Which is ultimately more important for gaining the most contact patch? I've asked tire sales representatives but they kept telling me about different tire companies with the same tire size will still differ amongst themselves.

What I am wondering is which is more important to gaining more contact patch: a wider rim, or bigger tire size?

For example, say you take 17"x8" rims and you slap on 225/45-17s on it. Now let's just say it's the same tire company brand to avoid any discrepancies. Say if you put that same tire at 225/45-17 onto a 17x7.5 or a 17x7 rim, will the contact patch still be the same because it is the tire size that really matters, or does having a wider rim, even by 1/2 an inch, gain you benefits even if it gives a little more contact with the road?

 

The overall diameter increases the as the wheel width decreases-on a given tire size.
First 225/X17 are out of the question on most Honda's on this board
What are your goals?
I've run 205/50R15 RA-1's on 15X7 Team Dynamics on the street (yes on the street) but they give up a lot in terms of overall quickness, I have a set of 195/50R15 T1-S on 15X6.5 rims. Much better on the street #1 because they're lighter and #2 they're smaller-I get quicker gearing. Yeah I'm losing width, but when it's Canyon Run time, I've got another pair of shoes for the ball.
Extra width didn't really do anything for me on daily driving.
Rim width and Tire width go hand in hand, you can only fit so much tire on a given rim width
But this is beside the point, If you're wondering what rim size would compliment the tire width it's best for the rim width to stay within 85%-95% of of the tire's Section width (different from Tread Width). AND PLEASE FOLLOW THE TIRE MANUFACTURER'S RECCOMMENDED RIM WIDTH RANGE!!!

 

225mm is about 8.86". therefore, i think the 17"x8" will fit the 225 better since it will have a flatter tread cross section. if you go to the smaller width 7.5" the tread section will become rounder since a wider tread cross section will be fitting on a narrower wheel cross section.

also, the 205/50/15 will have a larger overall diameter than the 195/50/15. both have a 50% side wall aspect ratio, but you have to take into account the tire width. 50% of 205mm = 102.5mm side wall. while 50% of 195mm = 97.5mm side wall

hth

 

Specs for a Kumho 712:
195/50R15 = 22.7" diameter
205/50R15 = 23.1" diameter

It's bigger, but not enough to make any noticeable difference.

A 215/50R16 would be your best bet.

To get a stiffer sidewall, your better off getting a tire with a stiffer sidewall that would fit your current wheel rather than jumping up to a 17". If you go to a 17" rim and say get a Kumho 712, you still won't have a responsive a setup as with a Falken Azenis on a 16".

Just buy the tires, and spend the money you would have spent on rims to pay for driving school.

Cheers,
Roy

 

Weight DOES make a diff at lest in my set-up:88 HF D16A6
I don't need handling in LA city Traffic YO!
If my commute was like the Acura commercial, then I'd run The RA-1's all day ERR day, but it's not.

 

If a tire is too wide for a wheel, then you will experience sidewall curvature (it has to tuck in more). You have to use a higher tire pressure to place more load on the tire chords to get the same contact patch, compared to the same tire on a wider wheel. This is a big deal with turn-in.

<== has 205/50 15 Azenis on 6" wide wheels. Great overall grip, but needs high pressure to prevent rollover.