1911mojo

I am considering getting 18" wheels on a 99 RL and wanted to throw the question out there of getting 40's or 45's. In talking to the guys at tire rack, they said the car is to heavy for 40's, but that makes me wonder why the BMW's and Benzes are running on those. Plus, its hard to find a decent 45 series 18" tire.

mdortjx

bmw's 5-series as well as merc E-class factory sport packages comes w/ 17 in 45-series tires as well as the gs400 sports. And all those cars are about 250-400 lbs lighter than the 99 RL. For that the 99 and above rl's are 200+ lbs heavier the the 96 - 98 rl's due the all changes acura may for the 99 model year

1911mojo

Factory wise yeah, but most aftermarket combos that are set up are running on 40 series profile tires. Not saying that I dont want 45's I just wanted to know opinions. Appreciate it man.

1911mojo

Like the S55 is running 40's on the back even though that is not where the majority of the weight is

mdortjx

But the S55 is rolling on something like 275/40's, which makes a diameter of the tire larger than let's say 225/40's

EKY

If you're talking about the maximum allowable load on the tires, I think I can be of help. What you should do is, 1) find out the brand of tires Tire Rack will be supplying 2) go to the tire manufacturer's site and find out the specifications for the tires 3) look for the "max load" specification

The 99 RL weight specifications are Front: 2570 and Rear: 2260, so the total weight placed on all four tires is 4830, or in other words, the total weight of the vehicle. So what you do is, divide the numbers(front and rear) by two in order to find out the amount of weight being placed on ONE tire. Thus, each front tire carries 1285lbs of weight, while each rear tire carries 1130lbs of weight. Got it?

Then compare these two numbers to the "max load" rating on the tire you want to purchase. For example, I'm running on 245/35ZR-19 NT555 tires. My tires say, "max load: 1433lbs". That means that one tire can handle UP TO 1433lbs. This number is significantly higher(by a couple hundred lbs), than the actual weight being placed on the tire, as 1285lbs is being placed on the front, and 1130 to the rear. If you find a "max load" rating lower than any of the two numbers(1285/1130), then it may be unsafe to operate the car running on those tires.

Hope I was of help....

1911mojo

EKY...Do you have any pictures of your RL. Its hard to find people with RL's that have aftermarket wheels on them.

EKY

My 1999 RL


My previous car, a 1997 RL


My friends previous car, a 1997 RL

1911mojo

Ok. I talked to this guy at a wheel shop today and he said that I wouldnt be able to get 18's and 45's on there anyway. Anyone able to back this up?