Tire Width L405

3465 Views 4 Replies 2 Participants Last post by fosterelli, Sep 20, 2018

fosterelli

Discussion Starter · Sep 18, 2018

As the title says - and don't throw anything at me...

We currently have three SUVs in our stable. The L405 L, a '16 Escalade ESV, and our little F15 BMW X5.

The ESV has 285 45 22s on all four (Pirelli Verde)
The X5 has staggered 315 35 20 rear / 275 45 20 front (Conti).

I love the X5 staggered w/ fat meat hooks on the rear.

Now, I'm not trying to stagger the RR. However, I would like a fatter / wider tire.

We have the 275 40 22s on the L405 now (Conti). Looking to go to the Pirelli P Zero. They have a 295 35 22. But will it fit? Shows 10" rim required.

OEM 22" rim width? Is it a 10" or 9.5"?

Current 275:
275 40 = 30.7" dia
10.8" width
4.3" sidewall
658 revs/mile

295 35 = 30.1" dia (2% decrease)
11.6" width
4.1" sidewall
670 revs/mile

Anyone with any experience getting more width, I'd love to hear it. And FYI I'm not a spacer fan...unless I need to be.

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packetpilot

· #2 · Sep 19, 2018

Re: Tire Width L405d

I'm not certain, but everything I can find indicates the OEM 22" wheels for the 2018 have a 9.5" width.

Stepping down 0.5" is something I'm unsure about (I'd imagine a determined tire shop would be able to mount it, but would also guess their insurance provider wouldn't be happy about them going out of spec), but I've got a hunch that any added mechanical grip you get out of the contact patch increase could be negated by the bowing of the sidewall, which could mean it'd have more squirm than it was designed to. If it's not lap times you're after, who cares I guess (until that emergency maneuver when a deer leaps out in front of your fully-laden vehicle and you lose a bead).

It could also bow the contact patch itself, but I guess the chalk test could help you get around that.

Only a half inch though, I'd say it might be worth a shot, assuming you explore the safety envelope at some skidpad without any passengers, a HANS, etc... but that's just the wannabe test engineer in me high-fiving my inner safety patrolman. :lol:

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fosterelli

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 19, 2018

Re: Tire Width L405d

Thanks PP, appreciate it. I'm not really interested in running a tire out of spec for the wheel. While the 2% decrease in overall diameter (4/10ths) equates to only a 0.2" sidewall height difference, mounting a tire engineered for a 10" rim onto a 9.5" wide rim isn't my goal.

Definitely we drive more like old people than speedsters...so my only real concern is safety first, aesthetics second.

Some good options in the 285 40 22 range...which provides less expensive (albeit less wide) alternatives.

Really happy with the Pirelli Verde A/S on the Escalade (OEM was Bridgestone) and the X5's Conti DWS 06 is one of the best tires I've owned. Guess I can't complain. Although I'd prefer the RR to have beastly wide tire options...without aftermarket rims (which I'm not a fan of) I appear to be stalled out to go much wider. All good!

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packetpilot

· #4 · Sep 20, 2018

Re: Tire Width L405d

One thing to keep your eye out for while poking around TireRack etc. is the "starMercedes" or "star<Make>" variants of certain tires. Sometimes this lets you get a wider tire on a narrower wheel etc. (within spec), but of course, it'd probably be a good idea to figure out what other sorts of spec variations are present in the "star" variant of the tire, as well as eyeballing the relevant deltas between your vehicle and the vehicle the tire was engineered for (e.g. power/braking performance, weight distribution, maybe even F/R/A/4WD etc.).

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fosterelli

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 20, 2018

Re: Tire Width L405d

Yeah I think I'll just live with an increase of .4" by moving from 275 to 285. Slightly wider, within wheel spec, no measurable change to vehicle/tire safety/handling characteristics. Will probably roll with the Pirelli new version P Zero or the Verde.

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