]Are you running wider wheels than stock? If not, you probably wouldn't want to switch to 255's. I think a 255 width tire is considered too wide for a factory 7.5" rim. Most tire/wheel charts list a 235 as the widest specified as safe for that width wheel. Minimum wheel width for a 255 is listed 8.5".

Not saying you couldn't do it, but it would be risky, and your insurance company might not cover a tire-related accident.

 

The rims on an 8th Gen LTZ are 18 x 7, 52 offset. After plugging numbers into a handy-dandy calculator, this is what I came up with. Take from it what you will lol. (See pic).

This is backed up the Discount Tire forum rep, who says...

We show the widest tire with no rubbing is a 255/45R-18. A 265/45R-18 shows as an extended fit so you may have some rubbing.

and

I used a 2010 Impala LTZ for fitment. Our guide shows a 255/45R-18 as an ideal fit for both front and rear.

As well as steve620 who had the same question as you. After going to an actual tire shop he came back and said...

the word is that the 255 would fit but they would cost about 300.00 a tire. so i stayed with the 245/50/18

Once again, take from this what you will. Personally I wouldn't go past 245. There's a point where cost outweighs benefits, and potential issues.

Hope it helps!

 

The rims on an 8th Gen LTZ are 18 x 7, 52 offset. After plugging numbers into a handy-dandy calculator, this is what I came up with. Take from it what you will lol. (See pic).

This is backed up the Discount Tire forum rep, who says...



and



As well as steve620 who had the same question as you. After going to an actual tire shop he came back and said...



Once again, take from this what you will. Personally I wouldn't go past 245. There's a point where cost outweighs benefits, and potential issues.

Hope it helps!

I stand corrected with regard to the stock wheel width. It is 7.0". I remembered it as 7.5 for some reason. But this just makes the situation worse, not better.

Not looking for a pissing contest, BUT all the tire/wheel charts I've seen look like the one HERE. Also, you can pull up any tire you're interested in on Tire Rack's website, click on the "Specs" tab, and look in the Rim Width Range column. You find the narrowest rim specified for a 255 is usually 8.5, sometimes 8.0.

Not saying you can't mount a 255 on a 7" rim, just that it isn't prudent to do so. The tire manufacturer certainly won't honor the warranty on a tire that's been mounted on a rim that's outside it's recommended rim width range, and your insurance company will probably flip you the finger if you submit a claim resulting from a tire failure. Most reputable shops won't even mount a tire on a rim that's outside the recommended width range, because they don't want the liability exposure.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys!
I was worried about the stock wheel being too narrow for a wider tire. I'd rather have that larger contact patch, but not at the expense of safety. I may chat with the guys at discount tire when I get a rotation on Thursday and see if they have any additional information. However, you're correct about the tire I want listing as not fitting a 7 inch wheel. There really aren't any that size that do fit that wheel that I've seen. It's unfortunate because the speedo would barely be off with that size tire as opposed to stock. Cost isn't too large of an issue as they tend to be within $20 a tire which I'd be able to live with.

 

You're welcome. Please get back with what they say! I considered going up to 245s once, and I'd like to hear their opinion.

Thanks!

 

I looked at going one size up in width, 245, and found little, I think 255 is not a thing I would feel comfortable with, both in wheel to tire compatibility and in clearance inside and outside.

Then I found Pirelli, and it's been love at first mile.

 

I've been meaning to ask you, what Pirellis do you run? I'm on Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval all seasons right now, and while they're classified as UHP, I don't think they're all that great. I don't feel they perform any better than say, a Grand Touring class tire but they're sure as heck louder lol.

Also, sorry for the hijack OP.

 

You guys are good, tire options are encouraged to be shared here.
I personally love the continental extremecontact dws06's I'm running right now. They're way quieter than the OEM goodyear eagle RS-A, have tons of grip (wet is almost equal to dry) and also did well in the snow when they were still rated for snow traction. I was able to safely do 55 on the interstate in 4-8 inches of snow while everyone else was doing 25-35. Granted i was making steering and throttle adjustments the whole time, but 45-50 I barely had to pay attention and the car did perfectly fine. That was when the tires had maybe 20k on them. Duly note I've abused them so they wore out early lol

 

So the sales dude I talked to at discount tire today said he wouldn't recommend putting 255/45s on my 7 inch wheels. Which was completely expected. I may be visiting a different location next week in order to buy tires at which time I'll revisit the issue with the person I speak with there.

