as most of the information is available, i will compile it here.
tires are the most important part of your car. that's it. period.
that said... here's your choices for the evo.
first we'll talk size. i've said many times in many threads the same information. but i will repeat it here one last time.
tires in general like a trapezoidal pattern. this makes for stiffer sidewalls, which means quicker turn in. however a bulged setup will break away more evenly, gradually and will heat up a tire faster. fast heat up is beneficial in certain types of comepetion (autocross). you can run a combination of the two as they do in japanese racing.
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\____/ this is a trapezoidal pattern.
here's my favorite tire calculator, lets you compare two. http://www.net-comber.com/tirecalc.html
herein we also talk about tire clearences which involves wheels. here's an explanation of offset from tirerack: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/...jsp?techid=101
17s: the factory wheel is 17" in diameter. the factory tire size is 235 45.
17s are cheap, check out 18 sizes on tirerack and you'll see the price hike is formidable, sometimes up to 100 PER TIRE! that said if you're a track junkie you will want to stay in 17s until you step up to slicks or offerings in the 9.5" wide and beyond tire class.
255 40 is your best bet. this tire is available from almost all tire manufacturers on every tire series that is made. this tire size is best run on a 8.5-9" wide wheel with a +35 offset. that said it will fit a 8-9.5" wide wheels i don't know about 10", even tho it's theoretically possible by the time people go to 10" wide wheels they're not ****in' around with lowering springs and fender clearence.
that said let's move on to other sizes in 17.
245 40 is a great size especially since this is actually even more available than 255 (255 covers performance tires, lots of all seasons and stuff don't come in such an aggressive size, but they come in 245!). 245 will allow you more fender clearence, if you want to slam your wheels to the edge of the car (+30-+25 offests for 8.5" and 9" wheels) and lower then 245 is a good tire for you. this tire is best run on an 8.5" wide wheel but will do plenty fine on the stock size which is 8" wide. this size tire can be stretched up to 9.5" wide wheels.
that said the only other size in 17 you should want to adventure with is the stock size, however be wary that many tires are not as stiff as stiff which means the tire roll over and turn in characteristics will suck for such a tall tire.
now for the more "fun" sizes. i will say this once, if you run fun sizes, be prepared for fender work. don't be a wuss, just do it once and never worry again, i recommend shaving because you don't have to heat the paint and worry about cracking, you just touch up the areas that are not visiable to the exterior of the car. . end of story.
275 40 is larger than the stock tire outter diameter. you will encounter rubbing. fender for sure, maybe lower control arm in rear depending on your wheel offset. you might get liner rub in front too. allow the liners to clearence themselves (let the holes rub, don't tear out the liner, tearing out liner is bad for air flow and also bad for your oil cooler and your door jam as rocks get tossed everywhere). once the liners clear themselves you can get some roof caulking and seal up the holes as you see fit.
18s. 18" tires are desireable because the more performance oriented tires offer wider sizes in 18. in 18 you can go up to 355 in width on some crazy tires.
if you are running 18s i don't recommend running a 235 series tire, this tire will either be too thin which will hurt your 18s and also make for a horrendous ride, or too tall. that said you can try to run 235 40 (thin). 235 45 is too tall and not worth even trying
245 is well run in either 35 (thin) or 40 which is a lil bit tall (but within reason). keep in mind that if you run a tire stretched the overall diameter is reduced slightly. that said, running a 245 40 on a 9" wheel will get you a good size compromise. 245 is similarly best run on an 8.5" wide wheel but will do 8" wide. this size tire can be stretched up to 9.5" wide wheels. you must be a lil more careful with 18s as far as offsets go... a few more mm or a few more degrees of camber are necesary for everything to clear the same as 17s.
255 35 is the ideal size for 18s. this size is a little hard to find in most tires, but this is the perfect 18" tire size. it is well run on 8.5" but iw ideally put on a 9" wheels, it can also be stretched to 9.5" and if you so choose, beyond that. this fitment also incurs no rubbing with the right offset +35.
265 35 is a great amount of rubber is is offered in many r comp series tires. that said you will have to roll in the rear on +33 and smaller offsets. there have been few cases of +35 clearing with no rubbing. that said you can also try stretching the tire but this will get you less benefits at this size as the wheel and what is required to make it fit will likely outweigh the stretching benefits. you may also encounter a tiny bit of liner rub if your liners are not perfectly molded to the car.
275 35 is a great size and you will run in to the same fun rubber problems mentioned for 275 40 17 even tho it is smaller in diameter than stock.
285 30 is smaller than stock, but it's wider than crap so you will also get some rubbing. this is the largest "sane" size and that said it's quite insane. until you go to unconventional slick numbering, it doens't get bigger than this without a body kit.
other sizes that can be run on evos with a wide body. 305 30 18 is the most common with the apr widebody.
tires i don't recommend running, 245 45 17 and 255 40 18. these are tall will rub and don't give you enough grip to justify the rubbing.