted the URL that it tried to embed a picture.

 

[insaneoctane]

I'm worried about range hit. If 245 works that is preferred. If 255 is required to get rash protection then I need to fully understand the range impact

 

[al503]

The different tire manufacturers have different ways to measure their tires. One company's 235 might be up to an inch narrower/wider than a different company. With that in mind, I'd go on tirerack.com and look at the specs of the tires you're interested in. Compare the Section and Tread widths. FWIW, I'd definitely go with 245's instead of 235's. Despite another member stating it won't matter, it can give you a heads up, just slightly quicker, than a narrower tire. Not a huge deal on the 18"s but it'll also give you just a smidge more pothole/hazard protection as well.

 

[Randy Spencer]

Getting ready to buy, has anyone tried the wider tires yet? Which did you try (size and model)?

 

[gilscales]

Getting ready to buy, has anyone tried the wider tires yet? Which did you try (size and model)?

I bought the 255/40/19 tire size in Continental DWS06 and really, really like them, get curb rash protection, sidewall is a little taller so more comfortable than stock tire, my speedo is spot on now instead of reading 2 mph fast, handling is so much improved from the wider tire and higher load rating, only downside is after 16k miles on these vs. 17k miles on the stock Conti's is a slight range decrease from 246 wh/mi to 256 wh/mi. not to bad of a hit really, that is the tire in my sig and sidewall barely sticks out enough for some rash protection.

 

[xxxholic]

Some people have used these instead of a wider wheel:

Wheelbands – Durable Alloy Wheel Pinstriping and Curb Rash Protection

RimBlades | RimBladesUSA

Wheel Bands Kit for Tesla Model S

*not my car

 

[Shake-N-Bake]

anyone have pics of a 255 tire on a model 3 wheel?

 

[gilscales]

anyone have pics of a 255 tire on a model 3 wheel?

 

[pdx_m3s]

If you're relying on your tires to protect your wheels, you're doing it wrong.

 

[zhu-]

Anybody know if there would there be any clearance issues if I were to put 255/40/19 on a wheel with a lower offset - or using 15-20mm spacers? I also want at least 245 or 255 for better pothole protection. I had 19's on my previous car with staggered 225 front and 255 rear and had so many bubbles on my front tires.