I've been doing a lot of reading on here trying to learn more about tires, tire sizes, rim sizes, etc. I am trying to figure out what DR would be the best size to run on my car. Now, normally I would think that a wider tire would gain the most traction, but if I've read correctly, that isn't always the case. I read a thread were a person stated that the contact patch was greater on his 205 45 16 tire than on his mothers 215-65 15 tire.
https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...&highlight=205

I'm currently using 15x6.5 in rims and am looking at a set of bfg in 225-50 15, but I'm not sure if my rim is wide enough. The specs for the tire say 6-8 inch rim will work, but does that mean will work effectively, or does it just mean that they can get it on the rim? Would the sidewall get "pulled" down or something effectively narrowing the contact patch for this tire? Would a skinnier tire actually be able to provide more traction? Also, am I correct in thinking that the more sidewall you can get under there, the more traction you'll get?

I'm pretty sure a 225 will rub on an integra, but what about a 215? Will that require a spacer? If you were going to run a DR with my rim size, what size would you select? Thanks in advance, RV.

 

I would say 7 to 8" wheels will work well with 225 tires. A 7.5" wheel will have the 225's tires flush to the lip of the wheel.

Wider tires help you when your launching or cornering, anything after that and its just added mass. Dont think of sidewalls in terms of traction; the more SECTION WIDTH, the more possible traction is what should be in mind.
(shorter sidewalls give you more response while a taller sidewall is more forgiving when it comes to camber changes)

as far as your wheels rubing, it also depends on your offset and ride height.

 

I dont want to be a jerk but please dont tell me you have a car with 402whp and dont know about wheels/tires.

 

This is the first car I've ever built up. All my other cars I could give **** less what tires were on them so I never learned. All my attention has gone in learning how to make the car faster, now I need to learn how to make it grab.

 

Are you going to be using these only at the dragstrip, or on the street? Drag radials are great for the dragstrip, but they're not a good choice for the street; they're very expensive, and they don't last very long at all. I suggest getting a pair of extra wheels and drag radials and just using them for the strip.

For street use, get some supersticky street tires; for 15x6.5 wheels on a high-horsepower Integra, I recommend the Kumho Ecsta XS or Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 in 205/50-15, or the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec in 195/55-15.