dsmercado

I just had a couple of questions...

I have the stock wheels and tires on my 99 GLE (15 inch wheels, Goodyear Eagle tires).

If I want to get 16 or 17 inch tires, I will have to change my wheels, right?

Also, can I put more than 16 inch tires on my car? I was reading the owners manual the other day and it said the car should have 15 or 16 inch tires.

Thanks!

Hercules

16 or 17" tires would only fit on 16 or 17" wheels.
It's possible to install wheels over 16". As a matter of fact, many have installed 17" wheels on their Maxima. The ride quality is a bit different though.

bullseye

I started with stock 15" rims and stock 215/65/15 tires.
I changed to 16"x7.5" rims and 225/50/16 tires.
I could have installed 17"x8" rims with 235/45/17 tires.
Or 18"x8" rims with 235/40/18 tires.

You may have noticed that as the wheels become larger in diameter, the tires have a lower profile. By using lower profile tires on larger rims, one keeps the tires' outside diameter within 1-3% of the stock tire. This keeps the car odometer accurate and preserves other handling attributes. This is commonly referred to as "plus" sizing. I suggest you visit the *tirerack* website. They have very extensive, detailed information about wheel/tire sizes... Good luck.