Tire size on a 16x7

[98legwag]

I may be picking up a used set of 16x7 wheels and was wonder what width tire to run? According to tirerack.com they say a 205/50/16 for my car but they also say that on a 16x6.5 wheel.

[chuckthefuk]

The stock snowflakes/wrx's are 16x6.5 the 6/5-spoke 2.5RS wheels are 16x7.

You should have no issue unless the offset is out of range.

-Chuck

[geckoboy86]

I have 6 spoke RSs. They are 205/55R16s, which is the same as my old snowflakes.
The RSs have a straighter sidewall then the LGT Snowflakes/16" WRX.

I was helping someone else out with wheel choices. Check the new rim weight out.
OEM ones I know off the top of my head.
5 spoke RS - 16x7 @ 17 lbs
6 spoke RS - 16x7 @ 16.5 lbs
Snowflakes - 16x6.5 @ 18.5 lbs
16" WRX - 16x6.5 @16.5 lbs
04-07 STi - 17x7 @ 16.5 lbs
05 LGT - 17x7 @ 20.5 lbs
JDM v7 STi - 17x7.5 @ 17.5 lbs

By reducing wheel weight, you're removing weight from the rotation mass that the engine has to turn. That means more power going to the road instead of being wasted trying to turn wheels.

[98legwag]

The wheels I am looking seem to be the Enkei PKR:

http://www.enkei.com/pkr.html#

[Huffer]

Errrm, gecko, I hate to point it out, but the "sidewall straightness" is TIRE related. Not wheel related.

and 98legwag - your tire size should be determined by not just your wheel size, but also the original tire size that came on your car - otherwise your speedometer will be very inaccurate at higher (40mph+) speeds (this is the major side effect of inappropriately sized tires).

[98legwag]

and 98legwag - your tire size should be determined by not just your wheel size, but also the original tire size that came on your car - otherwise your speedometer will be very inaccurate at higher (40mph+) speeds (this is the major side effect of inappropriately sized tires).

Would a slightly wider tire like a 215 instead of 205 affect the speedometer that much? Sorry for the noob questions.

[geckoboy86]

I am having an issue finding wheel weight. I also noticed a possible issue, the offset.

EDIT: The 205 and 215 number is the width. The second number is height.

I used a few devices to determine this but my cars speedo is more accurate with the 16s with 205/55r16 tires then it was with the factory 14s.

[Huffer]

and 98legwag - your tire size should be determined by not just your wheel size, but also the original tire size that came on your car - otherwise your speedometer will be very inaccurate at higher (40mph+) speeds (this is the major side effect of inappropriately sized tires).

Would a slightly wider tire like a 215 instead of 205 affect the speedometer that much? Sorry for the noob questions.

215 and 205 are the track width in millimeters. The PROFILE number (eg 45) is the PERCENTAGE of the track width. It's your overall HEIGHT of the tire and wheel combo that affects your speedometer, not your track width.

[peter]

and 98legwag - your tire size should be determined by not just your wheel size, but also the original tire size that came on your car - otherwise your speedometer will be very inaccurate at higher (40mph+) speeds (this is the major side effect of inappropriately sized tires).

Would a slightly wider tire like a 215 instead of 205 affect the speedometer that much? Sorry for the noob questions.

215 and 205 are the track width in millimeters. The PROFILE number (eg 45) is the PERCENTAGE of the track width. It's your overall HEIGHT of the tire and wheel combo that affects your speedometer, not your track width.

But because its a percentage of the width it does affect height. Yes very slightly but it will be different. I run 205/558/16 summer tires with my RS 5 spokes, and 185/70/14 all seasons for winter with my stock wheels. I used an online calculator and the difference is so minimal that my speedo is off something like 2 mph at 70, not enough to really make much difference

[98legwag]

So I found ANOTHER set of 16x7's I am looking at. They come with 225/50/16 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires with approximately 75% tread. These should fit a stock suspension with no issues right?

[Huffer]

It'll fit, but you'll look like a tonka toy.