tire question

[sportyrider]

Picking up a set of Andros Spec D rims. The question is what size tire would would you guys recommend? A 205/55r16 combined with that 7.5" rim keeps me at the weight and diameter of the original 15" wheel and tire, but I'm thinking it might look stretched on that rim, I don't really like the stretched look. The other option is a 215/55R16. I think that would be a better fit on that rim but it adds another pound per wheel of unsprung weight and its about a half inch larger in diameter. Would I even notice the difference? Opinions?

 

[ahtoxa]

If you're going from a 15" wheel to a 16" wheel, then you need to go from 195-65-15 to either 205-60-16 or 215-55-16 if you want to maintain overall diameter. You'd have to consider wheel offset if you are thinking of 215 wide tires, perhaps. But, I know little about what fits on the Sonic with which offset.

 

[The Champ]

195/65/15 = 24.9"

205/55/16 = 24.9"

205/60/16 = 25.7"

215/55/16 = 25.3"

225.50/16 = 24.9"

These are my 225/50/16's on my Sonic...







The OE tires.

 

[ahtoxa]

True. Looks like my figures were a bit off.

I used to have a car with 205/55/16s and they were a good tire size. Lots of good rubber selection and low prices, due to being a popular size.

 

[The Champ]

My 225/60/16 Goodyear Eagle Sports weren't much different in price than the 205/55/16's.

I went with the wider tires because these are for non winter driving only as I put winter tires on my OE wheels. The wider/lower profile Eagles really improved the handling on the windy twisty roads in my area - so the "fun to drive" quotient was worth the extra expense.

Next summer I may be doing a little autocrossing - and these should help for that too.

 

[sportyrider]

Thanks for the input. I think I've found my tire. Continental Purecontact with ecoPlus technology. It's a low rolling resistance tire but it is highly rated. A 205/55r16 with an h speed rating is listed as having 8.4" cross section and 7.6" tread width. I think that should match up well with the 7.5" wheel. What has surprised me is how much tread width can vary for a given size. Know of anybody who has run these tires?

 

[sportyrider]

Received the new wheels today. I think they're going to look good. They weigh 37lbs on my scale which is right on with listing on the Tirerack site.

 

[ahtoxa]

I was looking at these but the trad width is so much narrower than all of the other tires in this size that I looked at. I compared them all via tire rack specs.

Because of the narrow tread width vs cross section, they kind of look baloony. Would be even worse with my 195/65s

 

[davethecota]

I really like the way the 205's look on the 16" wheels sport.