Hi

I bought my Del Sol last week.. the younger guy who had it before me gave me 17" rims with the car.. He had 14s on the front and basically bald 15s on the back so this week I absolutely need to find a tire that fits

The 17s are nice and everything im reading says 205 40 r17s should fit on the car - the tires I bought off of a friend came off of a 98 civic and didnt rub..
BUT

The kid i bought the car from says 205s will rub, so to buy 195s..

He put coilovers on the car, but I raised it to near stock height again (terrible roads where Im at..not worth damaging the car).

If my Del Sol is at stock height , will 205s fit?

Also can the RIM itself cause width rubbing? Im looking at the rims and there are no chafe marks id think you'd see if it did.

Please bare with me here. This is my first rodeo with this car I just want to take very good care of it, have been looking for one of these in good condition for 3 years.

Del solis a 97

 

there is more to it than just the 205 width.

Offset, overall tire OD and actual ride height (how far is "the highest setting" from the factory ride height?) are all factors. even tire design; some 205 tires have more shoulder radius than others.

my suggestion, unless you really like the look of them, 17" wheels are a bit big for the car. replacement tire cost, ride comfort and protection from damage to the wheels and/or suspension all improve when you swap to a 16" or 15" wheel with correctly sized tires.

however, I know that even factory 15" wheels (EM1) with 195 tires and modest lowering springs (1.5") may rub at full lock.

the real solution is in carefully selecting the right offset, or since you already have the wheels, correcting the offset with spacer(s).

 

width and offset are also important to consider. it is not likely that at close to stock height you will have rubbing issues unless the rims are really not a close fit, or the prior owner WANTED them to stick out.

 

205"s will be fine..

Enjoy your new ride.

Post up some pics soon