205/45/17 or 205/40/17 Front & 215/40/17 Rear

[vacantj]

I have a 4 door sedan and I got 17" wheels (38 offset) - I have Tanabe NF210 Front: 1.2" & Rear: 1.6" springs installed.

I'm going with Maxxis MA-Z1 Victra tires:
http://www.maxxis.com/products/automotive/product_detail.asp?id=5456

I'm trying to figure out which size of tires to go with:

205/45R17 all around

or

205/40R17 Front, 215/40R17 Rear - (Black Yaris suggested this setup will give better corning)

Any suggestions?

[oscar845]

I have tanabe df 210 on my yaris HB and 17'' mags with 205/40zr17 all around and that is fantastic but it s not a sedan.

[kimona]

With ET38 and NF210, you could go with 205/40's all 'round OR 205/40's up front and 215/40's rear.

I've seen this "staggered" set-up in Japan, and it looks great and works well. The difference in tire sizes front to rear is not really visually apparent, but it does compensate some for the difference in tuck front to rear, so it looks neat, even, and tight.

[Lafiro]

I was going to do 215/45/17...... is this too big of a tire for the rim?

[kimona]

I was going to do 215/45/17...... is this too big of a tire for the rim?

No, this size is not too big for the rim and will work well if you have the proper offset.

So, what is your offset and are you lowered or planning to lower?

[Lafiro]

I am lowered with TRD springs, and my rims are currently a +42 offset.

[kimona]

I am lowered with TRD springs, and my rims are currently a +42 offset.

You should be okay with TRD's and ET42.

What size tires are you running now, and how are you up front? With 205's and ET42 you should be slightly tucked by a few mm's up front? Can you confirm this?

[Biggie™]

205/40R17 Front, 215/40R17 Rear - (Black Yaris suggested this setup will give better corning)

If you run the wider tire in the front and the narrower one in the rear it will improve cornering. Running more rubber in the rear on a FWD car will promote understeer, something most people try to overcome by using big rear anti-roll bars.

Personally, I'd run the same size wheel and tire front and rear on a Yaris. That way you can easily rotate the tires to increase longevity.

[vacantj]

do you guys think I can go with 215/45R17 all around?

[kimona]

If you run the wider tire in the front and the narrower one in the rear it will improve cornering. Running more rubber in the rear on a FWD car will promote understeer, something most people try to overcome by using big rear anti-roll bars.

Personally, I'd run the same size wheel and tire front and rear on a Yaris. That way you can easily rotate the tires to increase longevity.

If you're going for best fit and looks (and drive within the limits), then running 10mm's more rubber in the rear won't make any noticeable handling difference whatsoever in everyday driving conditions.

If you plan to race with your everyday tires then take into consideration an application that works best.

If you're a fan of tire rotation (which I am not) then staggering tire sizes will prohibit rotation and decrease tire longevity some.

I've seen dozen of Vitz in Japan with staggered offsets (very common application), and many with staggered tire sizes. In Japan its all about the perfect fit. For those who race their cars, they almost never use their steet wheels/tires.

[SDsurfrider]

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

I try and stay under 1% difference than was designed for the car

another tool:

http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp?action=submit

[kimona]

Manufacturer recommendations are generally within approximately 3% of OEM.

These are the Yaris OEM tire sizes:

175/65/14 = 23"

185/60/15 = 23.7"

195/50/16 = 23.7" (Here in the States, we commonly run 205/50/16's @ 24.1" because that's a more readily available tire size)

205/45/17 = 24.3

The difference between 14" OEM and 17" OEM is already 5.5%!

As far as I know (provided there is sufficient clearance) you can "safely" vary from each OEM size listed above by approx. 3%.

In Japan, I've seen Vitz (unlowered) with 205/50/17's. That's presumably within the 3% limit. It looked good, filled in the wheel gap nicely, and apparently performed well enough on the street.

[Lafiro]

Actually, Im with 205/40/17 right now, the front is flush/looks good, but the back looks like its far in on both sides, so for future tires, Im planning on getting 215/45/17 to have a wider tire for more grip + higher profile for a more comfortable ride. Not only that, if I add Spacers in the back, the whole thing will look flush.

Also ther is a big difference in performace/comfort between 40 and 45 profile tires if you do the research.

