ok right now I have 205/50/15 on stock alloys and I love it. Acceleration is the **** especially when compared to my old 195/60/15 set up on the same wheel. But I want some bling to add to my bland ride so I'm looking to purchase a set of 16" Gramlights. My question is will my acceleration suffer with a new set up of 215/45/16. Or will the smaller tire profile offset the larger size of the new rim?? (I'm assuming the Gramlights will weigh in at about the same as my stock alloys so weight shouldn'nt be an issue.)

 

wider tires=more rubber on the road=more traction.

so, you will get better traction on the road, unless the tires suck, then you should get better traction. if you want DRY traction, look at the falken azenis sport or the bfgoodrich ones. i forgot the tire model for the bfgoodrichones tho.

 

Personally, I'd look at a 225/45/16

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by eMpAtHy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">wider tires=more rubber on the road=more traction.</TD></TR></TABLE>

This isn't exactly true. At the same vechicle weight, tire pressure and rim width a wider tire will NOT yield a larger contact patch - the shape of the contact patch will be different, but the size (area) will remain constant until you change 1 of the 3 variables but doing so nullifies any comparsion.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so, you will get better traction on the road, unless the tires suck, then you should get better traction. if you want DRY traction, look at the falken azenis sport or the bfgoodrich ones. i forgot the tire model for the bfgoodrichones tho.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Azenis is great.

Haven't tried the BFG simply b/c the Azenis is a great tire at a great price = great combo.



Modified by bb6h22a at 12:23 AM 2/9/2005

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by cb7-R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok right now I have 205/50/15 on stock alloys and I love it. Acceleration is the **** especially when compared to my old 195/60/15 set up on the same wheel. But I want some bling to add to my bland ride so I'm looking to purchase a set of 16" Gramlights. My question is will my acceleration suffer with a new set up of 215/45/16. Or will the smaller tire profile offset the larger size of the new rim?? (I'm assuming the Gramlights will weigh in at about the same as my stock alloys so weight shouldn'nt be an issue.)</TD></TR></TABLE>

In my experience a 215/45 is a great size and doesn't hurt acceleration on bit. However, going up from a 15" tire to a 16" will have an effect, but that effect is substantially negated if you're moving to a LIGHTER 16" wheel - as the Gramlight is. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

bb6h22a in both post said exactly what i was about to say to ya

 

I have the BFG G-force T/A KDW's... I love em, when its when out i dont even think about loosing traction or hydroplaning

 

having made a similar switch from 205/50/15's to 215/45/16's there is definitely a noticeable difference in gearing, such that the 16's will feel slower. i'm not sure rim weight will make up for too much of that difference either, but it's all a question of what you're used to. if you do the moment of inertia equation i think the 19lb 15" and the 14lb 16" rim will have similar moments, add to that a heavier tire in 215/45/16 and it'll probably be a wash.

being that ludes are geared pretty tall, the shorter tire is def alot more fun. keep the 15's for race days, i say.

 

Somethings are worth a tiny bit of speed loss... I use 17 G-racings, with yokohoma avs es100's.. def grip major ***, but wear to fast.

 

it all depends on what you're doing with the car. the case can be made for 15 or 17, but the only thing going for 17" wheels is larger widths like 235 and 245 tires. if you're going to be on a 225, you should have 15x7's and run 225/50/15 since it's pretty much the only 225 size out there appropriate for our cars.

i sold my 15's but i miss em. the 205/50/15 azenis i had mounted on them have outperformed all of the tires i've tried since.

