The stock tire size is 195/60-14. The tire diameter is 23.3" and tire sites recommend that you do not go beyond a 3% tire diameter difference. So that leaves me with a maximum play to 23.99" if I want to upsize to 16" rims.
I intend to fit lightweight 16x8 wheels but the issue is that I want to get the most amount of grip possible. Right now, it seems that the best options from tirerack.com is the Kumho Ecsta XS (Extreme Summer tire) at 215/45-16 with a 23.6" tire diameter, which is only a 1% diameter difference, or the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW 2 (Ultra High Perf. tire) at 225/45-16 with a 23.7" diameter.
The Kumho’s are 2 performance categories above the BFGoodrich’s, but can it overcome the 10mm difference?
Another question is what if I just go purely by tire choice and put correct tire sizing as a secondary priority, how much of a problem can I expect?
Going with 225/50-16, the options of having the famed Bridgestone RE-11, Dunlop Star Spec, Hankook R-S3, and Yokohama AD08 are now available but at a tire diameter of 24.9", which is a 6.4% difference. At this point, while I’ll be going 64mph when my speedometer is reading 60mph and it only gets worse as speed increases. I also imagine that the handling/feedback would take a hit with a higher profile tire, regardless of how hard the tire’s advertised sidewall is.
I have a 370z running with Bridgestone RE050A 245/40-19 in the front and 275/35-19 in the back. Since having this car, I’ve learned a lot about how tires aren’t just tires and that there are many influential factors in how the car handles. When I put on the winter Blizzaks, or now running cheapo Hankook V12’s in the rear, I can really feel the difference in grip/handling/feedback compared to the hard Bridgestone’s.
I just want to bring the Integra’s more up on par with the Z. Thank you, and sorry for the long post.