I want to get 7.5 inch wide wheels but also want to keep using runflats. Does anyone make a runflat tire wider than a 205 series or can I just use the 205 series on a 7.5 inch wide wheel? My concern is the tire being stretched on the wider wheel. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Check on www.tirerack.com

 

Yes there are wider runflats... BMW M3 and Ferarris use them.
see ajakeski's quote... goto Tirerack, and chat with our sponsor Alex.

 

Yeah, I'm going to have to call Alex. They don't make anything in the 215/45/17 series or 235/40/17 series. I'm trying to keep the diameter as close to OEM as possible. The 215's are 0.3 inches bigger and the 235's are only 0.1 inches bigger. Those are the two that are the closest in the 17 inch range. I don't want to go up to 18 inch wheels. I may just have to stay in the 7 inch wide wheel range.

 

I just posted this...

205/45-17s have a rolling dia of 24.26
215/45-17s have a rolling dia of 24.72

that's a 1.9% larger difference, which will make your speedo/odo read low by that amount...
so if you're traveling a true 60mph, your speed will read 59mph.
BTW, as the tires wear, you'll get closer to the actual speed.

 

why do you want a 7.5" wheel?

Or is it that the wheels you want are 7.5"?

 

It also would raise your car off the ground a quarter inch (noticable believe it or not) as well as get rid of a quarter inch of wheel gap (might cause rubbing though, depending on offset). So you will end up with a higher ride height, even if/when lowered.

A larger diameter tire will also decrease acceleration speed while increasing top speed since it's changing the final drive ratio. At only half an inch difference, this may be less noticable.

 

The wheels I want are 7.5 inches. If there is going to be too many issues with tires sizes and rubbing, I'll just stick with the 7.0 inch wheels and use my current runflat tires.

The two wheels I'm looking at are the ROTA RB 17x7.5's or the ASA AR1 17x7's. Either way, the wheels I want have to be black/gun metal with a polished lip. I'd also like there to be somewhat of a lip.

 

It will be a very small lip, but there will be a little bit.....7.5 isn't really that wide and the offsets are really high.