I've searched but did not come across any pictures of 225/45/16's on any cars. It's that time of year again to replace my tires and I'm considering going wider. If possible. I'm running 205/50/16's currently with stock suspension. The wheels are 16x7 with 42mm offset.

I'd like to see some pictures if anyone has some. I'm concerned about the wheel gap. I have a set of 215/40/17's I use on the track and have used prior to my 16's some 215/45/17's and like the feel of the shorter sidewall. It seems 225/45/16's would be just a tad faster than stock but not very bad and will give my the increase contact patch I'm considering.

 

Yes i second this, im on m7 springs and want to run rs2's

 

You can probably find pictures of r-compound tires in this size (autox or track) in applicable forum(s). It should work well. Currently running 215/45/16 myself but thinking of bumping up to 225 next time.

 

I have been using 224/45/16 size for almost two years and it works very well. However, there are a couple of things to be aware of:

1. You may get a small amount rubbing on the inner wheel well depending on the wheel offset & particular tire you use. However it's not hard to fix (and mostly fixes itself).

2. The rims *must* be at least 7" wide - and 7.5" is best. Tirerack sells a couple of rims in that size for the Mini.

3. Depending on the wheel offset, you may need to use small spacers (e.g. 3mm) to clear the strut towers. People here have a lot of strong opinions on spacers (good & bad). But IMHO as long as you use them in conjunction with a lug nut conversion, spacers are great/cheap way to improve handling. I currently run 5mm spacers in the rear & 8mm in the front (to help reduce understeer).

FYI, I highly recommend the BF Goodrich g-Force T/A KDW 2 in that size. They have tons of grip, lots of grip, good road feel, etc. etc. Tirerack sells those too.


Here's a picture:

 

Looks great works4me. SSR comps? What does your final offset come out to be with the spacers?

 

Works4me, it appears you're on stock springs,at least lowered very little,correct?I was wondering if the 225's will work on say Hsports and stock struts/shocks?I don't have a problem using spacers for clearance.

Thanks for your input,
Bill

 

Our track ****/daily driver is dropped ~1.75" from stock on our TSW/AST coilovers, -2.7* of camber in the front, -1.5* in the rear (toe is neutral up front, slight toe in for the rear).

For the street, we run Enkei RS7's, 17x7, +42, with 215/40R17's... These are fine.

For DE's and autocross, we've been running 16x7 OZ Ultraleggeras with a +37 offset and 225/45R16 Hankook RS-2's - this required cutting the lip off the inside of the fender flares AND removing some of the fender liner in the front... Dremel is your friend!

BTW, with our suspension setup and the RS-2's, we've seen sustained cornering G's of 1.19... With "2nd tier" r-comps (e.g. RA-1's), we've seen 1.45 sustained.

P.S. There's nothing quite as fun as passing people on r-comps in a Justacooper on street tires...

 

Thats kinda what i figured,that if the car is lowered you would need at least some fender/liner mods for clearance.In the pic of Works4me's car,it appears either the cars not shod with the 225/45/16's or the car is not lowered.JMHO.Thanks

 

Actually I have aftermarket adjustable coilovers with the car currently lowered about 1.25". Some tires have rubbed, some have not. However my suspension is set *very* stiff, so that probably helped.

But I'd go on the assumption you'd have to trim some no matter what...

 

Thought I would bring up the 215/50R16 size which stays with stock OD size. Rather uncommon but BFGoodrich offers a good all season and summer tire in this size as well as a few other brands. With your +42 offset you probably should clear rubbing with R53s on 225s. With the +45 offset and a 5mm spacer (giving you 40) most 225s work. I run 225/50R16 on +45mm for autocross on a stock R56 with no rubbing. You can check your tire specs but mine were okay on a 6.5" rim, so you probably dont need to get new wheels for a wider tire.

 

16x7.5ET43 SSR's with 225/45 A048's. Cross coilovers....-1.7F and -1.4R camber. No rubbing issues.