which size tires for 16" rims?

[tekmoe]

205/45 or 205/50? the price difference on the tires i want to buy is only $1. which ones should i get? i'm concerned about road noise so i am leaning towards the 205/50.

anyone have anything to chime in and help a poor chap who just spent all his money on new rims and suspension stuff?

[SmellyTofu]

The proper size is 195/50R16. This meets the weight rating and also maintains rolling diameter.

[tekmoe]

Originally Posted by SmellyTofu

The proper size is 195/50R16. This meets the weight rating and also maintains rolling diameter.

the majority of people are going with 205/45 and 205/50 with 16" rims. i've even seen a couple of people go with 205/40 but that's too low of a profile IMO. i'll probably end up going with 205/45. with the trd suspension kit, the 45's will look good. if the car was still on the stock suspension i'd go with the 205/50.

[GabL]

Originally Posted by tekmoe

the majority of people are going with 205/45 and 205/50 with 16" rims. i've even seen a couple of people go with 205/40 but that's too low of a profile IMO. i'll probably end up going with 205/45. with the trd suspension kit, the 45's will look good. if the car was still on the stock suspension i'd go with the 205/50.

Just FYI, you don't go with the tire size that "looks good" with your suspension setup, you go with the tire size that match with the original diameter. i.e. for 16" wheel, the best fit is 195/50 R16. With 205/45 or 205/50, you're either getting a smaller wheel or a bigger wheel than stock, which means your speedometer will be off.

Try this website to find the correct tire size for your wheel: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[SmellyTofu]

Not to mention if you go 205/45R16, you will not meet the weight index of the original tyres.

[tekmoe]

you know guys, as much as i'd like to stay as close to stock as possible, it's not worth the extra $200 i would have to pay to get 195/50 tires. there's not much selection with those measurements. kumho has some but i don't think kumho is very good from previous experiences.

thanks for the insight though.

[SmellyTofu]

Well, modifying cars is not cheap and my tyres were cheaper than 205/50R16 so you're not looking hard enough.

[Black Yaris]

215-45-16 would be the best if on a 7 inch wide wheel, it keeps the over all diameter to with in 1/10 of an inch from stock. I still love my 225-50-15 corners like a dream, and the wide footprint helps on accel and braking, plus I do not have the extra weight of a 16inch wheel

[Nimble]

First off, the preachers to the 195/50 16 are wrong in saying that is the ONLY size to go with to stay in stock range. The base model gets 175/65 14, so when moving up a inch, Toyota should of went with 175/60 15's, not 185/60 15's right? That's what your argument backs. And of course that would be wrong saying you cannot go up a single 10mm in width with the same aspect ratio (profile). The difference in those 2 raises the car like a tenth of a inch and would change the speedo accuracy about 1 mph. It wasn't enough for Toyota to make a fuss about, so you 2 clowns shouldn't either.

Now the above rant is backing the move to a SLIGHTLY larger rolling diameter 205/50 16 than the stock 185/60 15. It does NOT back the OP's thoughts of moving to a 205/45 16, that is too small a rolling diameter, and the speedo will read high, the car will be a 1/2"lower than if using a proper size, and it wil appear higher because of the added wheel well gap.

CORRECT TIRE SIZES FOR POPULAR 15/16/17 COMBOS

15"= either 195/55 15 or 205/55 15
16"= either 195/50 16 or 205/50 16
17"= either 205/45 17 or 215/40 17

[SmellyTofu]

There are 2 original sizes.

- Poverty models = 175/65R14 82H = 185/60R14 82H = 195/50R15 82H
- Others = 185/60R15 84H = 195/50R16 84H

But anyhow, what do I know. You seem to be the god of it all resorting to personal attacks. It's your car, who gives a flying toss.

[Nimble]

I don't know if you understand that for every 20mm in width increase, the aspect ratio has to go down 5 to maintain the stock size. If you knew that already, disregard.

So 185/60 15 is the same as 205/55 15.
And 175/65 14 is the same as 195/60 14

I only made a big fuss because you seemed to be having a hissy fit over the 195/50 16 being the only one "rated" for the weight. Are you kidding me? This is a 2200lb car....ONE size up or down will make no difference. Learn before you spout out.

[SmellyTofu]

Learn before you spout out.

Sorry, please explain.

[cleong]

I don't think there was a need to call anyone a preacher or a clown (in the same paragraph, no less) when he points something out to a person who clearly has little clue, which was why he was asking in the first place.

[cleong]

Just to add on my thoughts:

Wouldn't both the 205/45 and 205/50 have essentially the same contact patch? Since the threadstarter is concerned about noise, both should be quite similar.

Unless I am missing something, a difference in sidewall height (which is what it really is between the two choices) would change the comfort. A smaller sidewall makes the ride a little harsher because there is less sidewall to cushion it.

In order to reduce noise don't you have to reduce the contact patch, ie, go to a tire with a narrower profile width?

[Nimble]

Originally Posted by cleong

Just to add on my thoughts:

Wouldn't both the 205/45 and 205/50 have essentially the same contact patch? Since the threadstarter is concerned about noise, both should be quite similar.

Unless I am missing something, a difference in sidewall height (which is what it really is between the two choices) would change the comfort. A smaller sidewall makes the ride a little harsher because there is less sidewall to cushion it.

In order to reduce noise don't you have to reduce the contact patch, ie, go to a tire with a narrower profile width?

Yes, they would have a very similar contact patch, the 45 aspect ratio having the least rollover in turns. The 45 tire woud have roughly a tenth of a inch wider contact patch.

[cleong]

Originally Posted by Nimble

Yes, they would have a very similar contact patch, the 45 aspect ratio having the least rollover in turns. The 45 tire woud have roughly a tenth of a inch wider contact patch.

Which means that while hardly noticeable, the 50 tire will be the quieter one - we have a winner!

See, that wasn't so hard, was it?

[tmyers82]

I hate to drag this thread on because of my lack of knowledge, but I still need help. If I understand correctly 205 is the width of the tire tread, 50 is the height of the side wall, and 16 is the size of the wheel. Compared to a 195/50/16 I would think because the 205 is wider it would give better traction. Knowing very little I'm trying to decide what tires to get. Someone even told me 205/45/16 Does anyone have pictures of these different sizes they could add to the thread for a visul comparison?

[Nimble]

Originally Posted by cleong

Which means that while hardly noticeable, the 50 tire will be the quieter one - we have a winner!

See, that wasn't so hard, was it?

I don't recall saying the 50 series wasn't quieter. Also, my above post was in regard to 205/50 16, not 195/50 16, which is a lower rolling diameter tire than the 205. The aspect ratio is a % of the width. So not all 50 series will be the same height.