This thread is for any discussions regarding tires, what you have, what you like, what sizes have been tried and tested etc.

To start, I'm curious to know if anyone has tried a 215/45/17 yet?

 

i have a set of wheels off my VW that i believe should fit, but they have 215/55-16 tires on them. what do you think, way too tall? these are my winter tires and wheels.

 

should fit but you'll need centering rings for the hub

 

Yes ... stock fitment is 195/55-16. Overall tire diameter should be within ±3% of the factory specification.

Tire Size Comparison

 

I'm running 215 49 18's summer and 215 45 17's winter. There's about 3/8" side clearance from the front shock. More at the back. Mini rims btw.
My summer pilot super sports are noisier than the 205 45 17" hankook run flat performance tires that came with the car.

 

this may be true if you are concerned with what the factory recommends. Many people simply aren't and will try other options.

odd that they're noisy? check your pressure? I've have MPSS on 3 cars now and the road noise has been about the same or quieter depending which car...

 

Those Hankooks are quiet. Pretty impressive tires. Also I now have more tire on the pavement. What pressure are you running?

 

Tires 101.

What are the benefits of going to a lower/wider/taller tire? Why not use the same size tire as came with the car?

 

For me I run 18" wheels because I hate the gap between the tires and the wheel arch ,17" are fine and used them for years on my R56. The 215's are more aggressive and stick like glue. Also I don't use runflats and the suspension is tuned for those tires. Lower profile sidewalls mean that tires roll less during hard cornering. The bad side are when low profile tires hit potholes....less distance to the edge of the rim...

 

From the Tire Rack ...

 

Tirerack shipped a set of Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2 tires to my tire shop.Being installed Monday.Size 215-45-17.A little more sidewall than stock 205's,should vastly improve noise and comfort from the Pireli P7 runflats.I will report back next week...

 

Looking forward to the results

 

I have a question. When it comes time for winters, should I just get winter tires and have them swapped out on my stock 17" wheels, or buy a set of wheels just for the winters? I had been toying with the idea of getting some basic 16s or 15s for winter time.

 

I have always had separate wheels/tires for winter.Save those nice alloys from the winter elements.I use tirerack and go with steel wheels, one inch less diameter than stock.Right now tirerack does not have steelies available but should by snow season.Also you wont be spending 80-100$ to mount / balance twice a year.

 

Same. Except I use my original rims for winter and buy JCW's for summer.

 

I don't rely on the car speedo anyway, and I turn off the annoying nannies as well. But this information is accurate, and the majority of consumers will not experiment with different sizes.

 

Then what pray tell do you use when on the highways and byways of our great nation?

 

Agreed,but the difference between 205/45 and 215/45 are minimal..in addition the speedo in our cars read high.The slight increase will improve accuracy,increase footprint and help with potential wheel damage.
Happy Independence to everyone!!

 

gps based (rather accurate)

 

what makes it "official"?

 

because I'm a Boss and what I say is OFFICIAL!

or just cuz it helps prevent several threads popping up for the same topic.

 

I had tires installed yesterday,only drove 30 or so miles,mostly wet roads.Road noise And harshness much improved over the runflats.I will do some aggresive driving once they are broken in and have some heat cycles on them.The runflats did handle well with good turn in, I am expecting not to lose too much there.They look great also!!The Pireli's have 900 miles on them if anyone is interested.I will report back in a couple of days.

 

^which tires did you have installed? glad to hear you ditched the runcraps

 

Had the Hankooks installed.. High perf. all season

 

Quick update on swapping out runflat.I've put 600 miles on the Hankooks,and could not be happier,so much quieter and harshness gone.No longer feel every pebble or crack in the road,Still handles great with slightly more sidewall flex at their limit.Highly recomended ,ditch those cementflats.Picked up a mini compressor/slime kit at walmart for $20 .