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265/45 R18 Tires

Everything we know about the 265/45 R18 tire size: 8 owner reviews covering 40,250 miles of driving, and EU label data for the tires you can actually buy in it.

  • 8owner reviews
  • 40,250 milescovered on them
  • 20tires made in this size
265/45 R18 To scale, mm
Ø 696 265 119 18" 119

265/45 R18 EU tire label data

EU label values are declared for each individual size, so the figures here are exact for 265/45 R18 rather than a range across a model. 11 tires carry label data in this size. The most common load index is 101 (up to 825 kg per tire). Speed ratings on offer: (Y) (301 km/h), Y (300 km/h), V (240 km/h). 3 tires in this size carry the 3PMSF severe snow marking.

A Best wet grip

5 tires in this size hold the top EU wet grip rating, class A. The highest scoring on Tire Reviews:

70dB Quietest tires

The quietest 265/45 R18 tires are labelled at 70 dB external noise:

Label values come from the EU EPREL database and apply to the EU market versions of each tire. Wet grip and rolling resistance run from class A (best) to E; noise is the measured drive-by figure. A good label is a floor, not a verdict - the tests and owner ratings above tell you far more.

What does 265/45 R18 mean?

A 265/45 R18 tire is 265 mm wide, its sidewall is 45% of that width (119 mm) tall, and it fits a 18 inch wheel. That gives an overall diameter of roughly 696 mm.

265/45 R18 nominal dimensions
Section width265 mm
Sidewall height119 mm
Rim diameter18" (457 mm)
Overall diameter≈ 696 mm
Circumference≈ 2,186 mm
Revolutions per km≈ 458
Revolutions per mile≈ 736

Also written as

265/45R18 265/45 ZR18 265-45-18 265 45 18

Figures are calculated from the nominal size. A loaded, rolling tire runs a few percent smaller, and true widths vary slightly between makes.

Comparing two sizes? Use the tire size calculator →

What drivers say about their 265/45 R18 tires

The most recent owner reviews fitted in this size, in their own words.

83%
Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 265/45 R18 Mercedes Benz E320 CDI Sport 12,000 miles February 21, 2023
Solid tire. 12k miles done. Back 5.6, front 5.9 Mercedes 350 265/45/18 rear 245/50/18 front. Can't fault them. Will go for another set. Traction perfect, drives like a train. No skids, no aquaplaning so far. Wear ok/even. Average driving style. Got me out of trouble once... Hard breaking ABS on... Avoided dropped container.
27%
Accelera PHI 265/45 R18 Porsche 986 2.7 1,000 miles September 16, 2021
I had these tires on the rear of my 2.7 Boxster when i bought it, And contrary to the smug reviewers re lack of talent plus I'll never understand owning a premium car and putting on budget tires The back end coming round on you at 20 mph on a damp, not wet, but damp roundabout has nothing to do with talent, and all to do with shockingly bad & dangerous tires, and not that great in the dry to be honest. There was no date code on these, so they could have been quite old, they still had 4mm tread, I believe they may have been updated now so I have no experience of this new compound, but safe to say, if you have these older tires, get rid asap before they cause you an injury or worse. Now on trusty PS4's like my last car which I went though 3 sets with many miles of great grip in all weathers.
88%
Dunlop Direzza 03G 265/45 R18 BMW E46 M3 250 miles January 16, 2020
I have used these on a supercharger BMW M3 track car and they are simply in a different league to anything else I have used before. We up to temperature in dry conditions they are superb, confidence inspiring and a close to a full slick race tire as I have found. I wouldn't buy anything else right now.
40%
Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08RS 265/45 R18 Lotus Exige S 2,000 miles September 17, 2019
I've run AD08R ‘s since they were first released. Amazing tire!

My driving is a mixture of fast road and track use.

I took the new AD08RS's over to the alps and covered a couple of thousand miles.

The compound is noticeably harder and there is a lot less dry grip. I found them to be quite unpredictable- sometimes they'd grip and others they wouldn't. Not great when you're on a mountain pass!

I won't be buying these again.
87%
Primewell PZ900 265/45 R18 BMW 1 series M pack February 4, 2019

Mann where are these people driving there cars
With these review ?
i have a set on my 2012 BMW M1 and they handle amazingly great
Maybe cause i went to driving school .....and i drive my car ...like really drive it
i only get 350 KM or 217 MP to the tank ....this car was made to be driven and with these tires on its a match
9 out of 10...my opinion!!
46%
Pirelli P Zero 265/45 R18 Porsche Cayman 13,000 miles January 4, 2018
These P-Zero N1's came with the car. Dry handling is excellent. Unfortunately grip in any other conditions is just terrible. I have 3mm left on the rears yet even in light rain they just don't grip. Traction control light flashing like mad on mild acceleration, the back slides out all over the place, thankfully the Porsche run an experience day at Silverstone which teaches you all about handling the car safely, not something I had planned to use quite so frequently. Anyway replacement tires now ordered I will not be going back to Pirelli.
33%
Uniroyal RainSport 3 265/45 R18 BMW 530 D Sport Touring 2,000 miles December 22, 2016
Fitted a pair of these on the rear of a BMW 530D to replace previous Avons.
I don't know whether there was an issue of compatibility with the Avons which were still on the front, but the handling became totally unpredictable, the rear would break away with no warning, and on most bends, even slight ones, the traction control light would flash on a regular basis, (which it never did before) and this was somewhat disconcerting.
it transformed a vehicle which generally had very good handling into one which became a distinct challenge to drive.
91%
Primewell Sport 910 265/45 R18 Jaguar XF 10,000 miles April 28, 2014
I thought i would give these tires a go as they seemed like a higher end, budget tire.

And thats exactly what they are. I was very impressed all round. They are not better than expensive branded tires, as you do get what you pay for BUT for mainly driving up and down the motorway as i do for my job, they have ticked all the boxes for me.

They are quiet, handle great in the wet and great in the dry. The back end of the Jag has never skipped out on me like other budget tires have done and i really was impressed by these.
Primewell tires are usually rubbish however the 910's seem to have been made much better imo. They still have lots of tread left and i bought a full set for under £300! So price wise to - tire wear and performance. You can't compare really.

I'm much happier taking away the extra things you get from an expensive branded tire, which on the type of driving that i do, i don't receive the benefits - so i would prefer to save money in the long run etc

They are a budget tire but definitely a very very good one and possibly the best in the 'budget' tire category/range and i will buy these again for sure.

Anyone on here who is comparing these tires to a high end expensive brand tire is a fool. Its like comparing different tools for different jobs etc like a Fiat Panda to a Sports car.

For normal driving/motorway and A roads, these are a very good budget tire to get.

If you want a tire for track days and fast road use, why are you looking at buying budget tires?!?! Buy some fast road/track tires instead.

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Where this data comes from

Owner ratings are submitted through the review form on this site, naming the tire, the size and the distance covered, and are checked by hand before publication. Test results come from independent published tire tests indexed by size, and label values from the EU EPREL database.

About the TR Score

The Tire Reviews Score rates each tire out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, so you can check a car-specific ranking against the wider evidence.

Who does the testing

Every test published as a Tire Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tires independently since 2007.

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