Maximum wheel size

[UConnJack]

So what is the maximum wheel size I can get away with with the Mazda 5? As I mentioned in another post, I am looking at snow tires and have a couple of great deals on Craigslist for 16" rims with 215/60/16 tires. This would increase the diameter up 1.1" or 4.3% (25.1" to 26.2"). I know the rule of thumb is not to go over 3% for potential brake issues, but I have seen some other posts about similar increases in size.

Anyway, any reports on experience (e.g., rubbing, brake issues, etc.) people may have had with oversized wheels over 3% (e.g., 215/60/16, 215/55/17, 205/55/17, 205/50/18, etc.) would be appreciated!

 

[thaxman]

215/60/16 shouldn't really be much bigger than 215/50/17. That size works just fine. What size are the 16" wheels they will be mounted on? Are they Mazda OE? the bigger problem will be wheel offset and wheel width not height of the tire. If the offset is off, like for a RWD or the wheel is really wide, like 16X8, then that could put the tire in a bad position so it would rub. If they were going on the OE Mz5 16" wheels like those avail in Canada, Europe or US 2012+ Sport models, then I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[UConnJack]

One of the sets are aftermarket rims that were on a Mitsubishi Eclipse. I know the stock Eclipse has similar bore, lug and offset specs, but not sure about these aftermarkets.

I know they are Sport Edition rims, so I did a search on Tirerack for Mitsubishi 16" rims, and the apparent match is the Sport Edition CD, which has a 38mm offset and are 16x7.5. If these specs are correct then the offset is a bit less and the width a bit wider that stock Mazda. Do you think these will pull the wheels in enough to rub?