I'm not sure how tire fitment exactly works. I have a 1996 Nissan Maxima with 15" OEM Rims. And was wondering would 225/50/15 tires fit on them? I've read around different websites my stock tire size is 215/60/15. I want a lower profile tire but wider tires. Thanks for any response!

 

Should fit fine, try putting in different size at the rack.

 

here you go. http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

i believe anything over 25.7 inches in diameter might cause you to rub (don't quote me on that).

You can actually calculate it yourself...

225/25.4 (mm per inch) = size in inches....multiply by .5 (from the middle number 50,) = height of sidewall.

Multiply by 2 since you have a side wall on the top and bottom of the rim..and then add the inch of the rim (15) Gives you 23.85 in overall.

235/40/18 gives you this

235/25.4 = 9.251
9.251 x .4 = 3.7
3.7 x 2 = 7.4
7.4 + 18 = 25.4

25.4 (new diameter) /23.85 (original diameter) = 1.0649 = 6.5% difference

Pretty simple math but it makes you look like your a car guru..LOL...

 

Sooo thats a no lol. I'll stick with the 215/50/15's then =)

 

I've run 225/50-15 with no issues, FWIW. Along with a dozen other different tire sizes, heh.

 

I hope you meant 215/60/15

You can do 225/55/15, that will fit better. But 225/50/15 is a little small and mess with your speedo and mpg and such... Or you can upgrade to a set of 17's and run 234/45/17.

Just make sure that the rim is 17x7.5 and not 17x7

 

sorry to thread jack..but right now i have 4 different tires and one is different size (i'm broke...shhh!!!!!) 3 are 235/40/18 and one is 225/40/18. The 225/40/18 is in the front. Do i have to switch it to the back so it doesn't mess up the differentials on the tranny??? My brother is saying that it can potentially ruin the tranny and i'm just wondering if that is true or not. I'll switch one of the backs to the front....but i get lazy

 

Yes, swap it out to the rear. Ideally you never want two different sizes on the same axle, but especially not as driving wheels.

The size difference isn't so massive that it'll kill the trans instantly (obviously), but I wouldn't drive around like that, personally.

I once saw an AWD car come in with a (not vastly, but pretty) different size tire on each wheel...his complaint was 'it doesn't feel right when driving'. Yea, I wonder why.

 

yea you want to run the same size tires on one axel. Different hights will cause the car to dogtail and ware to one side. Different widths will cause more traction to catch on one side than the other which will eventually cause issues.. not today one but months/years down the road it will likely cost a lot.

 

lol doesnt feel right drivin

 

Just placed my order for the Falken Ziex ZE-512 tires. Got them for $256.00 shipped. Can't wait to get them on. I had the Falken Ziex ZE-912's before on my Accord. So they should be similar.

 

I'm surprised someone didn't explain this better already. The numbers designate width, aspect ratio, and rim size. If you have 215/60/15, then that is 215mm sidewall to sidewall, 60% of the tires width (in this case it would be 215 x .6 = 129mm), and 15 inch rim diameter. Check out http://auto.howstuffworks.com/tire2.htm for a better explanation.

So to answer your question: Will 225/50/15 fit on 215/60/15 rims, then the answer is yes probably, but you may have problems as mentioned before. The lower aspect ratio (profile of the tire) could mess with your speedometer and the extra width could potentially give you trouble on the rim. The difference is probably not enough to cause problems. I have 225/55/16 tires and they don't rub on the sidewalls, so you don't have to worry about that.

 

Probably because it's common knowledge, or that the OP didn't ask for a definition on P-metric tire designations?

It's all covered quite thoroughly in the appropriate tire/wheel subforum.

 

Well I agree. I'm not trying to appear intelligent, simply wondering why others didn't seem to apply the "common knowledge."

As far as having the two different sizes on the front axle...the overall diameter of the tires will be 225 x .4 = 90mm and 235 x .4 = 94mm. When 4 millimeters difference in diameter causes problems, let me know. If anything the problem would be one tire breaking loose before the other due to differing widths, but then again basic physics dictates that it is the weight on the tire, not the surface area contact, that determines friction.

 

Not sure why you're bringing up basic physics, the question did not concern traction problems.

A 1 inch smaller circumference can very well cause issues.

If you don't mind driving around with different tire sizes for the drive wheels, good for you. It doesn't mean it's something you should do.