So right now I have some cheap knockoff 16" rims on my civic. I bought the car with the rims/tires. I've tried like hell to find the specs on them to no avail. I don't know the offset, the backspacing or anything. The tires I currently have on them are 205/45 ZR16's. The car is dropped about an inch. I do have an issue with the outside part of the tire rubbing on the fender. So my question is can I get away with a slightly narrower/taller tire without worrying about the tire rubbing under the fender? I'm not sure how the width/height plays into the size of the rim. If I need to I guess I can buy new rims but I'm trying to avoid that cost atm.

With that said are there any pros/cons to running a narrower/taller tire vs. the current setup I have? Aside from not rubbing on the outside?

 

Yes, there are pros/cons to running narrower tires. Most significant of which, would be if the tire isn't properly sized for your car you could have issues braking.

The wheel width is extremely important when trying to fit the wheels on the car. And the offset measurement is a measure from the center of your wheel (where width comes in to play as well).

 

Okay. Thanks for the info. I'm going to keep reading up on it so when it comes time to buy new tires(and possibly new rims) I know wth I'm doing lol. I'll have to measure my rims and find out exactly what my offset is.

 

normally the wheel size and offset (ET) is stamped on the back of the wheel somewhere.....

 

Oh awesome! Thanks! I'll have to check that out if I get time tonight. We just got like 5 inches of snow last night though lol. But at least I'll know what size I can get.

Oh and is there a recommended offset, backspacing, and toe I should run? Or is that something I can leave in the hands of the guys who do my tires/alignment?

 

Offset and Backspacing are wheel sizing references, and yes there is a range that you may want to stay within to make sure the car performs properly and safely. Toe is an alignment specification. Your toe should be zero, by the way. Otherwise you're going to chew through tires.

 

Thanks for the help Toyo. When I do end up getting new tires and an alignment I'll be sure to double check that stuff.

 

Hey Doc@TireRack
I am new here and cant start a thread but you seem to know some info., possibly my answer.
Could you tell me if a 7 inch Rim will fit a 185 60/14 tire?
thanks

 

Yes it will.