I'm due for new street tires soon, and I started looking around a little. Went back to RE-010's last time, so it's been a while since I've shopped for tires. I don't remember there being so many (any) options in 205-55/15. Anyone running this size on stock rims? The S-03's and RE750's are tempting, and both a few bucks cheaper than 205-50/15.

Search is down at the moment, and I don't remember seeing any mention of 205-55/15's recently.

 

That size is almost 2% bigger in diameter than the stock size. Given the choices in 195/55 and 205/50, I'd have to ask why anyone would want 205/55.....

 

Same diameter as 225-50/15, and there's no shortage of R's running those.

Other than selection, I don't see any benefit to running 205-50/15's over 205-55/15's.

 

For one, it makes the gearing longer. Second, taller sidewall. Squishier, less crisp ride with less feedback, no? I'd rather have a tire that raises my final drive ratio rather than lowers it.

Who runs 225/50/15? Racers maybe. If there are 'that many' who use 225/50, that is news to me. Preferably 225/45 again due to the gearing issue with smaller/larger diameter tires. Most track people I know use 205/50/15. or a stagger with 225 in front and 205 in rear.

If you want 205/55/15, get them. You asked for opinions. You don't have to like my opinion, but using some crappy logic, if a majority of people use 195/50, 195/55, 205/50 when using a 15" wheel, there must be a reason, but needless to say, those offering these facts/opinions/whateveryoucallthem have my respect and i tend to believe their information to be factual/helpful.

It seems that the car works best with a 23" diamater wheel/tire combination. I read a bunch about this in another forum and a majority of what I read was over my head.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by That’ll Leave A Mark &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Same diameter as 225-50/15, and there's no shortage of R's running those.

Other than selection, I don't see any benefit to running 205-50/15's over 205-55/15's.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Reason why racers run 225/50-15 is strictly size availability on R compound tires. When 225/45-15 sizes became available (Avon, Toyo, Hoosier, etc.), almost everyone went to the new size right away.

As Chris N said, gearing is a big thing. Then it's weight.

 

If your car is stock ride height, then IMO the 205/55/15 looks better on the rim than the 205/50/15 does.

If it is a street driven car, the 205/55/15 will also give a little better ride and better gas mileage.

But, it's only a slight increase in diameter over the 195/55/15 and you get a wider tire. If you find some for a good price, they will work fine.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Chris N &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
If you want 205/55/15, get them. You asked for opinions. You don't have to like my opinion, but using some crappy logic, if a majority of people use 195/50, 195/55, 205/50 when using a 15" wheel, there must be a reason, but needless to say, those offering these facts/opinions/whateveryoucallthem have my respect and i tend to believe their information to be factual/helpful.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Relax. Your "2% bigger in diameter" reply didn't tell me anything I couldn't figure out with a calculator.

I did mention I was considering street tires, and for everyone that argues that a 2.1% increase in rolling diameter will hurt performance, there are others that counter that it will help fuel economy, resale value, etc. In each case the effect will be minimal, and I'm not really concerned about these issues. I am curious about fitment - 225/50's can fit and have a tendency to rub, but 205/55's give you an extra centimeter to work with. I'd also be curious to know if (like the 205/50 RE-010's) there's some special circumstances why any of the 205/55's should be avoided.

(I'm sure someone will immediately claim otherwise, but...) The popularity of 205/50's has always been driven by availability/selection. When our first sets of RE-010 needed replacing, we had no other high performance 195/55 options, and the prices of RE-010's were even worse than they are now. The selection of 195/55's still sucks, and I've never heard of anyone opting for 195/50's for any reason other than price. This is the first time I've noticed 205/55's as an option, and I'm curious if anyone's given them a try. They're available and in the case of the Bridgestones, they're cheaper than the 205/50's in the same model. It's worth asking.

 

I'd stick with running 205/50/15's. Running 205/55/15's make the tires look kinda chunky on R wheels or any OEM wheel.