petemo95se

iTrader: (1)

Let me know if you have any ill-effects from going "up" in
size. I realize that this is a larger/taller tire than the
215/55/16. I am ordering the 225/55 series and am looking
for feedback/concerns.

party_boy

the width is slightly wider. No detrimetal effects. I just heard a little more ground noise.

i hope this helps
PB

DFWmax

i put on some dunlop sp sport 8000 225/55/16 on the back two tires; they look good. i think the size increase is 1/2", so by the time that you wear off the tread, the tire will be the size of a new 215/55/16 tire. and it gives a nice, wider look...

actually i noticed a DECREASE in the tire noise; not sure whether it is because there is more tread to absorb the noise, or whether it is because of the tire (tread, construction, etc.).

justmax

The height WILL be different. the "55" in the equation means the sidewall is 55% of the width of the tire. Obviously 55% of 225mm is more than 55% of 215mm.

Check this out if you don't beleive me:

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

Petemo, I got 225/50/16's on my stock 6.5" wide rims. They stick out slightly, but they handle MUCH better than the stock width, and the "50" height almost matches the stock 215/55 height.
As for detrimental effects, the only difference you'll have is a taller ride (bad), more sidewall flex in corners (bad), and a speedometer that's ~2% too slow (so what?). With 225/50's you'll have a lower profile (good), less sidewall flex (good), and a speedometer that's ~2% too fast (so what?). Going with 225's really is a good decision though, it just comes down to personal taste whether you want taller or shorter sidewalls.

How ya like 'dem apples?

justin

DFWmax

justmax is right, the difference is 1/2" bigger or 1/2" smaller, depending on which you you choose.

i ended up with the 225/55 instead of the 225/50 -- purely because the 225/55 would "fill in" the ugly gap of the wheelwell. (i dont have any suspension mods -- no lowering, etc.)

as for the higher sidewall, that is true, but if you pump up the tire to 37-38psi cold, the tire is pretty hard and wont flex too much.

not to say one side is better than the other -- probably with the 225/50, there is "less" tire, and hence less inertia to deal with -- so there might be a "power gain" in going with the smaller size.... but with the bigger size, the tire has to spin less (maybe it means less wear on the drivetrain, and more comfortable on the road).....

xraydoc99

I put Brigestone Potenza RE-730's on my 99 SE-L stock 16 inch wheels. I went with the 225\55\16 versus the 225\50 because the spedometer error is less (it ends up reading 1.7% too slow - at 60 mph it would read 59 - not a big deal of you ask me) Also I thought it filled out the wheel wells much nicer than the 50 series and offers a little more comfortable ride without sacrificing much performance if any. I love my RE-730's (about $430 from tirerack.com) so if you haven't bought yet I would take a look at them.

97max5spd

I have 225/50 Dunlop SP Sport 8000 on my stock rims. Side by side, the 215/55 and 225/50 sidewalls LOOK the same in height, the 225 just bulge out a LITTLE. It looks good though. Once you pick a brand, just get the cheaper tire. As for the Dunlop Sport 8K's, this is one hell of a tire for the price. 200 tread wear rating is not great, but not too bad for a performance tire. These tires can be pushed hard before they start to cry. Michelin MXX3 is probably the ultimate performance tire in my opinion.

BrianV

iTrader: (9)

I got 225/55/16's on my car right now. Here's the reason why.

Because a dope person on the board named Dennis (Maxed-Bandit) got them to race on. Unfortunately, the Pirellis weren't that great on the track. He got them because it was the only tire he could find the day before he went to the track.

Well afterwards (with hardly any tread loss) he just gave them to me on 2001 SE 16" 5 Spokes. I gave him my 97 SE's with bald yoko's. Great guy huh!

Here's the verdict. The Pirelli P6000 is very quiet and much smoother than the yok's (yoks were real loud too).

The tire size looks better. It fills in the fender gap all the way around. I think the tires look more appropriate.

AndyXXL

I run Dunlop SP-5000 all-season 225/55-16 size and have nothing bad to say about them. Almost no road noise, very good traction. They look kinda beefy tho

Chunger

iTrader: (1)

A few last considerations:

Price and Selection... much more choices with the 50 series and usually cheaper too... but I had/have the 225/55VR16 A022A (from a 3000GT)on my stock SE rims ... sticks good but noisy...

mAxPwEr4Us

iTrader: (1)

would 235/55/16 fit stock SE rims?

99Maxima5sp

It probably would fit, but you cornering would seirously be hampered. I noticed when i switched to my 18s that i didnt have a sloppy ride anymore. If i changed lanes really quickly, i dont have the body weight flopping around on my tires causing my car to sway a lil. While 225/55's do fill in the gap, i would just stick with stockers. Dont go smaller (225/50), because not only will you actually be registering more miles on your car, your speedo will be off, and the looks are not worth the smaller tire. I switched from what was on my car when i bought it (205/55-16!!!!!!!, talk about wheel gap) to 225/55-16 and then to 245/40-18.

Heres some pics with 225/55-16






my .02


-eric

99automax

i had BFG gforce tires that were 225/55zr 16 and the center wore faster then the outer parts of the tire i was told that was due to the 225 width but the wear was so unnoticable till the tire was almost gone i now run BFG traction V T/A's who can beat a 60k mile performance tire

ronin22357

iTrader: (14)

i put hankook ventus 225 55 16 on my stock se rims. the ride is great , but the only bad effect i have noticed is going with a bigger tire raised the height of the car slightly and it affevts your gearing . your car wont be the same of the line as it was with the smaller size tire . it is not that big of a change but next set of tires will be 225's but with a smaller sidewall so the overall diameter will match with the stock diameter.

MaxedOutOfCash

ContiExtremeContacts 225/55/16....
i also had 225/50/16 before & also liked them

99Maxima5sp

Exactly what i was running. And i LOVED them. I had Yokohama AVS ES100 in 225/55-16 and i HATED them, worst tire ive ever driven on hands down.



-eric

Brudaddy

iTrader: (2)

215/55-16 is stock for our wheels.
I wanted this specific kind of tire so I had to get a size they carried for the 16". They look kind of small, but they grip like none other. (they are 215/45-16)
Here are a couple of pics to show how just moving that little bit of % down can really affect your look:

VMaximus02

iTrader: (1)

hmmm...I remembered reading some where in this forum that 215 is the maximum tire size for the stock 16". Anything bigger than that can be dangerous at handling limit?