Watarski said:I bought my car with 17x7 rims on 205/40's. I have slightly curbed my rims 3 times. This obviously pisses me off. I just read where 215's help this. As I am not a tire guru, is the 215 wider? Will the 215 tire size handle better or worse than the 205? (scratch)
P5inder said:Hello,
205's on a 7" rim would be best for handling.
215's fit best on a 7.5" rim, again, for handling.
Although 215's will provide you with marginally better curbing protection, a slightly larger contact patch and a ratio closer to the stock tires' circumference, 215's have too much roll-over (roll-over occurs during cornering) The more roll-over the less direct-ness you'll feel when steering. This is especially apparent in high g situations and you'll experience this if you do lots of spirited driving in winding highways and/or the autoX.
In your case, 215's for slightly more comfort and rim safety or, if you want the best handling, 205's with rim protection and more careful parking will be your ticket to saving your rims.
Nothing you can do to protect rims from curbing or damage casued by colliding with deep potholes. (Having said that, a 215 will protect your rims (better.)
Watarski said:I am extremely anal about where I park, I'm the furthest guy in the lot. These rashes occured from pot holes and a drive thru touchless car wash. I do drive spirited, so I want the best handling. However, I have Kumho's. Does anyone make a 205 with rim protection? (Other than Falken?)
bradicus18 said:rollover varies with brand, sub-brand of tire within a brand, and performance type. you can't just generalize a particular size. most 215/40s are plenty stiff (especially for the street). my least responsive, weakest sidewall tire was a 205/40R17 Kumho which gave me a nice gash in my rim from a pothole.
Kansei said:werd, what he said!
What kumho gave you troubles? I <3 my Kumho Ecsta MXs, they seemed awesome.
I'm sure someone has already said it but just ot reiterate, going to 215/40 does not at all equal more rim protection. My 205/40s protect my rims a hell of a lot better than my 215/40 Ecsta MXs ever did.
205/40s just look stupid on our cars though, they're too small. You have to be lowered a TON for it to look good. I'm lowered more than 2 inches in the rear, 1.6" in the front, and yeah.. it just doesn't look right with 205s (note: my sig pic is with 215/40/17
Kansei said:Josh are those 205 or 215? 215 I'm guessing, because well my 205s look a little silly, even though theoretically it's a proper tire size for a 7inch wide wheel.