I have a 1999 Civic hatchback that came factory with 185/65 R14's and I recently purchased 16x7 SSK 031's for the car. I want to put 215/45 R16s on the car and I'm wondering if anyone has this size rim and that size tire mounted on they're 1999 or 2000 Civic and how does it fit, close on the rear trailing arm? Thanks in advance.

 

215/45-16 should fit fine. So should 205/45-16.

My suggestion is that you decide what kind of tire you want to get, and see which of these sizes it comes in. That may make the decision for you, since most tires come in one size or the other, not both. More specifically...

a. If you care only about getting the maximum dry traction - such as if you occasionally use these tires for autocross or track use - then get the Falken Azenis RT-615, which comes in 215/45-16 ($90/tire at Vulcan Tire). Downsides include rapid treadwear (treadlife of 10-12K miles is typical) and so-so traction in rain.

b. If you want the very best dry traction as well as great rain traction and treadwear, and you don't mind spending a bit more for better performance, get the Goodyear F1 GS-D3, which comes in 205/45-16 ($136/tire at the Tire Rack). Outstanding dry traction, outstanding wet traction, should last a long time (25-40K miles).

c. If you want very good dry traction, wet traction, and treadwear, but you're willing to sacrifice some performance for a lower purchase price, get the Kumho SPT, which comes in 205/45-16 ($81/tire at Tires-easy.com). Very good dry traction (not as good as the previous two, but still decent), excellent in rain, should last a long time (25-40K miles).

d. The above assumes these tires will never be used in snow. If you will be using these tires in snow during the winter as well as in moderate to warm temperatures the rest of the year, you need all-season tires. In that case, get the Kumho Ecsta ASX in 205/45-16 ($74/tire at the Tire Rack).

 

I have Falken Azenis RT-615's on my 1990 Civic Hatchback. The wheels on that car are 16 x 7.5 Kosei K1 Racing and the tires on it are sized 205/40 R16. The problem I have with that size tire on that size rim is that the tire looks almost stretched or flat, a look I really don't care for much but I wanted the widest rim with the widest tire on the car because I do use that for autocross. As that car sits now I can't put my pinky finger between the inside of the tire and the rear trailing arm. I want to go with a wider tire say 215s on that car at some point, however I think I will need wheel spacers.

On my 1999 I will be using it primarily as a daily driven car but I want the tires to be used for specific dry weather only because I have a set of steel wheels in stock size with Michelin X-Ice snow tires on it. Its basically impossible to move around upstate NY in the winters without dedicated snow tires. The other set of rims/tires are going to be dedicated summer use and will not be being pushed in rainy weather due to the 99 not having any sort of suspension upgrade as of yet, its a dx with no sway bars to speak of and stock suspension. I will get to upgrading it eventually but I like the fact that the car I drive everyday doesn't have to be babied around the holes in the earth called potholes on the road around here. I previously had Kumho Ecsta Supra 712s on the 90 hatch and I was able to squeeze 20,000 miles out of them with no issue, the rears are actually still usable, but as far as wet traction goes they sucked. So I upgraded to the Falken Azenis mostly because of their availabilty in the size I needed and their relatively low price at that size I think I got them for $73 from Vulcan at the time. So I may go with the same tires on the 99, I was just curious because I am not sold on them as of yet because I haven't driven the 90 with the new Azenis on them much this year, I got them late in the season. So I think I'll be looking into the 215/45 R16 Azenis RT-615's for the 99. Thanks for the help.

 

Sounds like you already know a lot about the options and know what you're doing.

Just a comment about wet traction, since you brought it up - the Goodyears and Kumho SPT are both absolutely awesome in rain, much much MUCH better than either the Azenis or those old Kumho 712's. Just one of the trade-offs...

 

got my tires and rims in and i mounted and balanced them and they are great so far. I have one problem though. I have been driving around with just me in the car for the last few days and no issues have come about at all. But today me and a friend wanted to go get something to eat and he wanted to ride in my car. So as we're driving and I make slight left turns I can hear the rear passenger side and sometimes but not as prevalent the rear driver side tires rubbing. My first thought is that it is rubbing the fender well edges where the rubber piece is. Right now I have 215/45 R16 Falken Azenis RT-615's and a 16x7 40+ offset SSK 031 wheels. The susepension/ride height is stock. From just looking at it now(its dark) I can see a small mark on the rubber piece on the edge of the rear passenger quarter. The problem is that I can't believe that at stock ride height that the suspension would move that much to be able to make contact. For the tire to make contact with the fender it would have to move approx 2.5 inches or more. I know that the stock springs aren't very strong but I thought that without lowering the car at all that these tires wouldn't cause any issue. I'm looking into just rolling a few key points where the tire seems to be getting too close and hoping for the best. Let me know if you have any contributions/suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

I am really surprised that that size tire would rub, especially on a car with stock ride height.

I'm not an expert on what offset works with what car, but I wonder whether maybe that particular offset positions the tires too far out from, or in towards, the car, rather than positioning them where they have the maximum clearance? (If it's too far in, you can use spacers, and you may need extended lugs; if it's too far out, I'm not sure there's anything you can do.)

And if that's not it, I have no idea.

 

I found out where the tire was rubbing in the rear. The rear quarter panel rubber protectors protrude out from the edge of the quarter panel just enough to catch the edge of the tire when the suspension compresses fully. I removed both of the protectors and drove the car around and there wasn't any more noise. I'm going to buy new ones because the ones I have are all bloated with dirt anyway and clean the quarter panels where the rubber strip goes and reapply it with some sealant so that it doesn't come off. I know people like to say just take them off and leave them off but where I live I believe they do more good than bad if you periodically take them off and clean under them. I would rather do that than risk having the new tires (which seem to pick up everything) throw rocks into the quarter panel and then rust over the winter. I'll be putting new quarter wheel arch protectors on and then my snow tires on the car in another week or so anyway. I'm thinking about getting some higher spring rate springs, not so much to lower the car because honestly I don't mind the way it looks right now, but more so that when I go through turns the suspension doesn't dive and bottom so easy. I know that since I made the tires that much stiffer the suspension has become the weak point in the car and thus is taking up the energy being put to the wheels when turning/braking. I was looking at the H&R OE sport springs, but I haven't made my mind up yet. Any suggestiongs, I'm looking for an upgraded spring rate spring with the least amount of claimed "drop".

 

Sounds good.

I don't know the answer to your suspension question; you might try asking in the suspension forum or in the EF Civic forum.