i will be getting tires and rims from my 98 dx coupe...and i was wondering if someone could give me a decent explanation of what all the numbers mean with rims and tires..(i.e. 205/50, etc)...also if someone could tell me what would be good for an ek coupe with 15" or 16" rota slipstreams.

thanks

 

Reading Tire Sizes:

Example Size: P205/60R-15OWL


P - Passenger

Tire sizes can also start with the following:

BP - Cosmetic Blemish Passenger

LT - Light Truck

205 - Width in millimeters of tire from sidewall to sidewall.

60 - Aspect Ratio - Percentage of tread width that equals the sidewall height.

R - Radial

The letter “R” can also include the following:

HR - H=Speed Rating

VR - V=Speed Rating

ZR - Z=Speed Rating

15 - Rim diameter in inches.



Other letter combinations include:

OWL - Outlined White Lettering

RWL - Raised White Letters

W - Whitewall

B - Blackwall

ORWL - Outlined Raised White Letters

WW - White Wall

BW - Black Wall


Tires can also be listed as:

205/60R-15 93H

93H - 93 Load Index, H Speed Rating

Light Truck (LT) sizes can include a letter at the end of the size.

LT265/75R-16/C

C - Load Range


if u want 205-50-15's i suggest the dunlop direzza. for the price it cant be beat.
if u want something else, try the yokohama avs es100. another i would suggest is the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW 2. all those in 205-50-15, but u may also try 195-55-15.

if u go 16 inch... 205-45-15... i highly recommend the dunlop fm901. it wears down a little quicker but its one of the stickiest tires for the price and we put many sets of these on during the spring and summer for people.

then again, i didnt mention any all season tires either. if u want more options go to.....

http://www.tirerack.com
http://www.tires.com
http://www.goodyear.com
http://www.dunloptire.com
http://www.nittotire.com
http://www.yokohamatires.com
http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/bfgapp/index.jsp

hope this helps

 

For Rotas, check here. JLB Motorsports is doing a groupbuy currently, so PM them for a price on some Slipstreams. And for further reading on wheels/tires, read the Wheel and Tire FAQ when you have a chance. As for tires, search around in the various forums for tire reviews. You could also see what tires are available in your size, and what meets your needs this way. Try to also visit The Tire Rack and Discount Tire, who are both H-T sponsors, if interested in buying online and/or getting further information.

 

The best match in 15" sizes for your '98 DX Coupe is 195/55-15, if it's available in the tires you want. It's available for the Yokohama ES100 and the Kumho Ecsta SPT for around $60 per tire.

The best match in 16" tires is 205/45-16.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by silvertuner98 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if u go 16 inch... 205-45-15...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Find the typo.



Modified by nsxtasy at 12:49 AM 9/2/2005

 

thanks a lot guys, this helped a lot...and yes nsxtasy, i saw that...i was like..wait, didnt he just say....

haha, thanks a lot again.

ps, what would you guys go with if it was your car. black, sport bronze, or flat gunmetal?
and 15" or 16"?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by alacard &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ps, what would you guys go with if it was your car. black, sport bronze, or flat gunmetal?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Silver or glossy gunmetal. If you don't want your wheels to look like you got them from a junkyard.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by alacard &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">and 15" or 16"?</TD></TR></TABLE>

It depends on how you're using your car.

If it's for looks, that's a matter of personal preference. If it's a show car, then 16". For performance, 15".

 

And if you're getting wheels and tires JLB Motorsports can hook you up with a package deal. Just ask them

 

well, it will be for performance...but i would also like them to look nice.
so if i was going to get 15's...what would the numbers be...because theres like 15x7 etc.?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SMZ GSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">And if you're getting wheels and tires JLB Motorsports can hook you up with a package deal. Just ask them </TD></TR></TABLE>
just call them up and say i want a tire and wheel package?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by alacard &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so if i was going to get 15's...what would the numbers be...because theres like 15x7 etc.?</TD></TR></TABLE>

The second number refers to the rim width. So a 15x7 wheel is 15 inches in diameter, and 7 inches in width. Incidentally, these dimensions are measured at the bead (where the tire meets the wheel) and are NOT the outer dimensions of the wheel.

As far as what size to get, I think 15x7 is a good wheel size for your car. Most 195 treadwidth tires can be mounted on a 15x7 wheel. Incidentally, if you're wondering how to find this out, you can go to the Tire Rack website and for any make/model of tire, click on "specs". It will show the range of "approved rim widths" in inches.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by alacard &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just call them up and say i want a tire and wheel package?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well, you could do that. If you want, you could tell them what car you have and ask them to make recommendations. Or, you could tell them exactly what size wheel and which model wheel and what size tire and which model tire.

As I mentioned earlier, the 195/55-15 size is available for the Yokohama ES100 and the Kumho Ecsta SPT for around $60 per tire. Both tires offer very good performance at an excellent price.

 

thanks a lot guys...it helped.
i actually have a friend who is going to get some 16x6.5 black slipstreams for $435 pickup...so i think thats a decent deal...plus hes gonna look into some tires for me as well

 

just curious, is the width going to matter to much?...he said he couldnt get an 16x7's...so id have to go with the 6.5" width...he said it wont matter to much unless im really getting into racing...is that right?

thanks

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by alacard &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just curious, is the width going to matter to much?...he said he couldnt get an 16x7's...so id have to go with the 6.5" width...he said it wont matter to much unless im really getting into racing...is that right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I disagree; width does matter. The reason it matters is that each make, model, and size of tire is approved for a range of rim widths. You want the width of the rim to be within that range.

The best 16" size tire for your '98 DX Coupe is 205/45-16. Fortunately, there are a lot of tire models that come in this size. However, some of them are approved for 16x6.5 rims, and others aren't. More specifically, the Yokohama ES100 ($82/tire) offers very good performance at a very good price, and 205/45-16 is approved for this size rim. I previously mentioned the Kumho Ecsta SPT, but that tire in 205/45-16 is not approved for this size rim. If you wanted to spend a little less than the ES100, other decent tires in that size, that are approved for 16x6.5 rims, include the Fuzion ZRi ($74/tire) and the General Exclaim UHP ($55/tire). If you wanted to spend more for a tire with significantly better performance, the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 ($128/tire) in 205/45-16 is approved for a 16x6.5 rim also.

P.S. This is my 6,000th post.