I've seen a couple posts on the recommended tire size limitation for the sedan's sport pkg 5-spoke wheels, but nothing about the non-sport 17" 6-spoke wheels.

Seems to me that they're both the same width (7"), so the same limitations would apply... but wanted to get a sanity check.

Besides changing the tire+wheel rotational speed by varying the tire profile size, any other gotchas on installing slightly wider tire size on the factory wheels?

Thanks!


"There's no replacement for displacement, but forced induction can sure help".

 

You've got it. It's limited by the fact that the rims are 17x7. Doesn't matter if they're 5 or 6 spoke rims. There are more than a "couple of posts" on the subject, by the way. Plenty of info to digest there.

Only "gotcha" that comes to mind is tramlining. Wider tires have a greater tendency to follow grooves in the pavement instead of the intended direction of the steering wheel. Usually not a big deal.

 

If you go from a 215/55/17 to a 235/50/17 there isn't any difference in rotational speed, since the sideway height is almost identical for both tires. 215 X .55 = 118.25 and 235 X .50 = 117.5

 

But you have to go 225/55R17 to get really good performance tires.

 

I'd like to stick with an All-Season Performance tire, and have been eyeing the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S for its good handling characterisitcs in dry & wet weather. They offer a 235/50R17.

Which tires would you consider in the 225/55R17 line up?


"There's no replacement for displacement, but forced induction can sure help".

 

In no particular preference at this moment, I'm looking at these:

Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 (NOT to be confused with the Eagle GS-D oem tire -- very different)

Of course, I live in SoCal, have no need for all-seasons, and autocross my car at least once a month.. so the Max Performance tire category is more appealing to me. If I were in a different climate, the Pilot Sport A/S would be more appealing, but I just can't see paying a premium for the ability to drive in snow in San Diego. [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img] We also have a guy on the forums (lead_foot, I think) that runs Falken Azenis at 245/45R17 on stock-sized rims, which technically want a 7.5" wide rim, but seems to work okay.

On the flip side, if I were to simply want cheap tires for commuting, I'd look at the Kumho ECSTA KH-11 in 235/50R17. Probably equivalent to the Bridgestone Turanza EL42s that came on my car in most respects, at half the price.

So it really depends on what you're looking for in a tire.