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Widest tire on a stock 1g wheel?

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turbo90gsx

15+ Year Contributor
654
3
Feb 12, 2004
Fort Wayne, Indiana
I'm trying to find out the widest tire you can fit on a stock 1g wheel. I have been looking all over and am not having much luck. I just picked up a set of stock wheels and have been tire shopping the past couple of days. I know that the stock tire size is a 205/55R16, but I'm wondering if people have gotten a 215 or even a 225 on?
 
That will depend on the tire and its recommended wheel width. I'm sure you could get a regular passenger car tire to go 215 or maybe 225 but I bought 215 Falken Azenis and they couldn't get close on the stock wheel. The sidewalls were so stiff you couldn't push them on.

I think what you need to do is decide what kind of performance tire you want and then get the widest ones that will fit your wheel.

Rick '91 GSX :dsm:
 
Well, I leaning towards the Avon Tech M550 A/S. They have good reviews, and are not all that expensive. Although I have also came across the Falken Ziex ZE-512, but I haven't seen any good reviews for snow driving.
 
4pistons said:
That will depend on the tire and its recommended wheel width. I'm sure you could get a regular passenger car tire to go 215 or maybe 225 but I bought 215 Falken Azenis and they couldn't get close on the stock wheel. The sidewalls were so stiff you couldn't push them on.

I think what you need to do is decide what kind of performance tire you want and then get the widest ones that will fit your wheel.

Rick '91 GSX :dsm:


very strange... i have 225/50r16 Falken Azenis on my stock 16" rims...
 
I put a set of 225's on my stock rims and if felt like I was in a boat, it swayed really bad even on straight stretches. Just my .02. I have Falken Azenis Sports in the factory size, and they're awesome. :talon:
 
The biggest size that I've personally experienced with these cars is the 225/55/16, but like mentioned it could lead to a very wavy ride. sometimes the car doesn't feel stable, I actually recommend this size only for drag racing for us FWD'ers since it helps with traction but thats about it. You gotta keep in mind that every tire manufacturer has variations on actual size and sidewall stiffness of the tire, tirerack.com has good info on that, and of course that your worn shocks/struts play an important role here.

For daily driving, I'd say stick with the stock size or ONE size bigger at the most so you can keep ride stability and control.
205/55/16 is good but you could go with 215/50/16 or 215/55/16.
 
You mention using a smaller sidewall ratio. Does that effect the speedo, and does it make much of a difference in the cars handleing?
 
Yes, your speedo will be affected. Not by much though. Only 2-5 mph, depending on your car and how accurate things are. My speedo is affected 2-3mph's. If you want to stay really close to the stock ratios and keep the ratios and speedo insync then you have to get a tire that is basically the same diameter. A size 225/50/16r is closer in size to the stock 205/55/16r. And yes the sidewall height will make a difference especially if you go to the 50's and will provide better handling. As of now I have potenzas 750's size:225/50/16r and when the time comes to purchase a new set, I narrowed it down to these: 235/50/16 OR 235/45/17 depending on how much $$$ and if ofcourse I have enough $$$ do buy new rims.
 
I just put a set of Falken Ziex ZE-512 225/50 on the stock 16 rim and I'll confirm that it does feel like you are on a boat. The tire is also not very good in the snow. My front end is like a set of skis basically. I have just adjusted though, I drive it a bit more agressive and tap the brakes then slide the rear end around. The traction on the pavement is great though the one time i've seen it since i put the tires on.
 
I put some michelin pilot xgt-z4's on my stock rims. They were 225/45/16. I too will say the car handled like a boat afterwards. The stability was horrid compared to the stock sized tires i had on before. And it only got worse in the rain. I wouldn't recommend anybody going this big based on my experience with tires that size except maybe a FWD car trying to get some traction in a straight line.
 
I have 225/55/16 Falken FK-451s on my stock wheels. The handling has a really mushy feel unless you run quite a bit more pressure in your tires. I like the extra traction I get in a straight line, but if I were to do it over again I would get the 205s and get a wider rim for wider tires.
 
Thanks for all the input, but a couple days ago I decided to buy a set of Falken ZE-512's in a 215/55R16. I hope they work well for me.
 
OK, so why the falken tires? What sold them to you? And guys, What do you mean by it FELT like a boat? Only going straight? Bumps?
 
I have a friend that recently went from a falken 205-55-16 to a bfg s03 225-50-16 on stock wheels and the handling was increased dramatically. I think the boat feeling is due to the very soft sidewall on the falken tires. Go with a better tire and Im sure you will have a more planted feeling.
 
I received the tires today and I can see the side walls are very soft. What sold me on these tires is the fact that they are relatively inexpensive, and have some sort of snow rating while still having proven performance on the track. I'm more of a straight line kind of person, so I'm interested in what kind of traction these tires will provied on snow and dry roads. This sure is going to feel strange going from my old 18" wheels with low profiles to the stock wheels with these tires.
 
With a lane change, or avoiding a pothole, it just swayed back and forth a little. This was at normal highway speeds, so I can imagine what it would be like over 100. The Falken Azenis Sports are by far the best dry traction tire I have ever bought. But they SUCK in the rain because of the size of the tread blocks. I think they are discontinued though. I'll check around. Here is a pic.

http://www.vulcantire.com/azenis_t.htm
 
The Falken Azenis Sports are by far the best dry traction tire I have ever bought. But they SUCK in the rain
Strange, mine work fine in the rain. But don't EVEN think about them in the snow! If a single snowflake hits the ground anywhere NEAR them you'll slide all over the place! Kinda like Will Smith in "iRobot" where his car had spherical wheels and could go sideways! ROFL weeeeeeee!!!

Rick - '91 GSX :dsm:
 
yeah, i just took my car out last week in our recent snow, i thought it would be fun. that thing wouldnt go straight to save my a$$. come to think of it, it was fun :thumb:
 
I got the Falken ZE-512 215/55R16's mounted today. The bead seated fine with no trouble at all. There are a few pro's and cons I feel on there tires.
Pros, very smooth, quiet riding tire. It did pretty well in the little snow thats on the ground now.
Cons, the car does feel much more "sloppy", or "boat like" as one might say.

After 10 miles of driving, so far I'm very satisfied.
 
I have a friend that recently went from a falken 205-55-16 to a bfg s03 225-50-16 on stock wheels and the handling was increased dramatically. I think the boat feeling is due to the very soft sidewall on the falken tires. Go with a better tire and Im sure you will have a more planted feeling.

if you get the falken 615's that will not be a problem with the soft sidewall :sneaky:
 
Old thread.

Input on Falken Ziex ZE-512 215/55/16 on stock 1g AWD wheels (6" wide, I believe). Compared to 205s, 185s on 5.5" steelies and 225s on 8" RX-7 wheels, definitely the most "sway" through turns. Not confidence inspiring but seemed to have decent grip once you got over the sway. The back-to-back here was my car with 225 ZE-502s on the 8" wheels vs. 215 ZE-512s on the 6" wheels so it was sort of one extreme to the other- minimum wheel width for tire vs maximum wheel width for tire. All in all it wasn't bad, perfectly acceptable for a primarily straight-line car.
 
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