ok im still on my stock ls sport 16s with the @!#$ty ass stock gm tires. whats the widest tire i can fit on there? i rather not throw off the speedo and if i do its as little as possible.

so whats the max? 225/55/16? i read in the tire size/rim faq and it showed 225/45/16. why was the series downsized form a 55 to a 45?
this isnt for show or anything, i just need more tire on the ground and dont feel like buying 17's
id love to be able to fit a 235 or 245 on there. would i have to change to a 45 series or a 40? i dont want a smaller diameter tire.. i have traction problems as it is. just a wider one

You have to lower the aspect ratio(sidewall height) of the tire when you increase the width in order to keep the overall height of the tire as close to stock as possible. This is to allow the speedometer to remain as accurate as possible, like you wanted. The size calculator is correct - listen to it.


"If everybody's thinking alike, somebody isn't thinking."

-General George S. Patton

ok but what is the widest tire i can fit on the ls sport 16 even if it throws off the speedo a bit? 225? 235 245?

My 205-55-16 rub a little at lock to lock.

You probably do 225's then dremel a little out of the wheel well. (plastic cover)

You should be able to get away with 225/50/16, and have the speedo read within 1 mph off at most.




PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO

lots of people run 225/50R16. It is very close to the same height as 205/55R16. They fit fine on stock rims.

Nick


Go Go OG Traction!!

sweet. good to know

Not to thread jack, but does the 225/50/16 still provide a strong sidewall under hard cornering?


"We ride together. We die together. Bad boys for life."

Yeah and its better because its a smaller side wall. I would go with the 225/50/16 if you want to keep the stock wheels.


2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier

ok so 225/50/16 it is

my last question is what about stock cavalier 15's?

i have a spare pair with a set of falken rt-215's on. 205/50/15. im lookin at a set of BF good drag radials. im assuming the 15 and 16 are the same with. so i should be able to fit a 225/50/15 on there shouldnt i? these are just for drag radials and wont be used too often.

To answer the performance questions, there are a few factors to consider:

The sidewall should still be about the same height as the factory size. The lower aspect ratio on the wider tire is to keep the sidewall height the same, and in doing so, the overall height the same, which keeps your speedo reading accurately, as well as your suspension geometry to work properly.

The wider tire with the lower aspect ratio will have more of a tread contact patch, which is the main reason it's going to handle better.

A 225/50 tire may overbulge on a stock 6" wide rim. It's designed for a 7"-8" rim width. This can actually reduce the effectiveness of the wider contact patch.

For a low profile tire to work it's best, the tread width should be close to the rim width. This keeps the sidewall and tread sitting as they are designed.

Quiklilcav wrote: A 225/50 tire may overbulge on a stock 6" wide rim. It's designed for a 7"-8" rim width. This can actually reduce the effectiveness of the wider contact patch.

Tirerack says it will work will a 6"-8" wheels and many people run that size on the stock wheel. I would not worry about that. You will also be fine with the 225/50/15 BFG drags, they are a bit shorter than the 16's. With that being said, its better for the gear ratios for drag. I am going with 215/60/14 bfg drags and those are about 1" shorter, I think the 225/50/15 are 2"s shorter. Goodluck.


2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier

Just so you know. Running a wider tire on a narrow wheel will cause the sidewall to look very "ballooned." The sidewall will not be very stiff either. It will, in fact, be very soft compared to mounting it on a wider wheel. This is why a lot of the import drifter guys run really wide wheels and skinny tires (225/45-17's on a 17x9 is not uncommon). Very stiff sidewall. You CAN fit 225/50-16's on the stock wheels... but if you really need more contact patch... that won't work because the narrow wheel will cause the tire to be rounded at the contact patch (because the tire won't be square on the wheel, it will balloon).

It's a waste of money and will look crappy. Get new wheels or find a set of stock wheels from any other car that has 5x100 bolt pattern that are wider. You can find them cheap.

I think it looks mean and aggressive. The contact patch can be fixed by adjusting air pressure.


2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier

Ok, threadjack time!

If 205's have a 55 aspect ratio and 225's have a 50 aspect ratio, what would 215's be? 55 or 50?

threadjacking over


1971 camaro 427 --- here!

Stock... and loving every minute of it.

Not all 205's are 55 and same for the 225/50. Look on tirerack.com for more info.


2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier

20Rob05 wrote:Just so you know. Running a wider tire on a narrow wheel will cause the sidewall to look very "ballooned." ...You CAN fit 225/50-16's on the stock wheels... but if you really need more contact patch... that won't work because the narrow wheel will cause the tire to be rounded at the contact patch (because the tire won't be square on the wheel, it will balloon)

Ummm...didn't I just say that?

I put 225/50/15s on my Cavalier and I was disappointed. I went back to the 205/60/15s I had before. I saved my money and now I have 15x7 Gram Lights and the 225/50 wheels fit right and the offset on the wheels is enough that they don't rub. But you'll need to get the speedo fixed because it's like 3 or 4 mph off. The positive trade-off is it's like having a shorter gear set so it accelerates a bit faster.