I'm currently trying to decide which tire to get. The two I'm stuck between are the conti extremecontact dws06 (which I have and love) and the conti controlcontact sport a/s. They're both rated for 50k miles and are supposed to be excellent all seasons. However, I can't seem to find much info on the controlcontact's snow handling behavior, whereas the extremecontact is fairly well documented and I've driven in those conditions multiple times.

If anyone knows anything that'd help that'd be great! I'm also open to other tire suggestions. I'm looking for great dry and wet traction, with predictable snow traction and stability. Mile warranty isn't as important, but I'd rather not go below 45k. I also want something reasonably quiet as I do a lot of highway driving. These criteria led me to the dws06 May of last year, but they're pretty much dead now lol. Discount tire wouldn't even service them due to the wear bars showing on the inside lol

 

I'm currently trying to decide which tire to get. The two I'm stuck between are the conti extremecontact dws06 (which I have and love) and the conti controlcontact sport a/s. They're both rated for 50k miles and are supposed to be excellent all seasons. However, I can't seem to find much info on the controlcontact's snow handling behavior, whereas the extremecontact is fairly well documented and I've driven in those conditions multiple times.

If anyone knows anything that'd help that'd be great! I'm also open to other tire suggestions. I'm looking for great dry and wet traction, with predictable snow traction and stability. Mile warranty isn't as important, but I'd rather not go below 45k. I also want something reasonably quiet as I do a lot of highway driving.

Have you checked out tirerack.com? Great reviews and testing info!

 

I have checked tire rack, unfortunately the controlcontact sport a/s is exclusively sold at discount tire, so tire rack doesn't have any data or information on it.


And carbide, we use our vehicles very similarly, I tend to take corners hard and often which is why I've been looking into the UHP all season class of tires.

 

So I found this helpful article comparing the two tires I mentioned above:


Continental Control Contact Sport AS Review


Basically the control contact as is better than the DWS 06 in every way except for snow/ice traction. Seeing as I split my time between southeast Michigan and northwest Indiana, snow/ice traction is reasonably important to me.... Decisions decisions...


Additionally, they highlight the control contact as has better cornering due to a stiffer sidewall (I have noticed the DWS 06 seems saggy even when chilling at 40 PSI)

 

Balance and rotate job complete and free; they verified a 70k warranty, the name is Cinturato AS Plus, and they are standard size, 235/50x18.

I am merciless and they take it in stride.

Also, the aluminum space saver spare I bought from Ebay does fit the bolt pattern of the hub and clears the front Police Brakes, but the clearance holes for the lug nut studs are larger than normal. The lug nuts should still seat in the tapers on the wheel, but we found it odd that there was so much room for the stud due to such large clearance/thru holes in the new spare.

 

Balance and rotate job complete and free; they verified a 70k warranty, the name is Cinturato AS Plus, and they are standard size, 235/50x18.

I am merciless and they take it in stride.

That's good to know, thank you. I'll add it to my shortlist. When you say merciless, how merciless are you? I drive pretty aggressive, and am of the opinion that I'll trade a little bit of comfort / road noise for the extra grip. After all, they're the only thing between your car and the road.

I currently have the ControlContact Sport A/S, ExtremeContact DWS, Pilot Sport A/S 3+, Eagle F1 Asymmetric A/S and Eagle Sport A/S on my shortlist. But I might have to slowly move into the GT class of tires and add the Cinturato on there.

First time I looked at tires for this car I almost had a heart attack. The price difference between these and the puny 185/65r14 shoes on my old Civic is quite scary lol.

 

I'm bout fixin to put 145-45-18 on my impalathat came with 235-50

 

Good luck with that.