What's the widest tire i can fit on a stock racinghart rim without rubbing?
- Thread starter xBoostedx
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its only a 7" wheel, so not much. (depending on who you ask) you could probably get 225/40's to fit, but not without sacrificing performance. going wider on a narrow rim is not always the best for performance. 215/45's are probably the widest you "should" go on a 7" rim. an 8" rim with 215's would be better.
dropping the tire to a 215/40-17 would give a nice bump in response and handling.
dropping the tire to a 215/40-17 would give a nice bump in response and handling.
I've run 245/40-17 on 17x7 wheels before for auto-x. Those were Kumho V710s, which have stiff as hell sidewalls. I would not recommended 245s on a 7" wheel for street use. The offset was also +50 instead of the stock +55 and the tires got cut up pretty bad on the frame of the car.
It's pretty easy to figure out the math. My tires were 10mm closer to the car than factory tires. I wouldn't run wider than 225s on the stock wheels and if you drop the sidewall to 40 you should be safer too, but your speedo will read higher than you're actually going.
It's pretty easy to figure out the math. My tires were 10mm closer to the car than factory tires. I wouldn't run wider than 225s on the stock wheels and if you drop the sidewall to 40 you should be safer too, but your speedo will read higher than you're actually going.
tweety2300
Member
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- 2001 mazda protege mp3
So are 205-45-17 better to not have rubbing issues but still handle well? Sorry to thread jack but I'm looking at getting new tires soon and my 215 are rubbing
your profile says you have an MP3. stock MP3 tire size was 205/45-17. stock MSP tire size was 215/45-17. if you are still on stock MP3 rims and suspension, there is no reason why you should get rubbing with the 215/45's.
tweety2300
Member
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- 2001 mazda protege mp3
Cheap rear struts... It's getting new struts but I'm just wondering if 205s will be better or worse for rubbing handling etc. the place I get my tires can get a way wider selection of 205s for cheaper than 215s but if it won't make a difference I'll just stick with the 215s
MazdaSpeeder
Member
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- Protege5 (5-spd)
I'm curious...what decrease in performance would having a wider contact patch cause? Sure there's a little more rolling resistance, but it seems to me that more grip (because of a wider contact patch) = better cornering, better acceleration and braking.
once the tire starts ballooning out past the rim, you will start to lose side wall support. this causes the rim to "shimmy" inside the tire during handling maneuvers. for a given rim width, there is a sweet spot for tire width that gives the best performance. ideally, if you want a wider tire, its best to also get a wider rim.
MazdaSpeeder
Member
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- Protege5 (5-spd)
Can this be countered by a short sidewall? The reason I ask is that I am running 215/40s on the stock 6.5 P5 rim. It's "too big" but I haven't had the issue you described. Not trying to be argumentative, just noting that in my case, I haven't experienced any issues with running too wide. I realize that this info doesn't directly translate to the conversation because the OP is running a 17 racinghart, but the principle seems the same.
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actually, the stock pro5 rims are only 6" wide. the stock 195/50's are actually right in the sweet spot for that width. you have made a compromise going with 215's. will you feel it? not necessarily. with 215's, you almost need a 7.5" or 8" rim to get the most performance out of them.
