Best tire size?

[Mavrik]

Now I am thinking of going with 205/50R17 wheels but after reading some posts and all that tire calculations I am confused. I want to keep the speedo and odometer as close to perfect as I can. I had originally planned on running P215/50R17 tires like the GT but was told they would be to big around and really throw everything off. I have seen someone here running P205/40R17 which is to low pro for me... the tire is to small. But to all you rim owners out there, what size did you find worked best on the Base Vibe?

[MadBill]

I'm running 275/40 x 17"s, just because I had a set, but if the rim is wide enough, and has just the right offset to prevent rubbing either on the struts or the fenders, a 245/40 x 17" is very close to stock diameter and would look great.

[Mavrik]

My rims are 17x7 with a 45mm offset.I'm looking for a wide tire which P245 certainly is. But I am more looking towards a P215 maybe a P225?

[DavidPIL]

Hi Mavrik,I'm probably not going to tell you anything you haven't read on some other thread here but go to tirerack.com, look at the specs for each tire. They don't carry Nitto tires, which is what a handful of people go with BUT you can get an idea as to how wide the diameter of each size is by using their information.I have 235/45R17's and they fit fine though they are a bit smaller in diameter than the OEMs (25.4" as compared to 25.5"). I think the 245/45R17 are just a tad over the 25.5" diameter. 245/40's are actually almost an inch smaller in diameter than the OEMs.A wider tread also requires a wider rim depth. The 235/45's I have are recommended on no less than a 7.5" rim width. I still have the stock rims at 17x7 but will upgrade those to a 7.5" or 8" width wheel this Spring. I haven't really noticed anything majorly wrong with the performance so far though I'm probably getting a little less tread contact on the road. (as I have been told). 215/50 is the OEM GT size, I have to believe it would be similar in diameter to what you're looking for. 225/45 is .5" smaller, 225/50 would be a little larger but I haven't seen many tires in that size. I would suggest either the 235/45 or 245/45 if you want to go wider.Dave

[frostyGT]

I am a firm believer in the 225/45-17 size.This tire is very close to stock circumference. The tires that you find in this range are mostly high performance. So, price is usually a bit higher than other 17 sizes. However, you get what you pay for.I've had this size on my wife's Galant for three years now, and I am very happy with the performance of this size. I have them on 17x7s, and they really look great on the rim and protect it well. I am running Yokohama AVS ES100s on her car, and I think they are very nice tires. The tires I had on there before were Pirelli P6000s, and I definitely wouldn't recommend that tire to anyone.One nice thing is that they really fill up a 17x7 rim, and will even work nicely on a 17x7.5 or even a 17x8. This gives you alot of flexibility in the future, as most 17" wheels are either 7 or 7.5. Go for the 225/45-17 and you will not be disappointed

[Mavrik]

A buddy of mine is telling me that P205/50R17 is the size to go with and that its only 5% different in size from the stock 16" But I checked Tire Rack and they recommend the P215/50R17...I'll look up prices on the sizes you all are recommending

[frostyGT]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik » I had originally planned on running P215/50R17 tires like the GT but was told they would be to big around and really throw everything off. The tire size is not a base/GT thing. If you have 16s, then you have 205/55-16, and if you have 17s, then you have 215/50-17. Kinda strange, really, because they are a bit off(about 1.4 mph at 60). I think it would be interesting to find out which tire the Vibe is truly calibrated for.Anyway, as far as which 17" tire to go with, there are really many choices. Remember, the wider the tire, the more protection your rim will get. However, since I believe you have 17x7s, I don't think you want to go wider than 225. All of these sizes will work fine with your speedo:205/50-17215/45-17215/50-17225/45-17Good luck! I've spent hours trying to decide which size to get for myself! I finally just ordered some 225/45-17s. I should have them and my new wheels by Thursday. I'll post some pics when I get them mounted!

[Mavrik]

Definatly want rim protection. I'm still leaning towards the P215/50R17... but its a bigger tire. Well a 45 series would be a little bit smaller. I guess the price might be the deciding factor. Seeing as how I will only be running these wheels 6 months out of the year anyway, what little difference in size might not even be noticable in the long run?

[wicked1981]

Well Im going with 235/45/17. I have the rims and waiting to purchase tires I have a choice of 205/45/17, 215/45/17, 235/45/17 I bought the rims from wheelmax.com and they said those 3 tire sizes is what they recommend for the rims so im taking the 235/45/17 see how that goes.

[Mavrik]

I'm having parts here price me out some P215/45R17 Bridgestones... hopefully I won't hit a pothole with my rims and damage them because there is no sidewall to protect them.

[wicked1981]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »hopefully I won't hit a pothole with my rims and damage them because there is no sidewall to protect them.Good luck!! How much were the tires?

[Mavrik]

Bridgestone Potenza RE750P205/50R17 for $223.25 each.Bridgestone Potenza RE750P215/45R17 for $236.57 each.YIKES!!!So I called the place I got my rims from, they promote Kumo tires (are they a good brand?) and can sell me them for $138 for the P205 tire which is Speed rated Z and the P215 tire for $122 each speed rated H which will do me fine. They will mount and balance for $50 for all 4 tires. I told him I'd call them back cause my bank account likes that price.

[frostyGT]

I just got my 225/45-17 Kumho 711s (h-rated) from tire rack. Total price was $322.22 including 2-day shipping. Edge racing has the same tires for under $300 shipped, but I thought Tire Rack would be a little more reliable.They have your 215/45 H-rated Kumhos for $68 each.

[Mavrik]

Hey you'll have to let me know how the P225 is on your Vibe cause I would like a wide tire to protect my rims.You paid in US $$$ though? My prices are $canadian which would be about right with the shipping and all that.Would a P215/45R17 look to small, thats my other concern. I don't want them looking like the wheel wells are huge.

[Faultline]

I have 215/50/17 which is the gt stock size, but is actually a larger diameter than my stock 16's. From all the charts I looked at , the 225/45/17's matched the 205/55/16's in diameter perfectly. 225/40/18's are pretty close as well..I actually tried some 22.5" diameter tires on my 16's.---215-40/16, but I did not like it I ventured to keep the diameter with in an inch when I bought my new 17's...I like the taller 215/50/17's ...they make the rims look bigger as they also fill out the wheel well better...