I'm considering switching to 225/60/16 sized tires. Im aware that stock size on a 16" rim is 215/55/16 and that people frequently use 225/50/16 or even 225/55/16 sized tires. I've done a search but it didn't result in any threads which addressed the use of this sized tire. I want to reduce fender gap and widen the "contact patch" for improved handling. Is anyone using (or used) this size?
All comments concerning ride, fitment, handling, appearance, speedometer/odometer concerns, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

 

Search results for "225/55/16":

http://forums.maxima.org/search.php?...der=descending

Search results for "225/50/16":

http://forums.maxima.org/search.php?...der=descending

This should help you out.

Good luck!

 

http://www.miata.net/products/wheels/

Please use the above calculator to properly choose the correct width, diameter and cross-section for your tire.

Changing the overall diameter of your tire will affect the speedo. By how much is what the caclulator is for.

 

also if you go to www.tirerack.com and do a search for tires in each size, you can click on the 'specs' for the tire and see what the overall diameter is for that particular tire.

a 225/50r16 from goodyear, kumho, bfg, etc... even between different models of tire from the same brand can be different.

-V

 

the contact patch will be the same on the 225/60 and the 225/55 -- the 225 being the width of the tire in millimeters. going to 60 instead of 55 would just increase the error on your speedo.

i got the 225/55 on the back and i think they look better than the stock 215/55, and i would bet that they are better looking than the 225/50 (even smaller).

i looked at the charts that the tire manufacturer posted (i think pirelli and dunlop) on the web. if you take the stock tire size as the baseline, the 225/50 is about 1/2" smaller in diameter, and the 225/55 is about 1/2 " larger in diameter. now consider that the tire tread is 1/4" on each side, giving you 1/2" to wear out. so if you wear out your stock tire, you will end up with the size of a new 225/50 tire. if you take a 225/55 tire and wear it out, it will be the size of a new stock tire. wearing out a 225/50 tire would make it even smaller.

personally, i think 225/55 is the right size, 225/60 will be too big and even more error.


dfwmax

 

I've had them on the car since I got it about a year ago and they've been fine. Though you do get more sidewall flex. So the car doesn't corner quite as well. I'll atach some pics so you can see what they look like. Let me know if you need anything else.

 

By the way, i'm probably going to be going with 235/55/16s or 235/50/16s because the 225/60/16s have too much sidewall flex. Hope this helps.

 

keep in mind if the tire is too wide for the rim, the contact patch will actually be smaller as the the rim will pull in the edge of the tire and round it out a bit...

also, the tire itself can make a big difference in terms of sidewall stiffness. you can have a tire that's 215/60r16 with a stiffer (say a bfg gforce kd) sidewall than a tire that's 225/50r16 (say a dunlop d60a2)

-V

 

i believe this is the correct link for him. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

Dont even think about 225/60-16. It looks really ugly.