Hey guys well i have diffrent brands of tires on my car with diffrent numbers lol so i need new tires. It Does NOT snow but it does rain right now. Mostly in california in my area will be dry.

I WONT be on track its my Daily Driver and i want better handling control/ confort?

I have stock wheels and Dont care for looks or oem vs aftermarket rims.

Im open to choices between stock and aftermarket.

What im wondering is if its better to stick to oem 205/60/15

or to get something like 225/45/17?


- What kind of car you have (year, model, version) 1996 honda accord v6 4dr- What size wheels you have

- How the tires will be used (daily driving, autocross/track/dragstrip) Daily driving- What kind of weather the tires will be used in (dry, rain, snow)

- What your preferences is in the trade-off between value (low purchase price and/or long treadlife) vs performance

Price not much of a factor and want better performance and open to treadlife...


Please explain whats the benefit of going of a wide like 205 or 225/ or 245? any benefits?

15" vs 17" why and why not?

40/45/50/60 and whY?

Please and thanks!

 

Well, the choice of wheel diameter is really a matter of personal preference. In general, the larger the diameter of the wheels and tires, the more expensive the wheels and tires are. Larger diameter wheels and tires can also have a negative effect on ride quality, but they can improve handling. Taken to an extreme (for your year Accord, I don't consider 17" extreme, but 18" is marginal and anything bigger is extreme IMO), larger wheels can also be much more susceptible to damage from potholes. Tire availability can be a factor (as you will see below). Another big difference, of course, is looks, which is a matter of personal preference.

In general, the best tire size for street use is one for which the outer diameter is within 1 percent of stock, and the tread width is within 10 mm of stock. Going larger than that in diameter and/or tread width can result in rubbing of the tire on the fender liners, can hurt acceleration, and can throw off the speedometer and odometer. And for street use, there's no significant performance advantage. For your car, I recommend 205/60-15 for 15" wheels, 205/55-16 for 16" wheels, and 215/45-17 for 17" wheels. Those other sizes keep your diameter within 1 percent of stock, and shouldn't rub.

Since you won't be using these tires in snow, you can take advantage of the better performance of summer tires, rather than all-season tires (which sacrifice warm-weather performance for added flexibility in frigid temperatures).

As noted in the FAQ topic stickied at the top of this forum:

So those are the trade-offs among these three types of tires. I know you're primarily looking for better handling/performance, but I'm not sure whether you're willing to trade off treadlife of 25-45K miles (typical for top-of-the-line and budget performance tires) for treadlife of 10-12K miles (typical of those specialty tires) in order to get a little bit better grip. That's up to you.

Here's what I would recommend for each type of tire:

a. Specialty tires

205/60-15 - none available
205/55-16 - Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec $109
215/45-17 - Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec $126 or Kumho Ecsta XS $124

b. Top-of-the-line performance tires

205/60-15 - none available
205/55-16 - Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 $136 (after rebate) or Pirelli PZero Nero $80 (on closeout)
215/45-17 - Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 $145 (after rebate)

c. Budget performance tires

205/60-15 - Yokohama AVS ES100 $92
205/55-16 - Kumho Ecsta SPT $72 (but see Pirelli closeout price)
215/45-17 - Kumho Ecsta SPT $91 or Fuzion ZRi ($85)

 

Thank you for that great post! hmmm

Q 1)so if i go higher then a 205 to say 225 would i sacrifise ride quality?

Q 2) why only dunlop? what is wrong say with R1R?

Q3) actually on 235/245 plus or more is that too wide because i *MIGHT* rub or because it will be too heavy? ????

Q4) on the 40/45/50 is higher better confort?

THANK YOU! look foward to your answers from my Questions.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gus738 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Q 1)so if i go higher then a 205 to say 225 would i sacrifise ride quality?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No. Ride quality is primarily a function of sidewall height and wheel diameter, not tread width. However, there's no advantage to going wider, and the several disadvantages are noted above.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gus738 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Q 2) why only dunlop? what is wrong say with R1R?</TD></TR></TABLE>

The R1R is a good tire, but the Star Spec is better and it's also significantly cheaper.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gus738 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Q3) actually on 235/245 plus or more is that too wide because i *MIGHT* rub or because it will be too heavy? ????</TD></TR></TABLE>

It's too wide because you will probably rub, because it will be too heavy, because it will be more expensive, and depending on the aspect ratio, because it will reduce your car's acceleration and because it will throw off your speedometer and gauges.

Why are you so concerned about tread width? It has no significant effect on performance, for street use. Remember, the big difference in performance is the type (make/model) of tire. So if you want better performance, just concentrate on buying better, stickier tires, rather than wider tires.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gus738 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Q4) on the 40/45/50 is higher better confort?</TD></TR></TABLE>

The reason for choosing a specific aspect ratio (that's the middle number in the tire size, and represents the ratio between the sidewall height and the tread width) is to choose a sidewall height for which the outer diameter of the tire is as close as possible to stock. You need to select the proper size - which means the tread width as well as the aspect ratio - for your car. That means 205/60-15 for 15" wheels, 205/55-16 for 16" wheels, and 215/45-17 for 17" wheels.

 

then 205/55/16 is the best closes thing to stock right?

205/55-16 - Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec $109

?

so now i need rims i think dont remember what is the stock size for them....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gus738 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">then 205/55/16 is the best closes thing to stock right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes - assuming you have (or are buying) 16" wheels, of course.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gus738 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">205/55-16 - Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec $109

?</TD></TR></TABLE>

As long as you're looking for dry grip and handling, and don't care so much about tread life, that's a great choice.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gus738 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so now i need rims i think dont remember what is the stock size for them....</TD></TR></TABLE>

That tire size is approved for mounting on rims that are 5.5-7.5 inches wide, so 16x7 or 16x6.5 or 16x6 should all work just fine. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe your car has a 4x114.3 bolt pattern.

I don't know what offsets would be best for your car (and remember that the best offset depends on the wheel width).

If you're buying the wheels new, the wheel dealer should be able to tell you what fits your car. If you're buying used, maybe you can wheels being sold by someone with a car similar to yours (or, if you're buying locally, you can always try them on when you buy them).

 

thank you once again for the useful detailed info!.

any recommendations where i can get those tires 205/55/16 ? and wheels?

zip code 95019

honda accord 1996 4dr V6 2.7 L

 

All of the above tires are available from the Tire Rack, whose prices are the ones quoted. You can get wheels there too; their website allows you to picture their wheels on your car. You can also try checking prices at Discount Tire Direct which offers free shipping. (Shipping a set of four tires within the U.S. typically costs around $50, and a set of tires and wheels typically $100.) Both these dealers will mount and balance the tires on the wheels for free if you're buying them at the same time.