Changing over to 17x7" w/ 42 offset.
I can either go 205/45 or 215/45. I dont want 215/40.
What benefit will i feel, if any? or is it just looks.
I dont want any rubbing if I drop the car on H sports.
Usually never have anyone in the back seat.
On weekends only the kids weigh 50lbs each.
THX

 

45 vs 40 should have higher sidewall theoritically ofter ride.Dia of tire will be slightly different.

 

id probably do 215/40/17 if lowered. if not 205/45/17 or 215/45/17.

more selection in 215/45/17, but looks kinda meaty.

 

OK, let me try to clear this up.
205/45 vs 215/45. which is better and why?
215/40... i'm nervous about too harsh a ride, and bustin a rim.

Toyo T1Rs come in all of these.

 

i run 215/45 lowered on 42mm offset with no rubbing.... hope this helped

also, 215/45 fills the wheel well a bit better than 205... but that may not be your goal

 

I have 215/45 with a 45mm offset and have a little rubbing only over deep bumps at a high rate of speed. I have a subbox in the back weighing roughly 35-50 lbs. Just my interpretation of the situation.
-G

 

I'm sure 215/45 rides a bit softer than 205/45 and even more than 215/40.
Filling the wheel well would be nicer, i may not feel the need to lower then.
I want to add a rear sway, and would do springs at the same time, but wouldn't do the swings if the well was filled enough. Make sense?

 

Filling wheel well with wider tire may or may not cause interference.You have to decide if you are going to drop car.If you dont drop car your wheel and tire width are up to you.As soon as you drop car thats when wheel and tire width becomes an issue.

 

I think I'll be ok either way 205 or 215/45.
What is the driving characteristics, what will i gain by going to 215 over 205?

 

on paper, you have a SLIGHTLY bigger contact patch... so in other words, better grip, but remember i did say a very tenny bit

the biggest difference in terms of these two is just the look and ride, honestly though ive never ran 205 before... so i cant give a postive feedback...

 

coopercrazy- you need to narrow down your tire selection first.

just a rough comparison 205/45 vs 215/45 is not going to net you
much constructive response. ofcourse the 205/45 is going to
have a more direct feel for the less rubber there is on the
sidewall..but depending on the tire compound, there's much
variation and much user bias... plus turnability/turn-in response
is all different.

just letting you know.

 

It will be Toyo T1RS.
Can I assume that turnability/turn-in response will be quicker w/ 205/45?
If the advantage of 215 vs 205 is slight, i might as well go 205 to avoid any future problems.
I know different brand tires of the same size can result in different results in terms of rubbing. Can anyone give input on the T1RS?

 

Like Ken said the tire selection should be the determining factor here, I chose 215/40/17 on a 42mm offset, because had concerns about rubbing on 215/45/17, and did not like the way they looked on my friend's car. No rubbing issues btw

 

 

In addition to lowering the car and wheel offset, another factor to take into consideration is wheel width. If you have aftermarket wheels many are wider then OEM and getting the narrower tires can make the rim stick out a bit - it can look a bit funky and leaves the rim exposed to rash damage more then if the tire is wider and fills out the rim better. When I switched to 215/45/17 non- run flats (42 offset) I did not notice any loss of turn in, but I did notice the improved grip

 

 

The wheels are 17x7.
What did you have on the car before the 215/45 non runflats?
Its kind of a tossup, becuase if there is any rubbing, it will be minimal, cuz i rarely have anyone in the back of the car.
If 215 will give me better grip(and a bit softer ride) over 205's it'll be worth it. I guess I should go look at some cars.

How about acceleration issues w/ the larger OD tire?

 

i have 215/45/17 bridgestone S03s.. no rubbing, harshness, no nothing...(stock suspension)..

S03 are some of the harshest riding tires on most cars.. they seem to compliment our car suspension and fill the wheel gap nicely

 

My wheels are 17x7 and the 215s work well - some aftermarket wheels are wider though so I thinking it best to take that into account when buying tires.

The acceleration was improved along with the improved grip of the tires over the stock runflats - I'm sure the little bit of added patch and lighter wheels didn't hurt either :D

 

BTW, i'm coming from 195/50 xlites w/ stock runflats.
W/ kosei k1ts and 215/45s i'll probably drop 2-3lbs per corner.
And lose another lb for 205/45s, and an extra pound for 215/40s.

 

I have been running 215/45/17 T1R's since day one on Flik Wasps in 17 X 7 with 42 offset. No rubbing issues, look and perform great. Lost 7 lbs per wheel from the S-lite/runflat combos.

 

You're at stock height?

 

Yes.

 

Yesterday I put 215/45-17 Yoko AVS ES100's on my '03 MCS and they look GREAT. As you may have read, they are very wide for a 215. I'm at stock height with S-lites and have no rubbing.