OH MY GOD
Following that exchange between jhammond and pumpgas is making my fuckin head hurt.
ARGH
1) Regarding the wheel diameter difference:
255/35/18 is 25 inches
265/40/18 is 26.3 inches
That is a 1.3 inch difference. 1.3 inches is 5.2% of 25 inches. You are likely to experience warning lights due to this difference.
2) Why your setup looks and fits different than
this setup you're looking at:
Thats a 265/35/18. You bought, apparently because they're cheap, 265/40/18. Thats obviously a taller tire AND the linked car has -2.4 deg camber, which solves the rubbing issue
Combine lack of camber and taller tire = rubbing more than that guy.
Your car naturally gains negative camber as you go lower, but the correct way to do it is to buy adjustable suspension parts, roll your fenders, and then you can run whatever wheels you want.
If you want a cheap fix, just get the 265/35 and pound your fenders
but you really should just buy the fukin SPL and save yourself future headache