 

If i ran any events id own some light wieght 15's, but I dont, and i use this car as a daily driver.... Gotta make them wheels shine. 17's still look to small on my ride.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by revlimitx04 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Somethings are worth a tiny bit of speed loss... I use 17 G-racings, with yokohoma avs es100's.. def grip major ***, but wear to fast. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't know what other tires you've tried, but the set of ES100s I tried were about at good as shopping cart wheels; marginal dry grip, poor wet grip, soft sidewalls and 2 of the 4 tires wore very very strangly. I checked the alignment twice and kept them properly inflated and rotated and they still wore oddly and feathered. I've heard a number of people having similar wear problems with the ES100s. IMO, I'd stay away from ES100s. Try the Kumho Ecsta MX next time, you'll be plesantly suprised.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bad-monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it all depends on what you're doing with the car. the case can be made for 15 or 17, but the only thing going for 17" wheels is larger widths like 235 and 245 tires. if you're going to be on a 225, you should have 15x7's and run 225/50/15 since it's pretty much the only 225 size out there appropriate for our cars.

i sold my 15's but i miss em. the 205/50/15 azenis i had mounted on them have outperformed all of the tires i've tried since. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I went from a 215/45/16 to a 225/50/15 and felt a marked increase in suspension compliance , eg, the taller sidewall make the suspension softer. There was a marked increase in grip, but that was because I went from street tires (Azenis) to R compounds.

We should keep in mind that the sidewall profile is a % of the overall width, so a 225/50 is a lot taller than a 205/50 sidewall and that has a dramatic effect in suspension compliance, and to a lesser degree, an added element of roll during cornering; on the flip side a taller sidewall, and a more compliant suspension, gives more warning at the limit - a shorter, stiffer sidewall will hold corner Gs better, but will be less "talkative" at the limit.

badmonkey- You used a 205 on a Prelude ? I use 225s on mine and wish I could find a 235/40/15 to use on mine. Were you autoxing or tracking?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb6h22a &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
badmonkey- You used a 205 on a Prelude ? I use 225s on mine and wish I could find a 235/40/15 to use on mine. Were you autoxing or tracking? </TD></TR></TABLE>

i was auto-x'ing the 205's mostly, but they'd be pulled out for any DE's i'd go to. The tires were great for auto-x, even if they weren't optimally wide for a porky 5th gen. In DE situations i'd get em too greasy in about 10 minutes of lapping, which would usually necessitate a trip to the pits and a spraydown. A/X wasn't so dramatic since 90 second laps wouldn't overheat the tires too much.

yeah the 235/40/15 size would be pretty fun, but i'm guessing damn near impossible to find. are you running 225/50/15 victo's or hoosiers? is it not enough tire? the only reason i sold the 15's is because i wanted to get in on some 225+ action, and it seems like the only way to get that is to go with 17's. i'm looking at 235/40/17 which is a little too tall for my preferences (+.2" larger OD than OEM), but on an 8" wheel probably my only choice since the 215's i have on them right now make me look like a damn EuroTrash MkIV VW driver.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bad-monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i was auto-x'ing the 205's mostly, but they'd be pulled out for any DE's i'd go to. The tires were great for auto-x, even if they weren't optimally wide for a porky 5th gen. In DE situations i'd get em too greasy in about 10 minutes of lapping, which would usually necessitate a trip to the pits and a spraydown. A/X wasn't so dramatic since 90 second laps wouldn't overheat the tires too much. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Ahh I see. I've always thought that 205 would be skimpy on a civic and damn near impossible on our pigludes at the track. Thanks for clearing that up.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yeah the 235/40/15 size would be pretty fun, but i'm guessing damn near impossible to find. are you running 225/50/15 victo's or hoosiers? is it not enough tire? the only reason i sold the 15's is because i wanted to get in on some 225+ action, and it seems like the only way to get that is to go with 17's. i'm looking at 235/40/17 which is a little too tall for my preferences (+.2" larger OD than OEM), but on an 8" wheel probably my only choice since the 215's i have on them right now make me look like a damn EuroTrash MkIV VW driver. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I tired the Yoko A032R first and it was a step above the azenis I'd been previously using. Next I'd like to try either the Toyo RA1, Avon Tech R Kumho V710 or the Hankook Ventus; ideally, I'd like a 225/45 size for the reasons I listed in my previous post about the significant increase in "slop" I saw in going with the 225/50.

I mounted them on a set of 15x7 stern aguzze wheels - the 225 seems to fit nicely and I'd guess that if I could find it, I'd love to try a 235 but that width in a 15 w/ appropriate sidewall is nearly impossible.

