arobles101

I own a 95 civic ex coupe and i have 16' rims tire size 205 50 16 and i am wondering if this fit is too big for the car. I have been experiencing some rubbing problems. Would upgrading the suspension or rising the car height 1/2 inch resolve this issue.

Everyones Hero

Does it rub when you turn or when you go over bumps and stuff?

If it rubs when you turn the wheel chances are raising up the car won't help.

I have 18x7.5s on my car and it's fine.

arobles101

it rubs when i hit certain bumps on the road i dont hear any rubbing when i turn. rubbing mainly occurs on the front driver size wheel. I dont want to wear my tires. the rims and tires have only been used just about a week. What are my alternatives? your help is gladly appreciated

Everyones Hero

Are you at the stock ride height or is it already lowered?

You could always go with a lower profile tire, but that doesn't help you right now.

arobles101

the car is at the regular stock height, the only reason i didnt go with lower profile is i live in nyc land of the pot holes and worst roads. i didnt want to crack a rim and replace tires every other month. i was thinking about upgrading the suspension because they are stock and have not been replaced for 6 years. what do you think

Everyones Hero

I don't know. If it's at the stock ride height I don't know how you're going to raise it up. I don't know of any companies that make a lift kit for hondas.

arobles101

there is about a 2-2 1/2 in gap between the tire and the fender. I was thinking about upgrading the suspension for a stiffer ride. I dont think i need to raise the car. Not all tires are rubbing so i am thinking it a suspension problem

arobles101

there is about a 2-2 1/2 in gap between the tire and the fender. I was thinking about upgrading the suspension for a stiffer ride. I dont think i need to raise the car. Not all tires are rubbing so i am thinking it a suspension problem. Thanks man your help is appreciated. What suspension kit should i buy. I am willing to put down max $600

Everyones Hero

Wow, over 2 inches of gap and it's still rubbing. Yeah, with a stiffer suspension it should stop the rubbing.

My tires are tucked and I only get occasional rubbing w/ 18x7.5s

nemmissis

Jes a kwik question, are your shocks dead, coz u will experience some rubbing if the shocks aren't as strong as they should be

Crazu.Kanjo.Nick

i think its a lil odd that you have 16s and a massive amount of wheel gap between your tires and fenders and yet you still rub.

i had 17s (back in the ricer days) on my civic coupe and litterally no gap, i only rubbed if the wheel was turned the entire way and i hit a bump while it was like that.

i suggest you upgrade the suspension, and when doing so remember that you get what you pay for. You cheap out - you get crap.

another thing, be more cautious of the road and the condition of the road. I cant imagine New York being much worse than Chicago so i know what youre going through.

coll9947

The common size tire for most Hondas with 16s is 205/45, rather than 205/50. It may seem like a small difference, but it's actually quite a bit. A 205/45 will have a sidewall 92.25mm tall, and a 205/50 has a sidewall that is 102.5mm tall. That's a 1cm difference on just one side of the tire (radius). Add them together (diameter) and you're tires are about 2cm taller than the norm for a 16 on a Honda. Remember, some of the sidewall is the bead that seals the rubber to the rim, so you don't actually see all of that sidewall height.

A 16" wheel is 406.4mm tall. Add 406.4 and 2x102.5 (the 205/50) and you have a 611.4mm wheel and tire. Add 406.4 and 2x92.25 (the 205/45) and you have a 590.9mm wheel and tire, a 2cm difference. By comparison, an 18" wheel is 457.2mm tall, and the standard tire size for that is a 215/35, which is 75.25mm tall. Add 457.2 and 2x75.25 and you have 607.7mm wheel and tire. So technically, your wheel/tire combo is actually taller than an average 18" setup, which would explain why yours is rubbing a bit and those with 18s are having no problems.

I'm assuming most people know this, but just in case: the sidewall measurement (the second value in 205/45) is the PERCENT of the tread width. So to find the sidewall height, multiply 205 by .45. Stupid tire companies.

old man neri

If you are using the wrong offset then that will mess things a lot also.

so probably all of these things combined are giving you a problem (slight over size, possible suspension problem, maybe improper offset.....)


If you want a quick fix you can but these little rubber inserts that go inbetween the coils of your springs. I have some on my car. They cost about $10 a set and all you need to do is jack the car up. Takes about 5 min to put in. Can give you quite a big lift if you need it.


Next time post this on the wheel and tire forum, there are one or two really knowlegable people on there that will help you out a lot.

teal_dx

the closest size to your OEM wheel /tire dia. using a 16x7" rim is 205/40/16 for 92-92 civics. it is 205/45/16 for the 96-00 civics. it seems like every gen civic is getting a slightly bigger wheel/tire diameter.

old man neri

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by teal_dx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> it seems like every gen civic is getting a slightly bigger wheel/tire diameter.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's cause every gen the car is getting bigger. Have you seen what an old skool honda hatch looked like? makes a geo look like a sedan

mikecaban

I am having the same problem. Got 205/50/16s and the front tires are rubbing more than like. Guy at the garage who sold them to me is ordering 205/45/16s, saying that should stop the rubbing. Do you guys think this will solve the problem? I'm glad I found this forum, it's hard to find good support elsewhere on the net these days. Thanks in advance.

nalgas05

205/50/16 on a civic is way too big. That's like prelude and accord size. 205/45/16 is the largest I'd go. If you're slammed I'd go with 205/40 but if you got a mild drop 205/45 is perfect.

blueb18c

i work at a tire place and 205/50/16 is good for the car lower profile means no sharp turns because the side wall would roll, also not a big foot print if i were you i'd go to a tire place around there IM SURE THEY WILL HELP. just ask thats all Maybe get some skunk2 coilovers to make it stiff. also you can raise i little i think i had a civic with the same size tires drop 2" hardly any rub.

mikecaban

I think you're right. From the research I've done over the past couple days, it seems 205/50/16s are good for 7th gen Civics, but I have a 96 (6th gen?) and I guess those have slightly smaller wheel wells (It's only the front tires that are rubbing, mostly the front driver side.) 205/50/16 would be better on a newer model. I think the 45s will work with mine, they are only a .5" bigger than my stock wheels (185/60/14). 40s would actually be smaller than my stock, and that doesn't sound too good to me.

My car is lowered only about an inch. I got Tokico blues with Tokico springs (HPK Suspension Kit), so I guess those will work well with the 45s. It seems most people have a love/hate relationship with that suspension kit, but we'll see how it goes.

Thanks for your help. Any other advice you can give would be appreciated.

SovXietday

Yep, 205/45/16 will be your best choice for your car.