I'm going to be getting a 93 Civic CX soon. I already have a 2002 Celica, so the civic will be my 'winter beater'. So to save money, I wanted to take the tires from the Celica (I'm getting new wheels and tires for it) and putting them on the Civic. I know I need new wheels for the civic as the bolt pattern is different. I've looked around, and I've seen in the FAQ section that the recommended tire sizes for a 16" wheel on a civic is 205/40/16 or 195/45/16, but I don't want to have to buy new summer and winter tires, since I already have a couple hundred invested in the Bridgestone Blizzaks that still have plenty of treadlife on them.

My questions are:

- Will a 205/50/16 tire fit on a 16x7 +40mm wheel? (I'm thinking it should, but wanted to check)
- Will ^these wheels and tires^ fit comfortably (no rubbing) on the civic if it were dropped on Tein S.techs (1.8/1.7)

Thanks guys, I'm still new to civics, so go easy on me.

 

I really, REALLY doubt that 205/50-16 is going to fit on your Civic without big-time rubbing. Those are almost 9 percent (two full inches) larger in diameter than your stock tire size (165/70-13); that's a HUGE difference. On a lowered car, the chances are even worse. And, of course, your gauges are going to be off by that large percentage, etc. You could try it if you want, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. I don't know that I would even bother paying to have the tires mounted and balanced, given the chances of rubbing. But, to answer your question, 205/50-16 is usually approved for mounting on rims 5.5-7.5 inches wide, so yes, they can be mounted on the rims, if you want to try it.

If I were you, I would buy new winter tires. Even the good ones are not particularly expensive. For example, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 in 185/60-14 is on closeout at the Tire Rack for $53. 14" used steelies for Civics/Integras are pretty easy to find, either on the marketplace forums or eBay or in a junkyard - expect to pay $40-60 for a set - or you can buy brand new ones at the Tire Rack for $38 each, and you won't have to pay for mounting/balancing if you buy them at the same time as the winter tires.

If you still have the stock 13" wheels for the CX, the Michelin X-Ice is $64 in 175/70-13.

 

Thanks for the reply.

There are actually 17" Enkei's on it right now and they look horrible. I'm pretty sure its riding at stock height right now. So I'd have to buy a new wheel, and I guess new tires probably too. I guess I didn't realize how cheap tires would be.

What would a good wheel and tire size combo be? 14s? 15s?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by peeper06 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There are actually 17" Enkei's on it right now and they look horrible. I'm pretty sure its riding at stock height right now.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm pretty sure it's not. The smallest commonly-available 17" tire size is 205/40-17, and that size is 1.4 inches (over 6 percent) larger in diameter than your stock size, so it's raising the ride height by 0.7 inch. Which is why 17" wheels and tires aren't such a great idea on your car.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by peeper06 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So I'd have to buy a new wheel, and I guess new tires probably too. I guess I didn't realize how cheap tires would be.

What would a good wheel and tire size combo be? 14s? 15s?</TD></TR></TABLE>

That Blizzak WS-50 is a real bargain, but it's a closeout, and probably won't last long. (The WS-60 which replaces it is about $20 more per tire.)

Winter tires are available in suitable 14" sizes (175/65-14 and 185/60-14) but not in 15" sizes (195/50-15). So I recommend 14's for winter tires. The same thing is true for the best all-season tires.

For summer tires, I would go with 15" wheels (there are lots of used Civic/Integra 15" wheels, such as all the stock GS-R wheels) and 195/50-15 tires.

 

I didn't mean stock height, I mean stock suspension. I don't think it's lowered or anything like that.

Thanks for the help, I'll have to do some searching and see what I'm like. I've got to get out of the celica mind set. I'm used to people putting 17s and 18s on celicas, so I have to get used to 16s on a civic being like 18s on a celica.