1g Wheels and Tires Size Questions [merged]fit fitment

[jpdst29]

All 1g wheel and tire size questions from the newbie sections are merged here.

hi,
i am interested in putting 18" motegi MR-7 wheels on my 1991 plymouth laser. my only problem is i do not know if they will fit in the wheel well with tires. if anyone out there has 18" wheels on their laser....please let me know so and also tell me what size tire you have on the wheel. i would also like to know how snugly they fit in the wheel well. if 18's dont fit i guess i will have to go for 17 inch wheels. what is a good size tire that would fit a 17" wheel?

thanks in advance for any help you guys can give me

jerome

 

[DGajre777]

17s are heavier than 16s. If the wheel is heavier, there is more weight (unless you get light weight ones which can get expensive). It depends on what you like. My 98 Talon came with 17s from the factory, so I'm staying with 17s. My 92 GS that I had came with 14" and when I upgraded to 16"s the car was slow as heck (not saying the GSs are fast anyways).

 

[MoparTurbo]

Yes that is true the larger the wheel size, the more they weigh normally. Heck go for the good looks and get the 17's

 

[Slo TSI]

Depends on what your looking for. If you want performance stay with 16" and light weight like rota slipstreems (13.5 lbs) and some good rubber. If you want bling go with 17" but like said above light weight 17" can bring up the $$$$$.

 

[and11200]

17s will look better, 16s will perform better. (Unless you buy light-weight wheels of course)

 

[titusmangum]

seeing that you have a gst the weight of a 17 wouldn't factor as much as weight from a 18 or 19 so I think your gst could handle the 17" and plus the bigger the wheel the better it looks!!!

 

[HearMeSpoolin]

my 17" rota boost are pretty light

 

[MuddinPede]

I have the factory 14" steel wheels and hubcaps on my car. The tires are 195/70/14. However these tires are really bald. I have some brand new 205/75/14 tires sitting in my shed. Will this throw the cars gearing off too bad, or cause any other problems if I put them on?


Thanks,
Corey

 

[wret]

Too much of a difference. Try I tire size calculator like this one to compare sizes. Try to stay within a couple percent of your stock size. You can go more than that only if you really know what you are doing.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

[luv2rallye]

They should work if they will clear the fender lips while turning and bouncing up/down over potholes, etc. You're getting pretty tall then (1.3" taller) which will also make your speedo read lower than what you're really going. I've done the same type of change on my car to give me more ground clearance. You can look at the spec differences here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec....&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&place=0 and decide for yourself.

 

[MuddinPede]

I really just want new tires on it to sell it. I can't keep pouring money into it to keep it running, well, at least not a 420a. Guess I'll see what I can do to get new tires. Maybe I'll trade or something.

Thanks guys

 

[jott5555]

ya i think thats too large of a tire.. i run a 235/40/18 and i have to kinda tweak my rear fenders to get em to fit..

 

[Fb90gsT]

Thanks. Thats the input that I was looking for.
I got one last question why do you guys say that 16's perform better than 17's...say that both wheels weight the same.
Thanks

 

[90GSX182]

Well you will feel the bumps more with a 17, however in terms of handling, a 17 with a low profile tire gives excellent handling. 17s usually can handle a wider tire too. a 17x7 rim can handle a wider tire like a 235. My setup is a 17x7 rim wrapped in Kuhmo 225/45/r17 tires. Handling went up and wheelspin went down instantly. no matter what upgrade you get, make sure the tire is wider


-Ken

 

[GVR4592]

Thanks. Thats the input that I was looking for.
I got one last question why do you guys say that 16's perform better than 17's...say that both wheels weight the same.
Thanks

A 16" wheel is still capable of acelerating faster than a 17" wheel of the same weight because of rotational inertia. It takes more energy to accelerate the larger wheel because you have more mass further away from the axis of rotation.

 

[overboostedawd]

can i run 215/40/R17"s on the back and 205/40/R17s on the front i got a flat and have 2 brand new tires that are 205s i just need to know if it will hurt anyhting doing this thanks

 

[DSM90AWD]

can i run 215/40/R17"s on the back and 205/40/R17s on the front i got a flat and have 2 brand new tires that are 205s i just need to know if it will hurt anyhting doing this thanks

You cannot run different size tires on an AWD car without damaging the VC.
It is also not recommended mixing different brands/model tires even if the same size due to the difference in rolling resistance/traction compounds.

Yes it sucks, I cut one tire once that I got really cheep due to it being discontinued with only 5K on it. Had to buy a whole new set as could not find one replacement tire

 

[overboostedawd]

ok thanks for the fast reply and help

 

[aps2fast4u]

Yea, def. a big no-no....You might be able to sneak by for a few miles till you can change back to the same size but it is not recommended.

 

[DSMunknown]

You cannot run different size tires on an AWD car without damaging the VC.
It is also not recommended mixing different brands/model tires even if the same size due to the difference in rolling resistance/traction compounds.

does this go for the FWDs as well (aka are there issues that will arise that are caused directly from using different rims)? i am considering having two different set-of-two rims on mine, with the diameter, offset and width of the rims being the same (and of couse the tires being the same on all four). essentially, one side of the car will have one pair of rims, and the other side will have a different pair.

 

[pnishr]

FWD will be fine, assuming they REALLY are the same size and the tires are the same, but a question... why not front and back different, as opposed to left and right side? It'd be safer if there are any differences in the wheel/angle of bead area on the rim...

 

[JOEY A]

You cannot run taller side walls on a AWD, But you can run a wider tire.


I would use a wider front tires, and a skinnyer rear tire. What this does is makes the car rotate around a corner better.

But its kinda hard to find a company that makes wider tires with the same side wall height.

 

[JOEY A]

The front and rear rim must be the same size, and the front and rear tire must be the same size height.

"But you can use a wider tire if its all the same size height"

 

[nightspeed87]

i always thought bigger on the back looked better because it gives it a mean stance, but not on all cars, but yea dont do it on awd, and i dont even recommend it on fwd because ive tried that set up before and it made my cars handling really sloppy and made the back end feel like it was drifting. And i had 205/45/16 stocks in the front and 215/45s in the back. If you want bigger in the back you have to have sway bars and fully done suspension i suspect, and the perfect rim and tire sizes that keep the rolling radius close to the same.

 

[president95]

I too thought you could run a wider tire in the rear (or front), as long as the height of the tires were equal on all 4 tires, because the diameter of the tire hasn't changed.

 

[overboostedawd]

so could i run the 215 or the 205 in the front or back with no probs as long as they are both 40/17 ?

i can get 2 new tires 2marrow for 187 put on but they wont be the same brand as my hoosiers r/s plus tires but they will be same size 205/40/17"s

id like to get a solid awnser im trying to get my car ready for this week end at norwalk