97 se with 16" rims.
I'm stock right now which I think is 215/55.
I'll putting eibach springs to lower 1.5 inches.
I want to put the widest and lowest profile tires on, but
I don't want to much of a gap so it loses the 'lowered' look.
Any suggestions. Not to conserned about speedo issues.
thanks
Greg

 

If you're seriously concerned about performance, and drive 9-10/10ths, 215 is as wide as you should go with the 6.5" rim, for normal spirited driving you can go to a 225. There are many people here who have done so. As far was aspect ratio, if you put anything lower than a 50 series on it the "lowered" look will start to go away, unless you are parked right next to a 4X4 Maxima

 

215 is as wide as you should go with the 6.5" rim, for normal spirited driving you can go to a 225. There are many people here who have done so. As far was aspect ratio, if you put anything lower than a 50 series on it the "lowered" look will start to go away, unless you are parked right next to a 4X4 Maxima [/B


Isnt wider better..? Are you saying the width decreases the vehicles acceleration?, but handling must be better.

 

225/50/16 is wider and lower profile.

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

check that for how much it will effect your speedometer.. It's really not much, but the ride might be a little more stiffer.. but many people used this size and it fits well.

 

In general, wider is better, because you have a larger contact patch. If you go too wide on a rim (and 225 is too wide for 6.5") what happens is the sidewall sticks out too far from the rim, and in really aggressive driving the tire starts to roll over a little, which lifts the inside up some and now you effectively lose your wider contact patch. Most people will never experience the level of driving necessary to do this on the street, so they never notice. I know that a lot of people here have 225's and I'm not saying it's dangerous, it's just not as beneficial as most people think. I'm talking from experience, I had 225/50's on these wheels and thought they were phenomenal on the street, but when I drove on some road courses I noticed the inside edges showed hardly any wear compared to the outside. If the car is properly aligned the wear should be fairly even. I have also talked, as has Vinpux here, with someone you has been racing cars for a very long time and is quite good at it and he mentioned through several different experiments that 225 is too wide with a 6.5" rim. Hopefully this message is a little clearer than my last one.

Also a 50 series tire will affect the speedo less than 2%, so it's not really a factor.

 

I think he believes that the wider tire on that 6.5" rim will have a tendency to "roll over" while cornering - because there is so much sidewall "bulge".

I have the 225s and am happy with the handling -- however, I had the car for two days before I switched from the 215s to the 225s so I can't really speak for the handling with the narrower tires.

 

Beat me to it...

 

In summary, going with 225's will introduce tire roll under aggressive driving, although this might not be seen on the street, it introduces a variable which hinders the vehicle's handling. I haven't experienced tire roll with the 215's, but from what I gather the driver could encounter a dangerous scenario. The secondary benefit though is how the car looks. Wider just looks better.
Final decision. Looks never outweighs safety and performance.
thanks
Greg

 

Don't mean to butt in everyone talking about 16" wheels, but will this also be the case with the wheels I have? I have 17"x7" wheels. Tirerack told me that 235/45 17s (Kumho) would work fine. But when I got the tires shipped, the invoice said they fit 7.5"-9" wheels. I have yet to take my car to a road track so it's been regular driving but will the 235's being as wide as they are, roll over in aggressive cornering too? Or will I be safe? And you're right, wider does look better. Thanks

 

You will get a wider contact patch, NOT a larger contact patch. The total square inches of contact area is a function of the air pressure in the tire and the wight of the car. After all, if you think about it, air pressure is what is keeping the rims off of the ground.

 

Okay, different terminology I guess.