Going from 205/55/16 --> 215/50/16 -- will ride quality be affected?

[91Bomb]

For my 1g FWD -- I guess what I need to know is whether the added width of the 215/50/16 over the 205/50/16 is going to offset the lower profile and keep the ride qulity/compliancy the same -OR- is that lower profile going to give a harsher ride irregardless of the increase in width? (using the stock 1g FWD rims)

-AND- if ride quality remains about the same is there anything worth noting about going slightly lower and wider than the stock tire? Is it a complete 'win only' situation with that extra rubber on the road while retaining the stock suspension?

What about 215/50/16 vs 215/55/16? Is there even a debate here worth considering?

 

[DSMSpyder99]

the sidewall is only .2" smaller than the 205. The ride quality isnt ONLY from the sidewall thickness, it has ALOT to do with the actual tire. I went from a 205/55/16 Yoko AVS ES100 and to my 225/45/17 Kumho SPT and they SPT ride smoother because the sidewall is softer. If you going from a crappy all season tire like a Cooper Lifeliner to a Kumho MX's expect ride quality to go down but handling and traction go up

 

[91Bomb]

the sidewall is only .2" smaller than the 205. The ride quality isnt ONLY from the sidewall thickness, it has ALOT to do with the actual tire. I went from a 205/55/16 Yoko AVS ES100 and to my 225/45/17 Kumho SPT and they SPT ride smoother because the sidewall is softer. If you going from a crappy all season tire like a Cooper Lifeliner to a Kumho MX's expect ride quality to go down but handling and traction go up

Assuming both tires were identical then what would you say?

 

[DSMSpyder99]

honestly stock rims (besides 2gb AWD) are 16x6 and 205/55 already bulge out i say stick with the 205/55.

 

[91Bomb]

honestly stock rims (besides 2gb AWD) are 16x6 and 205/55 already bulge out i say stick with the 205/55.

215's are well within spec for fitting the 1g FWD rims. 1 size wider will provide a noticeble improvement in handling too.

So back to my original question -- I really need to know about the ride compliancy factor because I'm going to be getting 215/50/16's or 215/55/16's. Like I mentioned I'd rather go for the 215/50's if I was certain they wouln't be any harsher (as compared to 205/55/16's) because of the lower sidewall profile -- of course they are wider so I'm thinking the extra width MAY offset the drop in profile and provide for a very similer ride ( as 205/55's) as far as compliancy is concerned but I really don't want to find out the hard way.

 

[Slow99x]

Did you even try the formula that I had posted? If you had you would notice that the 215/50R16 tires are almost a half inch shorter in diameter than the stock ones. Not only are you going to have a harsher ride but your speedometer will be off by about 3mph (faster than you are actualy going) and you will be adding more miles than you actualy have.

 

[91Bomb]

Did you even try the formula that I had posted? If you had you would notice that the 215/50R16 tires are almost a half inch shorter in diameter than the stock ones. Not only are you going to have a harsher ride but your speedometer will be off by about 3mph (faster than you are actualy going) and you will be adding more miles than you actualy have.

What formula Where do you get a 3 mph difference -- in what gear and at what rpms? The only concern I had is that at highway speeds in top gear at say 60 mph instead of turning 2700 rpms with stock tires the engine speed might need to be increased to about 2750 rpm to run at 60 mph and this wouldn't concern me too much. It's not that much of a change. The profile of the 215/50 will be 5.25 mm less than the 205/55's.
Conversely, if I go to 215/55's the profile will increase by 5.5 mm over stock tires and there will be a change in the speedo in the other direction. I could care less whether the speedo is off 1 way or another by a small amount as I drive by engine speed more than anything :

Note: I'm talking about a 1g FWD turbo A/T for anyone that's thrown off by the 2700 rpm @ 60 mph in top gear figure. Didn't the 1g AWD A/T's come with 215/55/16's? I'm not sure if the gearing and final drive on the AWD A/T is the same as a FWD turbo A/T though. Either way I don't see much cause for concern by increasing or deacreasing the diameter of the tire by a relatively small amount. It's a trade off I definately will take in order to go 1 size wider. So, what I really need to know is what I originally posted about ride quality/compliance possibly deviating from stock 205's by going to 215/50's -- will the ride be more harsh or relatively the same?

 

[speedy13]

I'm going with 225-50-16's for winter.going back to the stock turbine style rims.I had this size on my 2g on stock rims and i loved them.they did bulge out a little bit,but it was worth it for the added performance.205's are sorry!!at least get the 215's!

 

[boostin94]

Did you even try the formula that I had posted? If you had you would notice that the 215/50R16 tires are almost a half inch shorter in diameter than the stock ones. Not only are you going to have a harsher ride but your speedometer will be off by about 3mph (faster than you are actualy going) and you will be adding more miles than you actualy have.

