need a lil help here.. anyone riding on 235/50/17's??
 

moderators please do not move..

i need to order new tires and the wheel and tire forum does not generate enough respones.


anyway.. i have a 96 max lowered with h&r's and illumina's.
i currently have 235/45/17's now. i know, thats the ideal size. but im looking to get rid of my performace tires and switch to a grand touring. id like to, if i can , move up from a 45 series to a 50 to help smooth out the ride a bit more, and give a lil more protection against the potholes since id be going with a softer sidewall. i wouldnt imagine there would be any problems since i think its a stock 5th gen tire size, and i know alot of you guys run with those rims.

that being said, does anyone know for sure, if id have any cleareance or rubbing issues with the taller sidewall since the car is lowered, or if im in the clear. any issues with decreased braking power? id prefer to hear from someone thats running this rim/tire on a lowered set-up .. i know some of you guys are out there.. help me out here!! thanks in advance

I'm interested in the same tire size for my setup. It should help hide some of the gap at my "modified" stock ride height setup when I put my 17's back on.

your speedo will be off by a few %, besides that you shouldn't have any problems. If anything get 225/50/17.

thanks.. anyone else got some experience in this??

Up front I have 225/50/17 and 235/50/17 rear. I've had them on for about a month but with stock suspension so far; I've have had absolutely no problems as of yet. My speedo is not far enough off to matter.

sounds good so far.. i need to hear from someone that has these size tires on a dropped springs.. where are you guys???

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

check this out. you can compare your stock size (i went with 215/60/15) and the closest match of 17s with a 50 series would be 225. that should drop it into a cheaper price range of tire

im amazed there hasnt been a post from someone that has this set up yet..

my car is dropped 1.5" all around using Tokiko Illumina setup... and I'm using 235/50/17 in the front and 245/50/17 in the rear ... I have no problem what so ever with rubbing. I hope that answers ur queston

definately does. would you happen to have a pic you could share so i can see how the sidewall height looks on a lowered car? would be a big help- thanks again

bump.. anyone else have something too add??

i'll have some pix up tonite after I load them from my camera ...

good deal man.. thanks for the help..

bump.........
anyone else????????????

bump again .. how bout one more person just to boost my confidence?

I have 215/50/17 and I am going to lower my car on Thursday. The drop will be about 2". I'll try to get a pic up then. As of right now, I have no complaints.

got 235/50/18 and they rub on serious bums otherwise car handles nice and rides smooth

the larger the sidewall the more flex its going to have. so your going to loose traction and not feel as comfortable as it once was.

and going from sports to grand turing same thing.

but if you ride nice, then you shouldnt have ANYTHING to worry about. should be just fine.

i ride performance even on the street - i hate other drivers that go way to slow :P
i went from the stock rims and tires (ie 16" rims, and 215/55/16 tires) to stock rims and 225/50/16 tires (and stock rims)... the improvement was worlds of differnce, tho the tires wore very quickly. the lower sidewall and wider tire worked wonders around corners etc.

then i went all back to stock with a really good all weather tire, and now im upset that i did that. :( when i take turns really fast you can really feel the flex in the sidewall :(

with your 17"ers and going from 45 to 50 it shouldnt matter that much, you may or may not feel the differnce i had... and if you drive nice you shouldnt feel the differnce at all.

some nice help guys thanks.. rite now im tryin to deicide if i should go with the z rated tires i want or the v.. theres a $50 difference in price and i dont really think i need the z's. i dont drive like the nut that i use to when i was younger, and my commute is around 100 miles a day now.. comfort is an issue but i refuse to put stock springs in.

BTW- the tires im gonna get will be either the bridgstone turanza ls-v's or ls-z's.. both are grand touring all seasons tired. they rank number 1 and number 2 in customer reviews. if i go with the v's ill have to go for 225/50/17's since they dont make them in a 235..