i just got the 02 se with the 225/50/17 what tires work best an what size i was told the 235/ 45/17 help before i buy the wrong tires stock wheels

 

I have 235/45/17's at the moment (Falken 512's), but truthfully, I prefer the 225/50/17's that I previously had on (same tire, Falken 512's)....the 225's have better handling if you're using the 17 x 7" rims....

 

I have 235/45/17 Toyo Proxes. After puting 45,000 miles on the potenzas, anything feels better than that. I love these toyos though, they have given me so much more confidence in the max.

I think the difference between a 235/45 or a 225 45 or 50 you probably won't notice a HUGE difference. The difference is in the tires period. I had falkens on my last max and I was not a huge fan so I didnt get them this time, I tried something new (toyo) we will see how much I like than after a full year. So far in dry and wet they feel great. Either way, just get rid of the potenzas that are on that car.

Irish - That hard corner on Burke Rd by your house (high water point) is what I use as my test between the two tires. In the rain on the potenzas it was just scary even at 5 mph. With the toyos last night and today I was actually trying to break them free and I couldnt. We both know I could if I wanted to, but that corner doesnt have a lot of room to play on.

 

yeah that's a great corner, especially now that those new houses are there are the turn-in lane lets you hit the corner hard and swing wide fastest I've taken that corner was 40mph solid, not braking, not accellerating, swinging all the way over

 

HA HA. That is pretty fast for that corner. There is no room for error, although the outside lane does have that swing out like you said. The inside is just treacherous.

 

yeah I always get worried when I'm going around the outside and some idiot is going too fast around the inside...I've had some close calls with a GTI that lives near me and likes to squeal the rubber around there......idiots...

 

I second the toyos proxies 4. WOW i have driven in torential downpours and it held well. The tires have only been out for about a year so they are fairly new tires.

 

so the 235/45/ 17 should work with the stock wheels that 225 is so hard to fine thereare lots of 235 tire rack said i could use a 225/45/17 any body tried that

 

go with either 235/45 or 225/50. 225/45 will put you out of spec....not to mention ride quality will suffer due to less sidewall.......

 

yes, 235/45 is good to go. Here is how it will look:



If you are looking for Toyo Proxes then you should go to www.edgeracing.com

If you are looking for something else, then tirerack usually beats the prices (but there are some brands they dont carry)

 

I just order some 225/50/17 Falkens. I was debating between these and the Toyo Proxes 4 @ 235/45/17, but since I am still stock height, I was afraid of even the approx 1/2 inch difference in diameter would just make the existing gap look that much more noticable. I went with the OEM size for now, while I decide if I want to jump on one of those Illumina GD's and get some springs and lower it.

 

the diff between a 45 and a 50 series is so little, I don't think it is even something to worry about. I am still stock height and it looks the same, truckster style.

 

damn that's anice looking tread....we're gonna have to compare notes on snow performance.....interested in how the Toyos are....this winter though, going with dedicated snows i think....save the falkens for the rest of the year...

 

I have dedicated Snows for the wife's GTI. Her Pilot Sport High Performance tires did real good the first year

You can swing by and look at the snows sometime. I have the blizaks and the Dunlop LMs. They are real nice. As for me, I am going with 19s in the spring so these will be my "winters". I am originally from the Oregon mountains, so snow is nothing new to me, if I can drudge the snow with the potenzas, these will do great.

 

Yeah I was fine with the falkens last winter, but with the mild drop and my lower tie bar killing ground clearance I'm gonna need maximum traction this year. My weekend job's at a ski shop, and I do alot of driving into the W.Va. mountains to ski whenever a big snowstorm is passing through....and the wife's Mazda 3 will not be of use in these occasions with it's Eagle GS-A's....

I bent one of my factory rims last winter so I'm thinking of just getting some cheap 17's and putting snows on them (unfortunately, have to get 17's to clear the brake kit...)

can't justify nice 18's to my wife (or to my house, which needs all my $$ it can get ) so gotta keep the OEM's for the non-winter seasons....

 

ok i think i want to stay 225/50/17 what is the best tire for your money any one use the falken or the kumo or nitto help

 

I say go Falken 512 in 225/50/17. But I haven't used kumho's or nitto's...I'm on my second set of falkens...good bang for the buck.

 

I went 225/55/17 (Pilot A/S) to replace my GLE's 215/55/17s...didn't go for the standard SE size of 225/50/17 since I wanted more tire. Supposedly only 0.98 mph difference in rotation and speedometer difference, and .7" increase in overhall height, so I figured I was safe. Plus the height of the new tread, as compared to my worn Turanzas.

But boy, do they look big. The wheels wells have filled out and the front/back sides of the tire look very, very close to the plastic mud flaps (that part is OK). But now I wonder if lowering is still an option for me, need to take a closer look and see if I can safely drop an inch without rubbing the tops of the tires against the fender lip when I bottom out.

 

i had the same toyo proxies but on 16" rims... but for some reason i used to hydro at 35 mph on the freeway... wierd.

 

a narrower tire is better in rain and snow!

 

hell yeah they are thats why i got them! i am looking forward to the snow as well, the dry and wet handling have already impressed me.

 

I just ordered my second set of Michelline Pilot Sport A/S's. The first set lasted about 50k (I killed my stock Bridgestones at 40k, so they go a little longer). I could probably get another 10k out of them, but with winter coming here and since I have a little extra green in my pocket, I shelled out the grand for the new Mich's. I kept mine the stock size. When I first bought my max, a snowstorm hit. I was stuck in a parking lot for three days before I could move. I now take my car out snowboarding it handles so well. Believe me, get something that'll stick. If you want to check out mine, send me an e-mail. I live in Germantown. Besides, I'm looking for someone to run against mine. I want to see if my new InJen intake really added anything or if it's just in my head! According to the website, it should've added about 20 hp.