Hi there,

I need some advice. I am leaning very heavily toward the ASA AR1s which are 17x7. The Tire Rack website doesn't state what offset the wheels are, but they recommend a 205/45-17 tire.

So to the point now... I will be running the car with NM springs. I see a lot of people running a 215/40-17.

I'm a little unsure what to go with. In a way I would kind of like the slightly taller sidewall because the roads here are crap.

Can anyone here chime in and say what size they would go with and why?

Sorry if this has been beat to death already. I do appreciate the help.

EDIT: I will be running a summer tire too, not an all-season as this is a summer only car (if that makes a difference).

 

I don't know much about 17" sizes, but the 205/45/17 TR recommends is the OEM size, with a 215/40/17 being about .5" smaller in diameter. If you prefer a somewhat larger diameter for your crappy roads, a 215/45/17 would be about .4" larger in diameter than the OEM size. All of these sizes should fit and work okay, but the smaller the diameter compared to OEM, the lower the effective gearing (but might not be enough to notice), and the more the speedometer will "over-read" mph.

Before deciding on size, however, you might make sure the sizes you're considering all offer the specific tire you want.

 

I haven't decided on a tire yet. I was hoping to figure out a size first and then choose a tire.

Any other feedback anyone? Even just tell me what you're running and if you like it. I've been reading lots of threads and can't seem to find an answer about whether a 45 series is too tall for a mildly lowered car or if 40 is the better bet.

 

205/45-17 will fit your lowered car without rubbing. You are talking about lowering 1" or so, not slamming it on the ground; right??

As for tires??? I've decided that my MINI is all-weather capable, so I've minus 1 my wheels/tires to 16" for the winter months. Im running 16x7" Sparco wheels with 205/50R16 Dunlop Graspic winter studless tires. The offset of these 16" wheels are 37mm with a 5.51" backspacing.

For the summer, I'm not sure if I'm going 17" (for ride quality) or 18" (for looks). If I go 17", I'm still sticking with the 205/45-17 tires. I looked at a 17x7.5" wheel with a 37mm offset also.

Those 17x7" ASA's you're looking at are a 42mm offset with a 5.71" backspacing. They'll fit just fine, with a JCW or HR, etc. 1" lowering spring set. As Jim Michaels said, 215/40-17 will work too.

For a tire type? I guess it depends on where you drive / how you drive and your budget. (Also, I have to mention that I've ditched my runflat tires for something that rides softer.) I've always liked Continental Conti-Sport Contact tires (1, 2 and 3), but others may disagree. Having run them on my E30 BMW, I LOVED them in the rain! The only criticism I can find, is they will dry rot in four or five years, if you store your car as opposed to driving it.

 

I went from 205/45/17 runflats to 215/45/17 Michelin Exalta PE2 non-runflats and wish I did it when my car was brand new.

They look great, Ride Great, Stick like glue and do not Hydroplane at all in a good solid Florida Monsoon.

They fit perfect and do not rub even with my GF"s two ton mom in the car.

 

OMGOsh! LOL@ ""do not rub even with my GF"s two ton mom in the car""

 

Perhaps I'll just throw out a more generic question, why would someone/anyone choose a 215/40/17 versus a 215/45/17? I guess I just want to understand the reasoning of picking one over the other.

Jim, thanks for the size information too, that's helpful. I thought a 215 was actually only wider than a 205 but it's actually almost half an inch larger in diameter as well? Hmm...

Thanks for the feedback everyone and ronnie I laughed my *** off at that comment!

 

Re your generic question, there is about .8" difference in tire diameter between the 215/40 and 215/45. Some people apparently like the shorter tire, while others prefer the taller tire. On otherwise identical tires, the shorter sidewall should flex less and provide a somewhat sportier feel on turn-in, while the taller sidewall should provide a somewhat more comfortable ride and offer more wheel protection when hitting pot holes. I don't know how noticeable those differences would be, however.

There may also be preferences based on looks; the smaller diameter (shorter) tire effectively lowers the car by about half the diameter difference. Thus, the 215/40 shod car will be about .4" lower than the 215/45 shod car. But some say the taller tire "fills out the wheel well" better.

Finally, there may be preferences based on what specific tires are available in the different sizes. There may be a broader range of tires available in one of the sizes.

The same replacement tire size issue applies in the 16" and 15" sizes as well. For example, those wanting to switch from the OEM 195/55/16 size to slightly wider rubber get to mull over the 205/50 versus the 205/55; or whether they should even move up to a 215 width.

The second number in the tire size triad (the 40 or 45 in this case) is the aspect ratio, which indicates the sidewall measure as a percentage of the tire's width measure. Thus, a 215/45 tire should have a sidewall of about 97 mm (215 mm X .45), while a 215/40 tire should have a sidewall of about 86 mm (215 mm X .40). That's about a 11 mm difference, which is about .4". Hey, the math actually seems to work out right.

That's what I think I know. Corrections are invited.

 

Well there you go, I learned something new today. Thanks a lot, that is really helpful information and once again, I appreciate your help.

I think I will most likely go with a 215/45/17 and hope for the best. I suppose I could stick with the stock size of 205/45/17 but a little extra meat couldn't hurt I figure...

 

Good choice, I think. The 215/45/17 size will probably also provide another bonus that I didn't mention. If your speedometer currently "over-reads" mph (e.g., shows 65 when your GPS says you're doing 62) as most of our speedos apparently do, the slightly taller tire should reduce speedometer error. It should also similarly reduce odometer over-read error. That's because the taller tire will be making fewer revolutions per mile than the OEM size.

 

you may also want to consider that if you are running these with winter tires (you said you have a separate set of summers), narrower tires will perform better in snow. and the larger the tire, the more $$ to replace (not much compared with a 205, however).

brad