Hey community,

I'm posting up one of my many questions here, lets see if someone can't tell me a thing or two...

So it's winter here and come spring it is time to get some new tires, I've figured i can buy all 4 new tires if each is under $100. I did some tire research at tirerack.com and have found i like the sumitomo HTR Z III. I'm a youngin so i like to drive hard at times. I also want a tire with a speed rating of at least H sense thats what was factory on my 4 cyl accord.

Questions:

1. If i get tires in one of the sizes below, all i need is a 16, 17, or 18 inch rim?
2. Can anyone comment on this particular tire?
3. Any other tire suggestions: 16" or 17"? (worried about an 18" tire)
4. Is having a W,Y or Z speed rated tire going to make a dif. vs. H or V rated?

tire sizes i believe to be for my car... 205/60-16, 215/50R17, 215/45-18

 

1) Yeah, the wheel diameter corresponds to the tire diameter. TireRack will have the fitment covered when you enter your car's information - bolt circle, offset, brake clearance, stuff like that.

3) I got Yoko S.drive tires on my Saabaru, seem OK so far (only got em last summer).

4) Generally they tend to be stiffer, but the difference between one tire model vs/ another makes more difference than H/V/W/Y/Z. You don't NEED higher speed rating unless you drive over 120mph for long periods of time. I know IA is flat, but really...

Stock tires on EX are 205/60-16, right? 215/50-17 is a bit smaller, but 225/50-17 is a bit bigger in overall tread diameter. Got potholes? Think about the slightly larger one so you have a bit more sidewall.

 

Thank you for the quick reply Jim,

Those S. Drives do look like a viable choice for the honda, guess when i researched they didn't have the best reviews from customers but they are rated about the same. they are worth an extra look.

No i wont be driving over 120 mph regularly, i just found that on my old all seasons i could hit about 110 on this straight away near my house. same stretch of road with the winter tires and it was just getting to 100mph before i had to stop. The all seasons are H rated so i just fancy thinking i can go even faster with real good rated tires. haha iowa IS flat... and with higher rated tires isnt it stiffer you say= better handling or no?

yes, 205/60-16 is stock (tiny tires) and i dont quite follow with the potholes, yeah we have loads of pot holes in this #&@$hole town. will the larger tread length be better with them? also if so, is that going to fit the car?

 

Higher-speed ratings generally go along with stiffer tires = sharper handling. But there are exceptions of stiff tires with relatively low speed ratings.

Smaller rim diameter with taller sidewall (16") gives you more cushion when you hit a pothole. Larger rim diameter with shorter sidewall (17" or even 18") will be more likely to get bent on potholes.

To a smaller extent, simply choosing a larger tire with the same wheel diameter (225/50-17 instead of 215/50-17) gives you a little bit more cushion. Both are within a couple % of your stock tire overall tread diameter.

 

All right, Jim i fully understand what you're saying now. thank you. I think i do like the sound of a wider tire for summer driving. The more handling precision i can get the better!

This still leaves question #2 and #3 open for anyone else. I haven't made my mind up at all yet so any tire suggestions would be great! any high performance all season or summer tires would be considered. Just let me know if you've found a tire you like so i might join the club.

thanks guys/gals
austin

 

I just did a price comparison on tirerack.com and found that there is a $35 price increase from the 215/50/17 to the 225/50/17 for the sumitomos. why is that?

 

well, it depends on what look your going for. as far as wheels size how much fender gap do you wanna try and fill. i put 235-40-18 on my accord fits great i lowered mine alittle still fits wonderfully and with a 40 series sidewall kinda hard to bend wheels unless you hit a large pot hole at 50 mph

 

The one thing i don't understand is how a set width rim can hold a wider tire than usual.

http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires...tire_dimen.gif

I would love to get 17 or 18 inch tires with the extra width, but this price increase is just bizarre.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes....num=15YR7HTRZ3

 

The sidewalls can flex in or out to accomodate a narrower or wider rim. On that drawing, imagine the beads of the tire being squeezed closer together or farther apart.

Go to TireRack.com & select your tire (at least select a similar tire). On the "specifications" tab it lists the acceptable range of rim width for each size of that tire.

About the price, well, I don't know. Just a guess, but maybe certain sizes are common to a LOT of different cars so they might be cheaper because they can make tons of tires in that particular size. Or maybe it's just free-market pricing - charge as much as you can get away with.

 

Boy are the prices different, price out a set of 19" tires and match them up against a set of 18 " ones in the same width...