I just read through a thread "F/s Check It & Keep Your Mouth Connected" where the guys are saying that a 235 is too wide for a 7" rim. I have read info from several sites including TireRack that the recommended size tire for a 7" wheel is 234/45, 235/45 or 225/50. I'm ready to get a wheel upgrade on the Max and could use a little clarity. I'm definitely looking for a 235/45 tire.

 

My Summitomo 235's suggested width is 8"-9.5". My section width would be 9" when mounted on a 7" rim. 77% ratio would be sluggish for turning and might be close to the rollover point on a hard turn.

That seller doesn't say what brand tire it is so we can't reference the actual suggested rim-widths at all. Suggest you avoid for now unless facts show different.

 

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

 

Are you talking about 17s or 18s?

 

Forget what all sites say about a 235/45 width wheel. This is the bottom line, if you get a 235/45 17 inch tire it will seat very nice and neat in a 17x8 wheel and handling will be a bit better, a 7.5 wheel width will somewhat bulge the sidewall a bit. I hope you understand that.

 

The guys are right. The minimum acceptable rim width for a 235/45R17 tire is 7.5". If you don't believe me, contact the MANUFACTURER of the 235/45R17 tire you wish to purchase and ask them if it's OK to mount their 235/45R17 tire on a 7.0"-wide rim.

Then, just for laughs and giggles, go onto the Tirerack.com site and look at the specs for every 235/45R17 tire they sell. See if you can find just one tire of that size that's spec'd for a 7.0"-wide rim. Or take my word for it and don't bother. You won't find a single one.

I agree with the consensus opinion that you should purchase 8.0"-wide rims.

 

Sorry I left the size out. I'm talking about 17s.

Seem that the ideal size is a 17x8 and just okay with 17x7.5. That is what the poll indicates also. So, I'll trash the idea of 17x7's. I assume that there is not a clearence problems going 235/45/17 with a 8" rim?

 

Bravo, Brockster! My hat's off to you for having the guts to ask the right questions BEFORE you made a bad decision. A number of people in this forum would do well to follow your example.

PS: Can you imagine? I even know of one person who decided to mount 235/40R17 tires on 17X7 rims. I won't bother to discuss the fact that the load rating for those tires is too low for his vehicle. The mere fact that a 235/40R17 tire requires a minimum of an 8.0"-wide rim makes his decision suicidal. It isn't a question of whether those tires will fail. It's a question of when.

 

I have 235/45ZR17 Kuhmos on my 17x7" Konig Verdicts and every site I look on say this is the "perfect" size for the Maxima

my tire is even w/the rim all the way around and they look good....

 

Check it out, metallic97gxe:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=107909

The minimum acceptable rim width for 235/45R17 tires from EVERY MANUFACTURER is 7.5". There are no exceptions. Why, you ask? Because manufacturers don't establish minimum rim widths in this country . . . the Tire and Rim Association of America does.

There's only one site I'm interested in looking at when it comes to tire specs, and that's the manufacturer's site. If you want to see what Kumho says is the minimum rim width for their 235/45R17 ECSTA 712 tires, take a look here:

http://www.kumhotireusa.com/pages/pcr/712specs.htm

So what's the big deal about a half inch in rim width, you ask? Allow me to explain it to you this way:

http://www.dunloptire.com/tiretech/?...tire_width.txt

Check out the section under RIM WIDTH, and pay very close attention to the words, "could result in failure."

Now I don't know about you, metallic97gxe, but pushing tires beyond their design limits just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

So the next time somebody tries to convince you that it's all right to run 235/45R17 tires on 7"-wide rims, remember this:

Never underestimate the power of denial!

 

Man, I like a good tire thread, but I am getting tired of the number of times it has to be said that 235 will not go on a 7" rim.

It's really a pretty simple issue:
235/xx tires are not approved by anyone for a 7" rim
235/xx tires will physically mount on a 7" rim
You can run 235 on 7" rim just like how you can drive down the wrong side of the street.

The most irritating part is that this isn't all that hard to figure out.

 

i have 235.45 on my 17x8 rims

 

Me too, Bman. Me too.

 

From a performance aspect, it is always best to have the widest possible rim width for a given tire size. On a 7" rim I wouldn't go past 215. For an 8" 235 is pushing it and I would stick with 225. I am picking up my wheels & tires today and they are 245/40 on a 8.5" wide rim.