Yes i know, this goes in the wheel an tire forum and i posted there already, but that part of the site doesnt get that much traffic and i need an answer soon

basically i wanna run 225 wide tires on stock 16" SE wheels (215)....is that a bad idea? if so, why....

 

That's not really enough of a difference to do much I don't think, just remember if you go up on the width enough you will have to go down on the height (i.e. 215/55/16 go up to 235/50/16 to maintain the same tire height - so-to-speak).
hope this was helpful,
lameo

 

You'll be fine. You could even run 235's with a reasonably thick sidewall, although that is pushing it. 225's are plenty.

 

so there are no problems with going to 225's at all? no increased wear or anything? should i also go down to 50 instead of 55 then?

 

and I wanna know, is that a good idea, if so why? (Im serious)

 

What's the advantage of wider tires?

 

i ran 225s on my stock se rims for 2 years, no problem at all. the advantage is really simple, you are putting more rubber on the road. more cantact with the road equals better handeling. you are also displacing the cars weight over a larger contact area. sometimes this will negatively affect the cars acceleration due to the front tires losing traction easier. this is because you are taking more concentrated weight and spreading it out a little further. with todays tire technology though, this doesnt quite hold true as much anymore, you can put extremely wide tires on ans actually see a increase in traction during acceleration.

now, that being said... going from 215's to 225's you will see no noticeable differance.

 

no problems in my oldie, and I know the 4th gen has more space in the fenders for wider wheels.

 

I tired a 225 on mine and didn't like them. They handled like ****. I had them taken off and went with the 215 in a higher speed rateing, Toyo Proxyes 4's and am very happy with the increased handleing.

 

OT:
Great. . . finally an org member in Savannah, and I move away!

sheeesh.

 

how about 225/50/15 on a 4th gen ... anyone tried it before?

 

I just put Yokohama AVS ES 100's on my '97 SE (225 50 15). WONDERFULLLLLLLL tires so far. Horrible in snow (apparently), however, I don't care as it's a fair-weather car.

 

would you mind posting a pic of how the car would look with those tires?

 

freaken tires wear out toooo damn fast, and are noisy as fwack!

 

225/50/15 will fit but are awfully small.

 

Funny you should say that. They are, by far, the most silent tires I've used on my Maxima (and I've used many, many tires over the years). Additionally, one of the comments I read regularly that pushed me to purchase the ES 100's was how long the tread lasts. I have a friend who works in sales and has put 40K miles on his in a short period of time. He estimates he still has 30% tread left. I guess it's like anything...everyone has an opinion and everyone thinks everyone else's stinks.

 

I'm running 225s instead of the stock 215s on a 16" rim. I felt no difference, and have used this size of tire for 3 years. However, I've been chasing a funny handling issue that makes the front end feel 'loose' - so that every time my suspension shifts weight or takes a bump, it points in a slightly different direction. A very seasoned mechanic/alignment expert (who is an avid autocrosser) said that the 225 width was the problem. I don't buy it - since I remember the problem before changing tires - but he's an expert. When I need tires again I'll be going with 215s just to see if it has an effect.

Dave