[03Z33]

I ran 215/45/17 Falken 615's (which run wide) on 17x7 +38 wheels when I had my Tanabe DF210 springs and had no rubbing.

I still have these wheels and tires but I don't run them too often since my car is too low now with the coilovers, I'll probably need to go back down to a 205/40/17 to make them fit due to the taller diameter with the 45 series.

With just springs it worked well though since it helps fill up the tire gap, I would do it again if you're not planning to dump the car on coilovers.

[thebarber]

Personally, I'd run the same size wheel and tire front and rear on a Yaris. That way you can easily rotate the tires to increase longevity.
x2

[Biggie™]

If you're a fan of tire rotation (which I am not) then staggering tire sizes will prohibit rotation and decrease tire longevity some.
Thanks for repeating what I said... If you enjoy replacing the front tires 400% more often than the rears, I think you probably shouldn't drive an echno box.

[kimona]

Thanks for repeating what I said... If you enjoy replacing the front tires 400% more often than the rears, I think you probably shouldn't drive an echno box.

Well... 400% is probably quite an exaggeration, but true the fronts will probably be about 75% worn and due for a change, while the rears will probably still have about 75 tread left.

I don't see anything wrong with that.. just change the 2 front tires... later change the 2 rear tires.

As long as you maintain your car... keep the tires inflated properly and the wheels aligned regularly, then it really doesn't cost more if you don't rotate.

[Biggie™]

Well... 400% is probably quite an exaggeration, but true the fronts will probably be about 75% worn and due for a change, while the rears will probably still have about 75 tread left.
So 300% is an acceptable estimate, yet 400% is quite an exaggeration? :iono:

[kimona]

So 300% is an acceptable estimate, yet 400% is quite an exaggeration? :iono:

Hmmm... you have an interesting command of mathematics.

Anyway, tire rotation doesn't necessarily extend overall tirelife; if done regularly, it simply allows for even tire wear back to front.

[Biggie™]

Hmmm... you have an interesting command of mathematics.

Anyway, tire rotation doesn't necessarily extend overall tirelife; if done regularly, it simply allows for even tire wear back to front.

Percentages are represented by their decimal equivalent. 300% = 3.00, 400% = 4.00 and so on... 25 x 3.00= 75, 25 X 4.00 = 100 and so on... Basic math!

Now, here's where is get even more fun, I'll teach you a little about rubber and tires. Every time a tire is heated up and cooled down, it goes through a heat cycle. Race tires lose a good amount of grip every time they are cycled. Even if they still have a lot of meat left, they can be slicker than snot if they have been repeatedly cycled.

The same goes for street tires, if you want to maintain the maximum amount of traction at the lowest cost. Rotate your tires, if you want to have nice new tires on the front and old hard as rock tires in the rear... You get the picture.

There is also proper/even wear, and keeping a consistent contact patch.. Who cares about any of that silly stuff?

[Black Yaris]

The funy thing is 90% of ppl that are asking these tire questions just daily drive there car... and in no way realy need all the info we are giving them about tires.... they just need to know if they are with in the 3% recommended by the manufacture... and for that, I recommend the tire guide (http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5021)

[kimona]

The funy thing is 90% of ppl that are asking these tire questions just daily drive there car... and in no way realy need all the info we are giving them about tires.... they just need to know if they are with in the 3% recommended by the manufacture... and for that, I recommend the tire guide (http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5021)

Quite right. A lot of well intentioned information that is probably unnecessary and just plain confusing.

But the fact is, most of us just want really nice looking daily drivers with cool wheels and tires that fit well and perform well under very average everyday driving conditions. And, for that, we have all kinds of options within safe and acceptable parameters, some which don't conform to the norm, and many of which probably wouldn't work best on the track.

[Black Yaris]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ichiba-15MM-Wheel-Spacers-Adapter-Scion-XA-XB-MR2-Yaris_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ42614QQihZ012QQit emZ220149582470QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
spacers/studs to run a staggared set up

[kimona]

Ichiba makes some excellent hubcentric spacers. Most of us would only need 5 to 10mm rear spacers to make things fit a little better.

[Black Yaris]

yeah I just posted the 15's.... but the same seller has 5 and 10's as well