Maximum Tire Size After 40mm Lift?

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KJ78

Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2021
Messages
5
Preface: Yes, I am aware this is not a rock crawling, trail bashing 4x4. I fully understand that and am not trying to turn this vehicle into one. I am merely looking into increasing the ground clearance a small amount in order for the vehicle to better handle the thousands of kilometers of mild forest service roads located in British Columbia, chiefly in the winter when ground clearance is in higher demand due to these roads not being maintained and merely being trampled out by the higher clearance 4x4 pickups & suvs.


Hello, I have recently purchased a 2020 Canadian spec Outlander Phev. I am absolutely thrilled with it having put over 3000km (1800 miles) on it in the 18 days i have owned the vehicle, the long range gas mileage even driving on the Coquihalla is within 1.5L/100km of my previous 6 speed Honda Crz (fantastic vehicle for introducing hybrid drivetrains to people btw). However, on a recent Ice fishing trip with my father I have run into a limitation of the Outlander PHEV, the ground clearance. Putting along a snow covered forest service road I could only summarize the experience as "Wiener Dogging", the vehicle was constantly dragging its belly on the high center snow bank on the road because of its short legs, with snow tires fitted at no point was traction ever an issue mind you, just the noise from the crunchy snow hitting the underside of the vehicle was more than a bit unsetting, however no damage was found to the undercarriage upon returning to the asphalt. After this trip I have taken to calling the vehicle "The Wiener Dog" due to it being long, brown, and stubby legged ;) . I am looking to increase the ground clearance some and upgrade this Dachshund into at a Corgi, or maybe a Spaniel of some sort :lol: .


I have ordered the 40mm spacer lift from Tema4x4, I am going to be running 2 sets of wheels & tires with my intention being to leave my snow tires mounted on the factory 18x7 inch wheels (the dealership included "free" snow tires with the purchase of the vehicle) and to purchase a set of 17x7 or 16x7 inch (if they'll clear the brakes) wheels with a set of mild all terrain tires in an approximately 30 inch diameter and trying to get as much tire sidewall as I can.


The stock tire size of 225/55r18 translates to roughly 27-3/4" in diameter by 8-7/8" wide. My intention is to run either 235/70r17 (30" OD x 9.25" wide) or 235/75r16 (29-7/8" OD x 9.25" wide) on a wheel fairly close to the factory offset of +38mm. Having checked on the driveway with a few quick and dirty measurements using a tape measure it seems the 30" diameter shouldn't be an issue after the lift, it's more of a question of whether the additional 10mm of tire width (5mm per side) and how much leeway I have with the wheel offset. I am prepared to downgrade to a 225/70r17 (29.5x8.8") or 225/75r16 (29.3x8.8") tire if absolutely necessary however.


So this question goes out to the bold few who have fitted a lift kit to their PHEVs, what tire size are you running, or what do you feel is the maximum tire size we're able to fit without requiring modification to the wheel wells? I come from a Jeep and Suzuki background and am well versed in the medium of "Bust out the Sawzall or Flatten the Pinch Weld" to fit larger tires and would like to avoid that on a brand spankin' new vehicle.


Thanks,
 
Search for my posts on this subject, I have the 40mm lift and larger tires on my '18 PHEV. Be aware that the lift stresses the sway bar end links, so you will be replacing them on occasion.
 
I'm on the 40mm lift kit. The rear control arms had to be replaced to get to a reasonable alignment spec.

I'm currently running 235/60/18s on 8.5 x 18 rims - at the stock 38 offset. I have no clearance issues.

I tried running 245/60/18 and while they generally cleared the wheel wells, on full lock there was some minor rubbing on the fronts only. I could probably have sanded down or adjusted the liner (or lived with it) but I chose to go smaller in case i hit weird angles, or put additional weight on the vehicle during trips.

Use this size to calculate - if your combo is less width/height than my 235/60/18, you should be OK assuming you don't change the offset.

https://tiresize.com/comparison/

Also note that depending on tread pattern and manufacturer, there will be some variance between tire sizes - even at the same spec'd dimensions.. e.g a 245 from Yokohama, might have millimeters difference from a 245 from Bridgestone..
 
yvrPHEV said:
I'm on the 40mm lift kit. The rear control arms had to be replaced to get to a reasonable alignment spec.

Do you recall how far out the rear alignment is without the adjustable camber arms? If it isn't excessively positive, (like +1 degree max) then I would think that is preferable since you gain negative camber as your suspension compresses causing it to balance out, and in the summer the vehicle will see frequent loading for camping & boating. Dialing in a hair of negative front camber and doing regular tire rotations should also take care of any problematic tire wear otherwise I would think.


yvrPHEV said:
I'm currently running 235/60/18s on 8.5 x 18 rims - at the stock 38 offset. I have no clearance issues.

I tried running 245/60/18 and while they generally cleared the wheel wells, on full lock there was some minor rubbing on the fronts only.



Do you remember where the tire was rubbing? I've been eyeing a set of 16x7 +30 KM542's which look pretty sharp. Using a wheel clearance calculator I found a 235/75r16 tire on those wheels will have 4mm less clearance on the OD (due to being a taller tire obviously) with the outer face of the tire being more or less in the same place as the 245/60r18 you had issue with but having far more clearance to the inside face of the tire. Depending on where the tire was rubbing it may clear due to the way the wheel arcs when turning.
 
sorry for the delayed reply.

Without the correct camber set (especially without added weight in the car) - the drivability is severely impacted. I drove with the stock alignment for a couple days on the OEM control arms and it was nearly uncomfortable how the steering response felt. Especially in wet weather. The vehicle also tracked very poorly if there were any abnormalities in the road like ruts from Semi-Trucks.

The rubbing spot was on the front wheel well towards the rear of the car. There is a flat black plastic area of the liner that protrudes roughly at the mid-point of the tire which gets contacted at full lock. If you remove that plastic piece, or even dent it back inwards, you might be ok until you find the next area of concern.
 
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