Front and rear tires with different aspect ratios

[SweetD]

Here's my situation. I've had my 01 Protege ES for about a year now and the front tires are severely worn. Rears have about 80% tread left. The previous owner installed Primewell PZ900 in 205/45/16 size. When I got the car I put on MSP struts/springs and RB rear sway bar.

I want to switch to 205/50/16 for a little more comfort. Money is really tight so I can only afford to buy 2 tires. If I replace just the fronts with 50 series tires, how bad will it affect my handling? The tire calculator says there is a difference of .8 inches in diameter and .4 inches sidewall height.

 

[ScratchNSniff]

I have 225's in the front and 205's in the rear...

 

[SweetD]

I can understand width but how about different sidewall heights? 45 vs 50 series, same width 205.


edit: After doing some searching I decided it is not worth the risk of finding out how badly the handling and braking will be effected by running different diameter tires.