I thought when I read this that it sounded wrong. Going from a 205/55/16 to a 225/50/16 (as I run on my car) only changes your speed by .05 mph. Here's the site that I found with a simple google search: http://www.net-comber.com/tirecalc.html

Also, if that was you that posted about the tires being .2 shorter, that is less than a quarter of an inch, not a half inch.

For my 1g FWD -- I guess what I need to know is whether the added width of the 215/50/16 over the 205/50/16 is going to offset the lower profile and keep the ride qulity/compliancy the same -OR- is that lower profile going to give a harsher ride irregardless of the increase in width? (using the stock 1g FWD rims)

-AND- if ride quality remains about the same is there anything worth noting about going slightly lower and wider than the stock tire? Is it a complete 'win only' situation with that extra rubber on the road while retaining the stock suspension?

What about 215/50/16 vs 215/55/16? Is there even a debate here worth considering?

Like I said before, I run a 225/50/16 on my 2g 5 spoke wheels, and I have a 1g FWD. I noticed no harshness in the ride with my old Toyos or my new Federals. In fact, I've noticed an improvement by switching to the Federals (535 Super Steels - >$90 ea.). You're not talking about that much difference in height, and with the FWD, you'll need all the traction you can get.

 

[91Bomb]

I thought when I read this that it sounded wrong. Going from a 205/55/16 to a 225/50/16 (as I run on my car) only changes your speed by .05 mph.

It's only changed your speedo by .05 mph because the profile only changes by .25 mm when going from 205/55/16 to 225/50/16 -- extremely small change.

But the question I have has to do with going from 205/55/16 to 215/50/16 -- a profile drop of 5.25 mm. I can deal with the ride quality of stock 205/55/16 but I really wouldn't want to change and wind up with a harsher ride. I am thinking, however, that the added width MIGHT BE enough to offset the drop in profile. (225's don't fit on stock 1g fwd turbo rims)

A shorter or taller tire definately affects the speedometer but it doesn't mess with the accuracy of the tach, does it?

Like I said before, I run a 225/50/16 on my 2g 5 spoke wheels, and I have a 1g FWD. I noticed no harshness in the ride with my old Toyos or my new Federals. In fact, I've noticed an improvement by switching to the Federals (535 Super Steels - >$90 ea.). You're not talking about that much difference in height, and with the FWD, you'll need all the traction you can get.

You definately should notice an improved ride quality when going 2 sizes wider while maintaining the same side profile because there's more tire spread out over the road. (somebody please help explain the ?air pressure/psi/tire width? relatioship that is in effect here -- I know what I'm talking about but can't explain it precise terms at the moment)

 

[boostin94]

(225's don't fit on stock 1g fwd turbo rims)

Yes they will. I ran 225s on my stock rims for years.

You definately should notice an improved ride quality when going 2 sizes wider while maintaining the same side profile because there's more tire spread out over the road. (somebody please help explain the ?air pressure/psi/tire width? relatioship that is in effect here -- I know what I'm talking about but can't explain it precise terms at the moment)

I was talking about the difference between a $130 ea. set of Toyo tires vs. $89 ea. Federals. I like the Federals better and they were cheaper.

As far as ride quality goes, I think you are worried too much about this. If you were running a "low profile" tire, then I would understand, but your sidewalls are going to be more than 1" tall, so stop sweating it, or change tire selections. You're trying too hard to figure something out that isn't worth all of this hassle.

 

[91Bomb]

Yes they will. I ran 225s on my stock rims for years.

They would physically fit on my old '91 TSI FWD but they were too wide for the stock rim my talon came with. This is taking the tire/wheel formula in to consideration. (tire shouldn't be no more than X width to X width of a given wheel)

I was talking about the difference between a $130 ea. set of Toyo tires vs. $89 ea. Federals. I like the Federals better and they were cheaper.

OK. But that's comparing apples to manifolds. If you were to take 2 tires that are the exact same except for width (205's vs 225's) and mount them on the same rims the 225's would have a more compliant ride because of the extra rubber that is spread out over the road. This my be part of the reason you liked the $89 tires better. Had you tried the Toyo's in the 225/50's you MIGHT HAVE liked them even more. Either way things worked out to your advantage

As far as ride quality goes, I think you are worried too much about this. If you were running a "low profile" tire, then I would understand, but your sidewalls are going to be more than 1" tall, so stop sweating it, or change tire selections. You're trying too hard to figure something out that isn't worth all of this hassle.

It's worth it to me, that's why I posted There's really not much to figure out -- all it would take is for people who've made this switch to give some feedback.