Suspension+Tires

[theobabis]

Hello,
could you please give me some advice on tires and suspension?
First let me state that i drive in mountain roads in Greece which remind quite well F1 tracks bombarded. Right now i'm using braid winrace A 18x9 (can't remember the offset) and some of them are already buckled in less than a year.
Should i choose 265/35/18 (if it fits) because of the slight biggest aspect ratio and the 97y instead of 94y load index? Would it better protect my wheels, or it will compromise my ride and i should stay with 255?
Now about suspension, if one thing is certain is that i don't want to lower it. Is there an alternative to oem that will keep up with the challenge, being a little closer to the sporty side, without exceeding a thousand pounds? Am' I asking too much?
Thanks.


PS. Yes, everyone tells me to get a suv. At least you know why i don't.

[stumpyrs4]

255 width tyres should be fine on the 9J wheels.

Coilovers allow you the option to set the ride height you want, whilst giving better damping than OEM suspension, so best of all worlds. Perhaps look at Eibach Pro Street S at c£800, or perhaps FK Konigsport at slightly less money but use the Koni shocks.
H&R coilies are c£900 I believe...

KW Variant 3 = c£1300 and Bilstein PSS9 = c£1500.

HTH

[theobabis]

Stumpy thanks for the answer.

Yes 255 should do, but being a quite cautious driver, always on alert for potholes and the like, when i hear that the car is just like it participated in acropolis rally, while riding on competitive wheels, i feel that something goes terribly wrong and i wonder how worse it could be with 265 and whether i should take the risk(?).

I have read some good opinions about eibach and they were with h&r and kw 1&2 my fist thoughts, however all of these adjustable suspensions, if i understand correctly, claim a de facto lowering that starts from 2-4cm. If that happens, next time i should bring also a bus ticket with me.

[jc..]

softer riding suspension doesnt mean they will save your wheels from buckling.
far from it, I run KW v3 and they are infinitely better at absorbing high speed compression (potholes, kerbs, speedbumps etc as well as anything over 40mph) than the stock shocks. BUT and it is a big BUT, low speed comfort and slow speed response is compromised. you will feel a lot more especially on rough roads.

get 255/40 if you are worried, it is not significantly different in radius but it gives a bit more comfort (will affect your speedo slightly)

[theobabis]

Thanks for the input jc.., that was very helpful. However i still have the problem of clearance. 20mm down and i think i can easily ask after the suspension installment, the removal of my front bumper, before i kiss it goodbye in a village next to nowhere.
Right now after my dissapointment with the wheels, for which i paid a premium, i rather prefer to get a mid-range suspension to get a small idea of an aftermarket solution.
Anyone running eibach pro, or kw v1/v2 that could give me some feedback please on their highest settings compared to oem?
Thanks.

[jc..]

highest as in the "ride height"?
if you jack it up it will look like an all road and you will still have the wheel problem

[theobabis]

That is my main problem jc... I still have no idea what could have caused the buckling of the wheels. Could it be that the suspension was in its last days? The alignment? Tire pressure? Many consecutive driving hours in the mountains? It seems a little bit difficult to accept that wheels that are made for racing could succumb to a slow, cautious and fairly alert driver, even in bad roads, just like oem did.
Replaced this morning the suspension with pss9 (gm5-8616) and i'm ready to order the vredestain tires in 255/35/18, but i feel i'm not doing enough to avoid the problem.
Now running on winter rims/tires until i get an answer from braid.