Tire size?

[Badvmc]

Yesterday, i saw a P5 with Falken 205/50r16 on the original wheels.
Looked good, but is it a good idea, would it rub? (scratch)

 

[Don]

I would appear that they are fine.

http://forum.protegemp3.com/vbb222/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6795

Don

 

[Badvmc]

Excellent!

But, that thread brought up another question.

What would be better, 205/50r16 or 205/45r16?

I guess the 205/45r16 would look better, but wouls it feel better?

 

[Don]

Your pick.

The 45's are 1.7% smaller than your stock 195/50's (23.3 inches diameter vs 23.7 for stock) so your speedometer will be farther off than it is now.

The 50's are 1.7% bigger than your stock 195/50's (24.1 inches diameter vs 23.7) so your speedometer will actually be closer to correct than it is now.

The 205/50's are bigger around, so they will fill up the wheel well a bit better than the 45's, so you probably would prefer their "look." - Both should be equal in width.

Many more choices to go with in 205/50-16 than in 205/45 plus the 50's are all a good bit cheaper.

The taller tire may improve freeway fuel economy a tad, at the expense of a little pep off the line. The shorter 45's would be a little quicker, zero to 60 I'd bet.

Don

 

[Badvmc]

That makes a lot of sense.

Thank's Don. (thumb)

 

[dennis_protege5]

Hi guys and girls, i was wondering if i could get your advice, im thinking about getting 17" rims but im undecided with the rims below, can u give me your suggustions also, do you think that the rim will rub with the setups below? (if i lower the car)

Rim 1
Axis - NE-0 (Silver)

17x7 (i dont know the offsets available yet)
$1099 (205/40/17 Kumho) (Rims and Tires)
$1150 (225/45/17 Kumho) (Rims and Tires)
$1199 (205/40/17 Toyo) (Rims and Tires)
$199 Each Rim

Rim 2
Konig Blatant (opal)

17x7 (45 offset)
205/40/17
Falken $1050 (Rims and Tires)
Kumho $1050 (Rims and Tires)

So what do you guys think?

 

[fastdrvr23]

Your pick.

The 45's are 1.7% smaller than your stock 195/50's (23.3 inches diameter vs 23.7 for stock) so your speedometer will be farther off than it is now.

The 50's are 1.7% bigger than your stock 195/50's (24.1 inches diameter vs 23.7) so your speedometer will actually be closer to correct than it is now.

The 205/50's are bigger around, so they will fill up the wheel well a bit better than the 45's, so you probably would prefer their "look." - Both should be equal in width.

Many more choices to go with in 205/50-16 than in 205/45 plus the 50's are all a good bit cheaper.

The taller tire may improve freeway fuel economy a tad, at the expense of a little pep off the line. The shorter 45's would be a little quicker, zero to 60 I'd bet.

Don

Hey Don,
It sounds like you have been doing your homework on the sizes for the P5... Are you looking for Tires for the P5 already? If you are, what brands are you considering? I have used Bridgestone, Yokohama, BFG's, and Dunlops on previous cars, and was just wondering what brand you were looking into?

Will

 

[eMKay]

With 205/50's while traveling 75mph (my usual cruising speed) your speedometer will show 1.33mph less than stock wheels, with 205/45's it will show 1.33mph more. neither is significant, and the 50's may fill out the wheel wells a little better.

 

[Don]

Hey Don,
It sounds like you have been doing your homework on the sizes for the P5... Are you looking for Tires for the P5 already? If you are, what brands are you considering? I have used Bridgestone, Yokohama, BFG's, and Dunlops on previous cars, and was just wondering what brand you were looking into?

I've got 17K on the car, and it looks like the OEM Dunlops would go another 17K or more befre we got to the wear indicators, but I never keep tires that long - The first time they scare me (even a little bit) in the rain, they are history. I suspect I'll change at about 20K - My wife drives this car as well, and there is no cheaper "insurance" than good rubber in the wet. "Throwing away" mediocre tires halfway through their lifespan can be the biggest "savings" you can make - Not to insinuate that 5000m Dunlops are "mediocre" (they're better than that) but they're not my cup of tea in the wet.

I've never found a Dunlop I was very fond of, but truthfully, my 3 experiences with them have all been OEM tires, and they are never the "best" a tire company has to offer.

I've had probably 8 or 10 sets of Japanese made Bridgestones in my lifetime, and am pretty partial to them. As things stand now, if I were to change them tomorrow, I'd go with the 205/50-16 Bridgestone Potenza RE-730's Top of the line Bridgerocks are pretty hard to beat - I had three sets of them on a previous Supra, and more recently, two sets on my current Miata, and I can REALLY press them in the rain, which I like.

Don

 

[GXL]

Does anyone have a picture of a 205/50/16 mounted on the factory Mazda wheel?

 

[eMKay]

I've got 17K on the car, and it looks like the OEM Dunlops would go another 17K or more befre we got to the wear indicators, but I never keep tires that long - The first time they scare me (even a little bit) in the rain, they are history. I suspect I'll change at about 20K - My wife drives this car as well, and there is no cheaper "insurance" than good rubber in the wet. "Throwing away" mediocre tires halfway through their lifespan can be the biggest "savings" you can make - Not to insinuate that 5000m Dunlops are "mediocre" (they're better than that) but they're not my cup of tea in the wet.

I've never found a Dunlop I was very fond of, but truthfully, my 3 experiences with them have all been OEM tires, and they are never the "best" a tire company has to offer.

I've had probably 8 or 10 sets of Japanese made Bridgestones in my lifetime, and am pretty partial to them. As things stand now, if I were to change them tomorrow, I'd go with the 205/50-16 Bridgestone Potenza RE-730's Top of the line Bridgerocks are pretty hard to beat - I had three sets of them on a previous Supra, and more recently, two sets on my current Miata, and I can REALLY press them in the rain, which I like.

Don

I am a little biased towards Dunlop (Dunlop was started in Buffalo, I'm from Buffalo, you get the idea) and have exclusively owned them since I could drive, the 5000's are fantastic, but they are a compromise. If you want Dunlop's best performance tire with excellent rain traction, give the SP9000's a try. I currently run FM901's on my 4000 in the summer and I am happy with them (I autocross on these, they ar 1/2 the cost of the 9000's). When I get my P5 I will do what you are doing, wear down the 5000's a bit, and replace them with 9000's (205/50). I will be running race tires next auto-x season.