I was curious about R53 tire/wheel choices. Here are the factors:

1) I'd like something that is good for 3 seasons and light snow. Summer tires are out. Additional rims/tires are out. I own too many vehicles and too many sets of dedicated winter/summer tires for them. Out of space in my garage.

2) Something that keeps the car handling great. I had a set of 215/45 17 SA07 Westlakes on aftermarket rims installed on my mini and while they were great for the sub $40 dollar tires they were, the mismatched Antilles (front) Antares (rear) tires that I currently have in 205/40 17 outhandle those.

3) Reduce the likelihood of pothole damage. They don't take care of the roads here and one of my tire's sidewalls already has an egg on it.

4) Tires that keep the gas mileage up but probably not LRR (I put a set of LRR tires on my FXT and that compromised the handling more than I'd like).

5) Could I get a smaller rim with a larger sidewall and higher profile tires? I use a harbor freight manual tire changer and bubble balancer because I try to stay as independent as possible. These 45 series tires are next to impossible or impossible to get onto rims with a manual tire changer.

Lots of conflicts here, but thought that I would ask.

Thanks.

 

16" "wheels" fit, depending on what calipers you have, 15" wheels may also fit.
You can do an easy search for tires. Both width and diameter. Most tire store web sites have comparison charts.
I did the same to my 05. Went down to 16" wheels (from the stock 17"), but went "up" one tire diameter from stock.

Mike

 

I am using Enkei PF01 wheels and Continental DWS06 205x45x17 all season tires.

The wheels are very lightweight but very strong and I selected the black finish to reduce the visible brake dust and dirt.

Overall great wheels and great tires that work in all the seasons.

The only thing to my choices is I don't believe the potholes would be good; not really good for any wheels and tires.

I agree with OCR, 16" wheels and tires give you a little more protection for potholes.

 

Yep, thanks MiniKar. Tired of the potholes and any protection I can get from them is helpful. Impossible to avoid sometimes especial on rural 2 lane roads with an 18 wheeler oncoming.

Did you all notice any handling degradation when going from 17" to 16" OCR? What exact tire size are you running? Also, which calipers would stop me from running 16 inch or 15 inch tires?

 

I can tell you from experience that the KOSEI K1 Racing in 15 inch will clear the OEM R53 calipers. They are a strong wheel and relatively inexpensive. The 195/60x15 while not the "hot" set-up will give you a higher sidewall thereby soaking up the bumps and pot-holes. There are a bunch of excellent all-season tires from which to chose. You may find a wider tire but keep whatever you find close to the 24.3 inch diameter.

 

OK, Your roads are very bad and you are on 205/40-17 tires?

If you want to keep your OEM 17" rims and you have OEM suspension then you want to consider 215/45-17 tires in All Season. But it seems like you are shopping for budget tires so -

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve...=true&filter=y

Yokohama Advan Sport A/S $114 each, 440 treadwear, good comfort ratings from owners, special closeout price, in stock at tirerack
Tirerack test result:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=222
BFG g-Force Comp 2 A/S got better traction but not as comfortable for street driving, $124 each
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ does everything well but costs more

For budget tires-
Riken Raptor ZR A/S $76 each, 300 treadwear, not bad
Tirerack test:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=233
Results weren't good in wet and seems it was noisy and not so comfortable

For comfort
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 has decent grip and is comfortable for street use. $128 each, 560 treadwear, XL load rated for stiffer sidewall
Tirerack test results vs the top in this class:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=241

Using 16" wheels you can choose 16x7" and tire sizes like 205/50-16 or 205/55-16 or 225/50-16. Taller sidewall does flex better but you loose some responsiveness in handling. Tire diameter of 24.9" is OK with OEM suspension.

Using 15" wheels you can choose 15x7" and tire sizes can be more narrow down to 175/65-15 but tire selection is limited. 195/60-15 is a good place to start
Performance All Season tires are hard to find in this size, better to consider Grand Touring All Season which favors less noise and ride comfort over handling and grip but it's still OK for daily use.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve...=true&filter=y
Many are priced under $100 per tire, compared to UHP All Season tires these are all less responsive but easy to live with for bad roads and they vary with use in snow or wet.

 

A bit of a thread bump. Apologies if the OP already purchased the set of tires.

I was helping my kid with his car last week and noticed that the tires on the R53 were nearly bald, down to 2/32. The Sumitomo all seasons are supposedly good for a 45K tire warranty, however, it looks like 15K of commuter miles was all they were good for. Cheap tire and a little (a lot) disappointed in their quick death on a relatively light vehicle.

We decided to go with the Continental DWS06 since we’ve had good luck with them on our Cayenne that nearly weighs 2x the R53.

The $70 gift card “rebate” helps a little too.

 

Going through a few of these tire threads I’m surprised I haven’t seen mention of General. Same manufacturer as Continental and dare I say better all around tire. I had a set of the AS05s back to back with the DSWs. The AS05s wore better and I had two less blow outs than with the DSWs in similar amount of miles.
Both 205/50 16 on the factory 5 spokes...I’d pick the Generals any day of the week.