Hi, I don't know whether you have experienced wearing issues on factory 17" rims and tire size of 235/50/17. I went to a tire shop and they recommend not to use 235/50/17 as they feel the side wall with stick out to much on the 7" rim. They said 225 would be much better. Is 225 a better size for the factory 7" rim? Or 235?

 

I use 235/50/17 tires on my 2005 G35x factory 17" rims and so far, after 6000 kms, I haven't noticed any unusual wearing. There is a noticeable sidewall bulge but it does not bother me. Although I think that 225 is a better fit on a 7" rim, I still decided to go with 235 because I wanted a tire set-up with a diameter that will be very close to the factory tire size of 215/55/17.

 

Same here, running 235/50/17 on Avon Tech M550 A/S and no issues so far. I've done 235's on 7" wide rims plenty of times w/ no problems. Use that size, it's a better match for OE.

 

i also too went with 235/50 with avon's..dunno if its the tire, but the ride quality sucks..most likely is the tire..

If you have ur heart set on a bigger tire, den go with the 235, as that will be closer to the spec...

if not, I stick with the 215's..it felt alot better, but thats because i was running on 200 dollar tires vs 150..big difference..

 

I'm running a set of Kumho ECSTA ASX in 235/50R17. I like them. They replaced a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s in 225/55R17. The ASXs aren't quite as grippy, but they're not a summer tire, and they have a smoother ride.

Brand/model of tire will have more of an impact on the ride quality than the difference between 225/235 on the tire width. I'd go with the 235, the only reason I didn't with the Goodyears was they weren't available in that size back in '03.

There's no problem with 235 on a 7" rim. If you want bulge, come look at the 245/45R17 R-comp tires I run when autocrossing (aftermarket rims, but still 17x7).

 

I want to try those Kumho 235/50 17's when I replace my stock tires. They got awesome ratings on Tirerack.com, not to mention they only cost $106 a tire.

 

Thanks for all your feedbacks. I was concern about uneven tire wear if I go with 235/50/17 instead of something like 225/55/17. The tire shop I went to gave me a horror story that 235 won't fit well on my 7" rims type of statement. That prompted me to question whether 235 would be a good choice for tire size...

 

Interesting thread as there's not much talk about diff tires for the 17's.

Would you guys post pics of your tires that are sizes other than the original Goodyears (or what ever your OEM tires were)????

Thanks!

 

I'd also like to see some pics of 235/50/17 on the stock 17" wheels. Can anyone share some pics?

Thanks

 

I just got 235/50 R17 on my oem rims according to what I found was that 235's were more closer to oem than 225's. This tool was helpful http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

Any pics?? Would like to see how they look...

 

I just took off a set of Kumho KH11s, 235/50/17 and did not buy them again since they wore out too quickly. There was no obvious bulge indicating it was too wide. I will say however that the set of Falkens 225/55/17 that preceded the Kumhos had a better look. Remember, you're only talking about 2/5 of an inch difference in width, that's a very small difference.

I replaced the Kumhos with Bridgestone Turanza LS-V, 225/55/17 and I'm very happy so far. They've got less than 300 miles on them so haven't been broken in yet. I bought them for three reasons:
1. I read good things about these, even right here on G35driver.
2. They were $144 ea. on Tirerack, plus there was an additional $100 rebate on 4.
3. I got fed up of changing tires every year. Cheaper tires just don't seem to last very long. Both the Falkens and Kumhos cost about $100 each; I got about 16K from the Falkens and 15K from the Kumhos, and that's running them both well past their wear bars. And I kept between 31-34psi in there. The OEM RS-As gave me 32K miles.

The Turanzas' look is less aggressive and they appear to be less sticky as the Kumhos, but that could simply be lack of break-in. The ride is definitely more refined, less harsh, and although not as sticky, the "slide" is progresive... you can feel it as the tires begin to lose grip... this has made exit ramps pretty fun so far.

But this wasn't a tire review thread, was it?

The 235/50/17 will be fine on the 17x7 OEM rims. Keep in mind though that wider tires means more resistance hence less miles to the gallon, though probably not more than 1 MPG. Keep your tires properly inflated; it's the low pressure than burns the gas.

 

Remember that not all tires are measured the same.
Ex: A Goodyear GSD3 275/40/17 will be larger than a Nitto 275/40/17. So the Goodyear will bulge out more on the same size rim. Best to read up on rim fitment and decide if you need to go a 10th less in order to accomodate.