Difference in tire width

[Petrucci914]

So the tires on my Vibe right now are P205/55R16. Can I put ones that are P205/60R16? I know that means they are a little bit wider (6 inches, versus 5.5) but the rim can handle 5.5-7.5 (correct me if I'm wrong). Would it rub on the tire splash guards? Thoughts on all of this? Thanks!

[BlueCrush]

The "55" number means the height of the tire. A "60" is do-able and will raise your car almost 1/2" while increasing your overall tire diameter by almost 1". If you want a wider tire go with a 215/55 or a 225/50.Use this tire calculator to get more familiar with tire sizing: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[Petrucci914]

So what sizes are within the do-able limit in terms of heigh and width, without dealing with rubbing or other issues? I'm trying to get a good deal on some tires but they don't have many choices.

[prathman]

Yes, they'll work ok. The width would actually stay the same since that's specified by the 205 mm (about 8.1") and as BC indicated the sidewall height would be a little greater. So your speedometer and odometer would read a little lower than they do now. I find that the speedometer reads higher than actual using the OEM tire size, so going to the '60' series would actually give more accurate speed readings. But the odometer is pretty close now so it would read lower than actual with the size you're considering.

[piecuch1]

What Blue Crush said. I worked for a tire company many years ago. The lower the middle number the wider the tire. You can go to some websites and get the options available by inputting your year and model. http://www.discounttire.comhttp://www.thetirerack.com

[djb383]

225/50/16 are the same diameter as stock and .78" wider and fit perfect.The FIRST number is the tire width, not the second number. The second number is an aspect ratio or percentage of the width.

[Petrucci914]

225 is quite a bit wider.

[Kamikaze]

The two #'s work together. For the most part the first # is the width, the 2nd # is the height of the side wall, but also used as a ratio to the width (first #) If you kept the same width, for example 215, and changed the profile (55 to 50 or 45) as the profile goes down the wider the wheel.Adam: A 225 should fit, I've got 225 40 18's and don't have a problem.If you do a 205/60 you're tire isn't going to be wider, it's going to be taller.Good luck!

[sk8r78]

This is a calculator for tires and wheels, it will show the dynamics of the tire changes by size and calculate how it will affect your speedo. The 3#'s on the tire are 205, width of the tread, 55, aspect ratio of the sidewall is 55% of your tread width and then rim size http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.htmlOpps just saw BC already put up this link

[vibebob]

I got new tires and wheels for the vibe. I went from stock to 215/50 17 without a change in speedo readings. I know this becasue we have this device that the PD uses that flashes your speed and my speedometer is spot on with the speed reader

[djb383]

205 X .55 X 2 / 25.4 + 16 = 24.88" tall, 8.07" wide215 X .50 X 2 / 25.4 + 17 = 25.46" tall, 8.46" wide 225 X .50 X 2 / 25.4 + 16 = 24.86" tall, 8.86" wide