I'm running with Continental Contact MX5 235/50/R18 on original wheels currently, but after being poisoned badly enough by the look of the 20 inches, I thought about switching my wheels. But I'm still a little hesitant of moving up because of the sacrifice on the ride comfort.

I understand the bigger tyres naturally would cater more to handling performance rather than ride comfort, but is there any recommendation for 19 inches or 20 inches tyres that are all rounder - quiet and soft/comfortable as well as good in handling and doesn't wear out fast?

I'm looking for 245/45/R19 for 19 inches and either 245/40/R20 or 255/40/R20 for 20 inches.

for most 19inch rim with 245/45/19,will rub a bit(very very mild) when u do maximum turning.
245/40/19 is more suitable. 20 inch i use 245/40/20 is okay.
if u want to use the 45 for 19 inch,michelin primacy 3st,quite cheap for this size rm 7xx per piece.

I see. But what do you mean that it will 'rub a bit' when doing a maximum turn with the 245/45/19?? Do you mean that the profile will be a little oversized and that the tyres will be rubbing against the walls of the wheel opening?

Any recommendation for 245/40/20 tyres?

And do you happen to ferry old folks at the back seats complaining about bumpy ride on your 20 inches? I'm just trying to get some opinions and rough idea on the comfort level with 20 inches.

my advise, dont do it if you are hesitant. vellfire in 18" is already rubbish in term of crashiness even on comfort tires.

u do maximum turning rub got some sound.suppose the tyre is oversize. couldnt find where the tyre rubs. but after changing to 40 no more rubbing sound when do turning.
for 245/40/20 i use the achiles..for me to cheap,reliable,raining and grip is good.even if u run into big pothole,in case tyre burst,tyre replacement is not expensive.
usually i drive the 20inch on highway.city drive i would use another car.so not much feel bumpy.

If 19' you should look for 235/45/19 to match your current total diameter so it would still fit perfectly. Comfort wise I'd say still reasonable coz the sidewall height/thickness is still about 10.6cm however you will still feel significant reduction compared to your previous tire size since it's a drop of about 1.2cm tire sidewall height. Therefore based, I would also not recommend you to go 20' as you'd need to use even thinner tires (245/40/20 or 255/35/20) where the sidewall is already below 10cm ( drop 2cm or more from your current size) in order to maintain close to your original total diameter for fitment clearance.

You can do tire size comparison here:
http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-Calculator


Well 245/45/19 and 245/40/20 is practically the exact same total diameter with only about 1mm difference. So the cause for your rubbing should not be because of the tire size but due to the rim's offset & width where the 19' rims you chose that time did not have the proper size to fit your car.

if it is the rim spec issue,why does the 45 series rubbing but the 4o series not rubbing?can u enlightened me?tq

You mentioned going from 19 to 20 inch rims so that's already different rim sizes which means can also have different widths and offsets. If your 19' that time was maybe wider and/or offsets too out or too in, then it might rub something. If both your rims have exactly the same widths & offsets just different diameters (19 vs 20) then it should not rub because the total diameter (including the tire sizes that you use) are about the same.

i mention 20inch without rubbing,19 inching same rim rubbing using 245/45/19
but 245/40/19 not rubbing.
20 inch spec 8.5x20inch et42
19 inch spec 8x19inch et38 japan rims
spec doesnt deviates much so how can 245/40/20 almost same size with 245/45/19 but the 19 inch rubbing?
also for most of my buddy using 19 inch 245/45/19 will have rubbing issue.stil i think 40 series is good after such situations.

If 245/40/19 vs 245/45/19 then of course there's a significant difference (1.2cm sidewall height difference or total 2.4cm difference in diameter) so it makes sense that 245/40/19 should not rub.
But 245/40/20 vs 245/45/19 is only 1mm difference in total diameter which practically the same so it should be the same, provided the rims width and offsets are the same or very close. Now your example above shows your 19' offset is quite a lot different than the 20'. Now even though your 19' width is a bit narrower, but the effective tire tread width is still the same 24.5cm and mounted on a rims which is 4mm more outward, so that might make it rub. If you use 19x8.5 offset also 42 then it should not rub with 245/45/19.

I'm looking at the below rim profile.

Front : 19x8.5JJ
Rear : 19x9.5JJ

Will 235/45 fit in both front and rear? I'm thinking the 245/45 would be a better fit though.

The OEM wheels on the Vellfire is 18x8JJ if I'm not mistaken.

it stil rub for the 245/45/19 tyres.disregard all the theories of it should not rub.
and most of my buddies using the 245/45/19 tyres on various offset also rub.
the 245/40/19 is still the suitable size.

This post has been edited by leehernandez: Jan 4 2016, 12:21 PM

Well if you said 245/40/20 does not rub on certain rim widths & offsets then 245/45/19 must also be able to clear on the same offsets and widths. If 245/45/19 rubs then 245/40/20 also should rub the same way. Your example shows that the rims offsets are different and that's why one of the size might clear and the other might rub, simple as that. There's no such thing unexplained 'magic' or rocket science behind tire size conversion and fitments, it's just a simple mathematical fact. If your buddies still rubs using 245/45/19 then they must be using the wrong offsets, or maybe they have modified their suspension to be lower hence much less clearance. Again I'm basing this because you claim that 245/40/20 clears no problem.

As I said, 245/40/19 of course would have much more clearance than 245/45/19, so that's why. Based on the original 18' size then when upgrade to 19', 235/45/19 is also the closest matching size.

Your car is a FWD, why want to use staggered sizes? Just use the same 8 or 8.5jj for both front and rear and both these widths can still use 235 tires.

That's just what I'm leaning towards having, solely for the better look with deeper concave on the rear. I have no idea on the driving mechanics or dynamics involved. Understand that the handling may be worse since it's a FWD. I may still go with 8.5 on both front and rear though.

FWD cars already have the inherent understeer in the handling due to the front wheels multitasking between steering and power delivery, plus the weight distribution much more more nose heavy. By giving wider rear tires, it means giving even more grip to the rear relative to the front which makes the understeer even worse. So for FWD car, best is just use the same widths. If want deeper concave look on the rear, you can opt for less offset but still the same width.

This post has been edited by 6UE5T: Jan 4 2016, 07:33 PM