Hey what’s up guys. One of my rims cracked and unfortunately 5Zigen doesn’t manufacture the original version of my rim anymore. I currently have 5Zigen Inperio M05s with 205/40/17. Now I’m looking into purchasing another set of rims. I have narrowed down my choices to the following
Another pair of 17s @ 215/45/17
or
Go to 18s @ 225/40/18
My car is a daily driver with approximately a 1.5" drop in the front and 1.75" in the rear. As far as comfort, wheel rubs, and clearance goes. Which would be a better bet. Also please note I live in New York City.
I think the bigger the wheel, and the smaller the aspect ratio of the tire, the more vibration that travels upward to the cabin. So if you’re not comfortable with what you have now, plus sizing once more isn’t going to make it better.
Theoretically, the 215/45/17 should have a slightly taller sidewall (but not by much since it’s a 215vs225) than the 225/40/18, so it’s probably a safer bet if you’re on crappy roads, plus since it’s a 17, it’s also probably going to be safer as far as clearance goes as well. But you also have to remember not all tires are exactly the same as far as sizes go, there will be some size variance between manufacturers, so you may have to actually measure some tires to see which ones have taller sidewalls or widths that will clear.
Thanks Neil and Spikius. Needed that info. Well I haven’t had a problem with my 205/40/17 when I made my decision to purchase those initially, I knew there would be tradeoffs as far as comfort and performance goes so I can’t really complain. I also did some comparisons using a Tire Calculator that I found on the web and the difference in tirewall size is only about .6 so that shouldn’t cause the fitment to look funny at all, another concern o mine. With the 215/45/17s, my speedometer reading will be off by about 5% it says. So when it reads 60mph i’m actually going 63mph. So I think I may move forward with that choice. Thanks for all the help.
If you insist on using a 45 series 17" tire, I would suggest 205/45/17 over 215/45/17. Mount each one on a rim and you’ll see why. A 215’s sidewall will bulge out beyond the rim, reducing clearance and killing that badass look you’ve got going (by the way, nice car). 10 mm makes a lot of difference. I got 215/45s when I had my 92 Lude, it looked HIDEOUS! It looked so bad I got 205/45s the next week, and they still looked goofy- just not as bad.
205/40s are the optimum 17" tire for our cars, but you already know that. Not to mention they look good. But if the roads you drive on punish your car, 45s may be more practical. BTW, the best looking 205/45/17 is the Parada. Hope the info was useful.
Originally posted by 707IntegraGS
205/40s are the optimum 17" tire for our cars, but you already know that. Not to mention they look good.
After some more careful consideration and a little bit more research, I too came to this same conclusion. Thanks for solidifying that decision. So by this time next week, my baby will be rolling on these:
