ive bought a set of 17 x 7.5 in rims and was running kumho ecsta asx 235/47-17. the rears are good but the front ones rub a little when i turn completly to the left or right. should i go down to 225/45-17.

 

Hey, man...welcome to the .org. Make sure you check all of the sections here before posting..some people will be quick to flam for questions like this. In order to get the bets answer, you'd be better off posting this in the tires/wheel forum.

 

Just stick w/ the tires you have.

 

Can I put 235's on the standard 17's? Or are they too large for the rims?

 

what do you mean by standard 17? Not entirely sure but i think the smallest recommended rims with for a 235 is 8".

 

Not recommended but bunch of people have done it

 

Tire choices can be very hard to make if you want best tire for money. Tire Rack, and both the calulators shown on this site, list min. size rim for 235/45/17 as 7.5" in width. I've had almost every tire shop I've been to in Dallas recommend using this size on my stock 17" x 7 Max SE 02 rims. A guy today at NTB even showed me his thick fitment guide book that the tire industry makes for the tire stores. It did indeed show that this above size is a plus size 0 for this rim and will fit fine. I told him that Tire Rack didn't agree, and he called them on speaker phone, saying even they (NTB) order from Tire Rack. Both guys on the ph. knew each other by name, but Tire Rack didn't agree on this fitment. NTB guy told him it was shown in his book as fitting this rim, and Tire Rack guy said he guessed it would be ok but they couldn't recommend it. Now I understand why everyone gets confusing answers on this fitment of tires on our rims. It doesn't help matters that the 225/50/17 OEM size is a rare size with not a lot of choices. I'm also finding that not many tire people are truely knowledgeable about the tires. I wish I had a dollar for every guy that has told me that all their tires (brands and styles from A-Z) were "All Season Tires", vs. the rating style that Tire Rack uses. They want to make a sale so bad a lot of them will tell you anything. Knowing what's up first is highly recommended.

 

I had a local place say it was okay to put the 235/45/17's on the stock 17x7.5 rims. Is there any chance of bubbling in the sidewalls if I do this?

 

Or are the rims 17x7 on the 2003 SE?
....

 

Yes........

 

do you think there will be issues with a 235 on a 7 inch rim?

 

it's not recommended by many tire manufacturers but people in the Org have done it w/out any problems.

 

Alrighty. There wont be any issues with sidewall stiffness at all? Will the handling be reduced?

 

little wider so will give you that much more traction.