I noticed that alot of people are getting 205/45/16 to go with their 16x7 rim and 205/40/17 to go with their 17x7 rim, but how come that width even fits? I mean, Most people use 205/50/15 or 195/55/15 with the stock 15x6 rims, I would figure an extra inch wider rim would need at least 215 to compensate. In fact I think the 205 width is perfect for the 6 inch rim, 195 seems to be too skinny.

 

Need a wider tire to compensate for what? All you are doing when going from a 205/45/16 to a 205/40/17 is decreasing the aspect ratio of the tire. Since both rims are 7" deep, a 205 mm wide tire fits on both of them perfectly.
Tires are very flexible...You can fit a 205 size tire on anything from a 6" rim to a 7.5" rim.

 

Actually, I mean more to compare the stock 6 inch wide rims to the 7 inch wide rims that alot of people are getting, bucause I have 205 on my 6 inch ride rim, and I would figure 215 would fit better for a 7 inch wide rim. I'm not trying to compare wheel diameters and aspect ratios, but tire width to rim width.

 

215 is appropriate for 7.5 rims... generally.
people generally go 205 on 15x6.5 etc... so there ya go.
?
yokohama has the suggested rim width listed under tire sizes,
so check it out on the yokohma site, just pick a tire and its sizes or specs.
maybe they say 205 is good for 7.5-5.5 I dont know, but they would know.

 

Since OEM tire size on Honda's 6" wide wheel is 195, the 205 is an "upgrade." If you look at your 205's on the 6"-wide rim, the tire does bulge around the edges of the rim. I've been told by a couple of different tire places that 205 is the absolute widest tire you can safely mount on a 6"-wide wheel.

On a 16"x7" wheel, the 205/45/16 is recommended (for our cars, anyway) because the overall diameter of the tire remains closest to stock, meaning the speedometer is least affected by this setup. If you went to a 215, even if you reduced the aspect ratio to 40-series, you'd be farther away from the stock overall tire diameter, causing more error in the speedometer. Not to mention, riding on 40-series tires can get a little uncomfortable -- pot holes, cushion of tire/air, etc.

Also, many times 205 width is recommended on 17"x7" wheels so that you won't have any issues with rubbing. On a wheel that large (or larger) increasing the width much puts you in jeopardy of rubbing the tire on the suspension components, especially during cornering while the suspension is under compression.

Anyway, I know that was long, so I hope it helped clarify things.

I'm planning on getting some Kosei K-1's, which come in 16"x7.5". I can't decide whether to go with the "recommended" tire size of 205/45/16, or move to a 215/45/16 or 215/40/16. I'd like to add some tire width for a 7.5"-wide wheel, but I don't really want to ride on 40-series tires, nor do I want to have any issues with clearance/rubbing.

 

Thanks for the info, that was the response I was looking for!

Anyhow, on a 7.5 inch rim maybe you can go with 225, yeah I know that sounds really, really wide, but that's 20mm extra spread over 1.5 inches more than the stock. I figure you can take care of clearance problems with offset right?

I just did a calculation and 20mm is equal to .8 of an inch, so 225 should fit the rim.

 

You would need some REALLY weird offset to fit 225s. I've got 215/40/16 712s on my car, they're a pretty tight fit. Barely a pinky-width between the inner sidewall and the control arm in the rear.

 

AcuraRacer111: What's your suspension setup with the 215's? Also, which wheels/offset do you have? Also, how's life with the 40-series? Thanks for any feedback. I'm trying to make up my mind on tire size.

 

well, I've done the calculations on tire diameter when using different tire sizes, and I can say that if the stock wheel size is 195/55/15 (23.44" from outer edge to outer edge), both a 205/45/16 and a 215/45/16 will be very close to the stock diameter (23.26" and 23.62", respectively). With my slight rounding, you'll notice that each are only 0.18" different than the stock diameter, just in opposite directions. So it is fair to say that both the 205/45 and 215/45 series tires will be okay for a 16" wheel, when speaking about the speedo reading.

I agree that it will be tougher to fit a 215/45 tire onto an Integra, but it can be done with perfect offset, rim width and not too drastic lowering. But a 205mm tire is really what should be used on our cars, whether it be on a 15x6 rim or 17x7.5 rim, just because of the chassis and wheel well design. 225 is pretty much out of the question.

 

another note: the 215/45/16 size is considered an "odd" size by tire manufacturers, so it will be more difficult to find your tire choice with this combination of tire proportions. This is also why the 205/45/16 is a more popular choice among us integra owners.

 

degradaded is right. The 215/45/16 is considered an odd size. The only tires that Tirerack lists in that size are really expensive (except for the Pirelli P-7000). I'm only lowered ~1.4" (Eibach Pro-Kits). That's a pretty conservative drop, so hopefully the 215 won't rub on the inside. It should clear outter fender with no problems, though, I think.

 

Another thing I don't believe I saw anyone mention... is what about the sidewall. It's not that difficult to stuff a 225 onto a 6" wheel. Though it's too the point where you're not even benefitting anything. Hense, a 205 would give you as much traction because it would have the stiffer sidewall of the two.

On our `76 914 2.0 track car we're running 205s on 7" wheels... now THOSE sidewalls are crazy stiff, PERFECT for the track. As for the Integras, with our 6" wheels 205 is just about it's limit, before you're wasting your money... Myself personally... I wouldn't go any lager.

 

I've got 205/50/15's on my Integra, and, compared to my old 195/50/15's, they are much better. They grip much better too, but, then again, I've got the Kumho's on there now, opposed to the Nitto's 450NT's that I used to have.