Which 235s are you looking at ? What wheels are you going to use; what sort of offset do you need to get away with an 8" wide 17" wheel on a 5th gen?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb6h22a &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Which 235s are you looking at ? What wheels are you going to use; what sort of offset do you need to get away with an 8" wide 17" wheel on a 5th gen?</TD></TR></TABLE>

well, if i can wait for "3Q 2005" i'll go with the rt 615 azenis, but i might get impatient and get a set of falken grb fk 451's since they're supposed to be the same compound as the azenis at 4/32" tread depth. i can't afford to shave them since the 17's will probably by my daily driving tire too. the other tire in contention is the michelin pilot sports. it'd be great to throw some v700's on though...

i'm running the rota torques in 17x8 +48mm and have had no problems at all with clearance. the 17x8 +48mm rotas (torques and slipstreams) appear to fit the wheelwells just fine, however, the centerbore on the slipstreams is too small for hondas and needs to be enlarged. the torques don't have the same problem. as far as fitting the 235's in there, it will be close in the rear, and will probably require me dremeling the plastic tab in the rear wheelwell, but apparently the 235's fit with no rubbing at reasonable ride ht's according to a couple of guys on preludeonline. another guy managed to get some 245/35/17's in, though he hasn't put the car through the paces to see if it rubs during suspension compression.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ItalynStylion &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have the BFG G-force T/A KDW's... I love em, when its when out i dont even think about loosing traction or hydroplaning

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ever taken it to the track with those tires?

I was just curious about your 60' times.

 

I will be using these Toyo 225/45x16 tyres on Rota Slipstreams for my next trackday.

http://www.camskill.co.uk/prod...p1596

 

Get 710s (if available in your size), they're much better than either the Ecsta or Victoracer 700s.

 

bad-monkey, Get 710s (if available in your size), they're much better than either the Ecsta or Victoracer 700s.

 

yeah i know the 710's are better, but i don't think kumho made them in the size i want. though i figure if i ever start competing in an R-comp class, i'll go back to 15's and run 225/45/15.

 

I figured the sizes available was likely an issue. Having had both the 710s and the 700s last season, I just can't believe the difference (even with the 700s being shaved and heat cycled). I actually autoX 15s but a 205. I know the 205 isn't much tire but I'm running a 35mm offset wheel and it seems to be working really well. If Kumho comes out with the 225/45 (don't think they have yet) in the 710 I'll be all over it.

 

Ahh you guys sorta got off track of my origninal "???" But the info from your experiences is all good and appreciated Any how the majority of time I'm runnig in the local canyons with the occasional trip to the Auto X. So I want a wider tire than 205 but I dont want to much of an increase in rotating mass which is why I think 215 will be perfect,rather than 225's, especially since the 205's held up pretty well(Azenis Sport). And a Badmonkey how much would you say it affected your acceleration??

 

it's hard for me to guess, but if you forced me to guess i think it'd be worth a tenth of a second or so in 0-60 times. you definitely FEEL the difference, but i am not confident enough in my feel to translate it into a number.

besides, the 215's on the right rim will make for better corner entry speeds which will make you faster anyway.

 

Yep, I did get a little off topic, maybe this is more of what you're looking for.

My experience. I went from stock 205/50/16 to 215/40/18 for the street. The 18s weight 3.5 lbs more than the stock base 5th gen wheel and increased the OD by .8", if I remember correctly. I can do the math for you if necessary. As a result, I experienced a loss of 3% hp on the dyno.

Your situation. Going from the 205 to the 215/45 would increase your OD by .55". Although the 215 is wider the contact patch of the 45 compared to the 50 makes the friction factor nearly 0 (relative to sidewall strength and tire inflation). However, with more weight further away from the center of the wheel performance will be, however slight, effected. I would estimate that you would experience a slight performance decrease of a mere 1-1.5%. You can minimize loss by choosing a wheel that weights less than your current wheel.