A couple of months ago I succumbed to a spot of impulse-buying and allowed Paul at TSL to talk me into leaving the premises with a set of RIM2000's.

I am nearly at the point now where the John Deere specials on my standard 15" wheels are ready for replacement (I suppose they were from new - really!) and am now looking to boot up these new wheels.

Given their width (16" x 7.5"), however, I am not certain if the standard 205s will span the gap. Can anybody advice me on the optimum size for these wheels (which I fear are gonna project past the wheel arches!)?

Ta muchly in advance,
Canuck

 

Hi m8
205/50 x16 is the correct size
check out www.rimstock.co.uk
all the info you need is there

Gary

 

Thanks for that, SSI, I was aware of the Team Dynamics site but still have a conceptual problem ...

Clearly I need educating cos I don't understand how one tyre size can serve all wheel widths and yet give optimum contact area. For a start perhaps I don't fully understand the relationship between the 205 parameter and width of the tyre. Here's why I am confused:

15 x 6" wheel --> 205/55 tyre
16 X 7" wheel --> 205/50 tyre
17 x 7" wheel --> 205/45 tyre

Clearly here the lower profile tyre (with same width on larger wheel) is to maintain speedo calibration with appropriate rolling circumference. Yet how does one tyre width adequately span a gap covering a range of two inches?

17 x 8.5" wheel (e.g., 22B) --> 235/40 tyre

Now you see bigger tyre for wider wheel at same wheel diameter.

I've also read that with Supertourismo wheels 17 x 7" you can run either 205/45 or 215/40 tyres. The idea is that you get a flatter contact area with the larger (read wider) tyre.

So, I understand that the recommended tyre for 16" wheels is 205/50, when the wheel is 7 inches wide (I assume). But with the 7.5"-wide wheels I have it would seem to me that (offset considered of course) the more appropriate tyre would be a wider one. For instance, you can get 16-inch SO2's in the following sizes:

205/50 (of course)
215/55 (for a wider tyre??)
225/55 (for a wider tyre??)
225/50 (for a wider tyre??)
215/40 (for a wider tyre??)

Of course I can get advice from the tyre supplier, but am not confident that they will have the best answer regarding the appropriate tyre for handling, wheel-arch clearance, etc on the Impreza Turbo (with Eibachs), and want to be able to have an educated conversation.

Help would be very much appreciated. I only hope that by being good and posting this in the right forum this question (completely stupid it may be ) gets enuff attention.

Surely this BBS is for just this reason, rather than the supplement to non-existant social lives for purile boys with sweaty palms that one might get the impression reading some of the posts om the GENERAL section!

C'mon R E A L Scooby drivers - gimme a hand here!!

Keith




[Edited by Canuck - 1/29/2002 5:16:06 PM]

[Edited by Canuck - 1/30/2002 10:02:37 AM]