i just lowered my car about 2 inches on tein s techs and tokico blues. i am going to be buying 16 inch rota grids in the next couple weeks. what tire size should i get as to not rub? i do not want to have a large side wall of the tire around the rim, i like the sleek look, yet want them to handle good and last a while. i dont know much about tires and sizes, so please help. thanks.

 

depending on what year your car is it is going to be one of these sizes a 205/45r16 or a 205/45r16 or a 205/40r16.. and the tire should be the kumho spt

 

Yes, the proper tire size depends on the car.

If you have a del sol, CRX, or pre-'96 Civic, it's 205/40-16.

If you have an Integra or '97-00 Civic, it's either 205/45-16 or 215/45-16.

If you have some other car, it might be some other size.

The Kumho SPT is a nice blend of very good traction on dry pavement, excellent traction in rain, long treadlife, and low purchase price. However, if you need to use them in snow and frigid cold in winter as well as moderate to warm temperatures the rest of the year, it's not a good choice because it's a summer tire and it sucks in winter conditions.

 

yeah sorry about that, its a gsr.

 

Then get the Kumho SPT in 205/45-16.

 

the spt's are sweet tires man, but right now its snowing in jersey almost every week, looking for more of an all weather tire being that my rims are going on in a couple of weeks.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dohcpwr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the spt's are sweet tires man, but right now its snowing in jersey almost every week, looking for more of an all weather tire being that my rims are going on in a couple of weeks.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's why I mentioned the snow. But compared with all-season tires, you would be better off using winter tires in the winter, and summer tires the rest of the year (and a second set of rims makes this easy to swap the tires yourself at the start and end of each winter). The problem with all-season tires is that they are "compromise tires", designed for those who have to use the same tire in snow and frigid cold as in moderate to warm temperatures the rest of the year. In winter conditions, they don't grip anywhere nearly as well as winter tires, and the rest of the year, they don't grip anywhere nearly as well as summer tires (like the SPT). So you will be losing performance all year round by using all-season tires.

Can't you just use winter tires (or all-season tires, if you already have them) on your current wheels in the winter, and use your new 16" wheels for the SPT the rest of the year? That will give you good performance all year round.

(If you absolutely must use all-season tires, then the Kumho ASX is a good choice. It comes in 205/45-16.)

 

yeah i see your point, the problem is that i am giving my cousin my meshes for all the work he has done to my car, i mean he did do a head gasket, clutch and flywheel, shocks and springs, with me so its the least i can do for him. if i could find a cheap set of si's, blades, fat fives, or meshes i guess thats a good solution

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dohcpwr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if i could find a cheap set of si's, blades, fat fives, or meshes i guess thats a good solution</TD></TR></TABLE>

You can also use steelies (hey, it's just for the winter), either 15" steelies with 195/55-15, or you can even use 14" steelies with 185/65-14 winter tires (yes, they fit on the GS-R). There are lots of cheap used 14" steelies floating around from Civics, and they typically go for $40-80 for a set of four. And the Tire Rack sells brand new 14" steelies for $38 each, which isn't that much more money.

Or, you could give your cousin some money or something else worthwhile, instead of your current wheels.

Again, though, if you HAVE to get all-season tires for your new wheels, then the Kumho ASX is your best choice.

 

I would definitely do as nsxtasy recommended and look for a pair of cheap steelies. (I got my tires and steelies for $200 OTD, but that was a hookup, I would think $300-400 OTD would be more reasonable guess if you went with good winter tires like the WS-50. There is absolutely no comparison b/w winter tires and all-compromises in the snow. As the only thing that touches the ground I would spend the extra money on tires solely for safety's sake.

Jon

 

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

If you have an Integra or '97-00 Civic, it's either 205/45-16 or 215/45-16.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I would never put a 215-45-16 on either car. A 215-40 yes, but not a 215-45.

 

why not a 45? just curios i dont know much about tires

 

215-45 is enormous. A 205-45 is what I would put on it. Check Tire Rack's website.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dohcpwr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">why not a 45? just curios i dont know much about tires
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First, understand what the tire size numbers mean. For example, with a 205/45-16 tire, the wheels are 16" in diameter, the tread is 205 mm wide, and the sidewall height is 45 percent of 205 mm. You can then calculate the outer diameter, which is the wheel diameter plus two times the sidewall height. Because of the need to convert millimeters and inches, a tire size calculator like this one is often helpful in comparing tire sizes.

The objective of choosing a tire size is to keep the outer diameter as close as possible to the outer diameter of the stock tire size, because this keeps the speedometer and odometer accurate, prevents rubbing, etc.

The reason that 205/45-16 and 215/45-16 are the best 16" tire sizes for a GS-R (or any other Integra or '97-00 Civic) is because the outer diameter of both tire sizes is within 1 percent of stock, and they don't rub (based on experience). Look at the calculated diameter:

195/55-15: 23.44 inches (stock)
205/45-16: 23.07 inches (-0.8 percent)
215/45-16: 23.62 inches (+0.7 percent)

This also explains why 205/40-16 and 215/40-16 are MUCH too small for Integras and '97-00 Civics; they are 4.2 percent and 2.9 percent smaller than the stock outer diameter.

As for the choice between 205/45-16 vs 215/45-16, either size will fit your car just fine. Most tires come in one size or the other, but not both, so the choice between them depends on what tire you want for your car. For example, if you want the Kumho SPT or Kumho ASX, then you'll want 205/45-16, because they only come in 205/45, not 215/45; if you want the Falken Azenis RT-615, then you'll want 215/45-16, because they only come in 215/45, not 205/45.

 

try to put 195/50/16 tires

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PINOY_JDM &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">try to put 195/50/16 tires</TD></TR></TABLE>

Those would work, too, from the diameter standpoint (23.68 inches, +1.0 percent). However, most 16" wheels are 16x7, which is at the top end of the range of approved rim widths for 195/50-16 tires (usually 5.5-7.0 inches) and may make them look stretched. You could do it, but that wouldn't be my first choice.



Modified by nsxtasy at 12:56 PM 2/9/2007