yeah tires sizes double in availability if you go down to 15. the thing is a hate wheel gap, and to run 15’s i may need to be lower which isn’t very predictable when driving in south Florida lol. My ideal setup in a perfect world would be a 16x8 wheel with a 25-30 offset on a 205-45-16. in a perfect world that is cause daily driving with 16’s would allow me to not have to be super low. even now im afraid to go lower and crack a pan or something else.
Going to 15’s doesn’t necessarily mean more wheel gap. If you went to a 205/55/15 it should be close to the same O/D as a 205/45/16. Now if you were looking to get the rim close to the fender that’s a very different story.
- Theoretically a 205-45-16 only gives you 2.5mm of extra ground clearance and reduced wheel gap compared to a 205-50-15 which is basically negligible.
- Why do you want an 8" wheel for a daily driver? Seems like overkill to me and forces you into some less than ideal tire size options.
- 205 on an 8" wheel is a little narrow, arguably ideal for a track car, but IMO not ideal for a daily driver. Personally for a daily I always want some extra protection for my wheels from curbs. I’d want 195+ for a 7" and 215+ for an 8". If you’re not trying to maximize performance then I’d always go slightly wide to protect your wheels.
- If your main concern is wheel gap and ground clearance I’d look at 195-55-15. I ran this tire size for a while a long time ago instead of a 205-50-15 for the same reason you’re wanting a slightly taller tire. I really liked this setup but have since compromised on ground clearance in favor of the grippiest tire compound I could find.
[QUOTE=Colin;2328963]1) Theoretically a 205-45-16 only gives you 2.5mm of extra ground clearance and reduced wheel gap compared to a 205-50-15 which is basically negligible.
2) Why do you want an 8" wheel for a daily driver? Seems like overkill to me and forces you into some less than ideal tire size options.
3) 205 on an 8" wheel is a little narrow, arguably ideal for a track car, but IMO not ideal for a daily driver. Personally for a daily I always want some extra protection for my wheels from curbs. I’d want 195+ for a 7" and 215+ for an 8". If you’re not trying to maximize performance then I’d always go slightly wide to protect your wheels.
4) If your main concern is wheel gap and ground clearance I’d look at 195-55-15. I ran this tire size for a while a long time ago instead of a 205-50-15 for the same reason you’re wanting a slightly taller tire. I really liked this setup but have since compromised on ground clearance in favor of the grippiest tire compound I could find.[/QUOTE]
i just love the look of a wider wheel on a meaty tire, i know tires and my options may be limited and tire wear may be comprised in the long run. Just want to try something a bit different as most run 15’s. however if i did chose to stick with 15’s i would get the kosei’s and match them with a 205-50-15 and call it a day. i guess i just need to see more DA’s on different setups before i hop on something. i know for sure i want a wider tire than the stock 195’s i have now to get some extra grip.
You don’t have to go wider than 195’s for extra grip - a compound change can do that for you. I run 195/55/15 as my street & wet setup. It closes the fender gap a bit more than my 205/50/15 dry setup and raises my ride height a bit.
Yup, compound is more important than width. And I wouldn’t say a 205 is “meaty” on an 8" wheel. (A 205 is actually narrower than the 8" wheel width)
I had the 215/45 kumho XS on my 16x7 and for street driving it was nice and meaty but on the track the tire was too wide for the rim. This year I went with the Hankook RS3 in 205/45 and it’s amazing how much more steering response and grip I have on the track now. As for street driving you don’t really notice much difference with little changes like that. Like Colin mentioned though the sizes available for 16’s is pretty bad.
[QUOTE=redtegra;2328993]I had the 215/45 kumho XS on my 16x7 and for street driving it was nice and meaty but on the track the tire was too wide for the rim. This year I went with the Hankook RS3 in 205/45 and it’s amazing how much more steering response and grip I have on the track now. As for street driving you don’t really notice much difference with little changes like that. Like Colin mentioned though the sizes available for 16’s is pretty bad.
[/QUOTE]
yeah I’ve heard the choices in a sense of tire is terrible lol but man that looks dope. did it take a lot to fit them? such as rolling fenders etc?
No a 7" wide wheel is very popular and will fit without any mods. I had 15’s with 205/50 before I got my wilwood brakes and 205/45/16 has the best response and stability in my opinion. Next wheels will be 16x8 with a 225 wide tire.
My Hardrace RTA’s are getting put in today, my Fortune Auto 500’s w/ Swift Springs should be here in two weeks, and my 17x9 CCW’s are getting 225/45/17 Azenis on them as well.
Once everything is on, I’ll try and snap pictures. It will be meaty.
lol 215 /40 / 16 on a 8.25" wide wheel
How’d you manage to fit that and how low are you man? It looks pretty agressive!
Lots of fender rolling, it’s a zero offset wheel. Pretty low. About a finger gap, maybe less in rear. Fronts didn’t Ned much to fit. No rubbing, even at the track which is pretty much all this car sees.
I’m running 205/50 on 15x8 RPF1’s. Thinking of going up to a 16, or maybe stay 15 but go to a 225, or just a better 205 than the rt615k’s I used this season.
[QUOTE=ol Dusty;2330524]I’m running 205/50 on 15x8 RPF1’s. Thinking of going up to a 16, or maybe stay 15 but go to a 225, or just a better 205 than the rt615k’s I used this season.
[/QUOTE]
If you want more traction, i’d recommend the Kumho V720 or BFG Rival S or Bridgestone RE-71R in 205/50/15. It will be the cheapest and lightest and probably the fastest setup. You could try 225’s, but I like the feel and performance of a 205 on an 8" wheel. For autocross, the 225’s would probably be worth it. The 205’s will be lighter than the 225’s and would feel sharp on a road course.
PS- if you have raised your hood in back for reasons other than clearing a tall engine, you probably want to go back to stock. Raising the hood in the rear will reduce cooling by causing stagnated air flow in the engine compartment. The base of the windshield is high pressure, so you are effectively pushing air into the engine bay rather than trying to let air out. I installed flying Miata hood vents on my car about a foot back from the front bumper because that region is lower pressure and aids in evacuating hot air from the engine compartment.
yeah I’m still on the fence about the tire size. was planing on the re-71’s last year but needed tires before those would have been available in Canada.
as for the hood it was for clearance both for the engine and my strut bar that’s not meant for a DA. I just switched to this CF hood, which looks more poped than the stock one because the hood is thinner ribbed. I didn’t have shorter bolts on hand when I first installed the hood, then took this pic. I’ve since gone shorter to close the gap as much as possible but still need a little clearance. Now it’s less than 1/4"
Volk te37sl +25 with 225 45 15
^^ damn nice looking car man!
Let me see if I can pull old crusty out of the garage. Wheels and tires are on the car with new setup. 225/45/17 Falken Azenis on a 17x9 +43 CCW Classic Race (5mm spacer in front).
From a visual viewpoint it looks too low of a balanced out for me. I experienced that way about my car too but I’m gradually heating up to the look
baltimore car service | baltimore limo | baltimore limousines
For any assistance please call (443) 636 – 7437 Email at bmorelimo@gmail.com