basically wider is almost always better, the only thing bad about wide tires is they hydroplane easier, wider tyres elongate the contact patch in the left right direction which improves lateral road holding, usually a car can turn alot harder then it can accelerate and in most cases braking as well

also for most cars (with the exception of the smart fortwo) the wheelbase tends to be much larger then the track width, this means lateral load transfer tends to be much greater then front/back weight transfer, meaning while turning only 2 wheels are doing the majority of the work, while the load distribution is much more even during longitudal acceleration/decceleration

all this add's up to WIDER TYRES ARE ALMOST ALWAYS BETTER !!!

this isnt to say you should go and put 300s on a fit, but 205s and 215s are definetly safe bets, tho personally i wouldnt size up to a 225

faults that come with getting a wider tyre is added weight (all else equal a 205 tyre will weigh more then a 195 of same profile and design), and the afformentioned hyrdoplaning, with such a light car hydroplaning is definetly a concern with the fit which is why personally i'd only move up to a 205 max

my 2 cents ^^

 

Thanks KnifeEdge. I understand what you're saying, but the tire HEIGHT is still going to be different because I can't get an exact same size as stock.

tre

 

If I was going 60mph, I would really be going 60.1mph. Pretty damn close IMO.

 

i agree w/KNIFEedge-2k1 w/his selection of tires. before i got my 15x6.5 tires 205x50x15 on i've tried my friends 16x7 215x40x16 the contact and amout of lateral acceleration/deceleration was amazing just gotta love it. it made my FIT glued to the road w/extrem speed around corners. but after i put my set of wheels combo 15" i've notice the throttle and brake response is much more improve due to its light wieght and can be glued to the road as much as the 16s. thats why i kept the 15s on instead.i'll switch again when i lower my ride to test the difference. incase all you wondering the 16" i've tried is the RACING HEART which is the lightest rim available for it's spec 16"x7". mines is only a KONIG HELIUM 15"X6.5" lightest for it's price but i really love to get the VOLKS RACING CE28 which is the lightest rim compared to the MUGEN and SPOONS rating at 8.6lbs can't afford it yet. here's the link to most wheel weights http://www.wheelweights.net/ and http://www.gti-vr6.net/library/wheel...heels_S-Z.html
hope this help all of you for your next set of rims enjoy

 

I made a nifty lil tire size calculator on excel but i dont know how to upload the the excel file onto this forum. I'll give the results however

Btw this is for my LX (base) fit so the OEM tires are 175/65 R14s so that's what the speedo is calibrated for

175/65 R14s
Diamter = 22.96
Circumference = 72.12
% of Original 100

185/55 R15s
Diameter = 23.01
Circumference = 72.29
% of Original 100.24

195/45 R15s
Diameter = 21.91
Circumference = 68.83
% of Original 95.44

195/55 R15s
Diameter = 23.44
Circumference = 73.65
% of Original 102.13

205/45 R16s
Diameter = 23.26
Circumference = 73.09
% of Original 101.34

the 195/45 R15 is the farthest off from stock, for the rest of the choices you dont really need to adjust the speedometer because even at 170kph the farthest you're going to be off from the real speed is 4 kilometers an hour.

also remember that tyres with a smaller circumference compared to stock will give a slightly bigger final gear ratio which will make the car accelerate a bit better while sacrificing top end speed, tyres with bigger circumference compared to stock will give crappier acceleration but better top end speed (assuming the engine has enough power to attain that speed)

if anyone would like the simple tire calculator i made just pm me and ill send it to you, it's quite limited though but is a bit more detailed then the ones ive found on the internet

 

i have 16x7 wheels with 195/45/16 and lowered my car 30 mm, and its rubbing. wud it rub even more if u put 205/45/16?????

 

That's about 1.3 inches for us Americans.

Has anyone tried rolling the fenders to help with the rubbing?

tre

 

I've been hearing of rubbing issues while lowered with aftermarket suspension and a various wheel/tire package.

Where are most people rubbing exactly, front, rear, outside, inside?

 

I am lowered about 2" with 205/45/16s with 38mm offset and with no rubbing issues at all. I think the actual problems might be with tread type. The tread I have is a very flat design for more grip, if you have a more street type tread with larger treading, I think your chances for rubbing on the inside fenderwell is greater(expecially if the tires are brand new).

 

Jits14, what kind of tires do you have? Are they "All-weather", "High Performance all weather", "ultra high performance", etc..?

I have a friend with a lowered GTI that is so low he floats one of his back wheels when he goes off of driveways. He stretches his tires onto his rims, so they are REALLY flat. That's another option too I guess, but its scary having stretched tires, haha.

tre

 

http://www.mastercrafttires.com/us/e...itle=UHP+Tires

they are mastercraft avengers....never heard of them till I bought em
performance tread but not too soft so they last like 35,000miles, I definitely didn't stretch them, its not too good for performance or durability.

 

Just picked up my Fit the other day and man these tires are great. Very responsive, low noise, no side wall flex. So much fun to drive.

 

I have tested the RE960 and they are an improved tire over the RE950 in handling in both wet and dry while retaining the quiet and smooth ride.

 

When it comes to tires, i'm not too bright.

Is there any reason why i cannot or should not use ice/snow/winter tires year round, even in the summer?

Sorry for the dumb question.

Thanks for any help.

 

Think of tires like you would shoes.

Would you wear running shoes to play in the ocean? Would you wear hiking boots to play tennis? Would you wear water shoes to a wedding?

The point is - there are many different types of shoes for us humans. There are also certain types of tires for specific purposes.

The concerns with tires are the forces that are involved with driving. This include acceleration, braking, lateral forces from cornering, etc.

Now, there are a variety of conditions that we drive in - sunshine, rain, snow, ice, hot, cold, etc.

What is best for the conditions that you encounter one day many not be the best for what you encounter the next.

Winter tires, which are good for ice/snow, have a softer compound which allows them to maintain better flexibility in colder temperatures. This softness means that they wear out quicker.

Personally, I have three different types of tires.
1. Generic all-season tires that I run 90% of the time. These are good all-around tires.
2. Winter tires. I run these during the winter months, and when I am running a rally where I will be encountering "non-paved" roads.
3. Autocross/track tires. These are for what it says. When I run autocross events, or go to a track. These tires are extremely grippy but wear very fast.

Most people can make do with all-season tires. You state that you are in North Carolina. Depending on where, and how much snow/ice you get would have something to do with what kind of tires you need.

Personally, I have multiple sets of wheels/tires, and I just swap whatever I need, when I need. I have air tools, and a nice floor jack, and I can change a set of wheels/tires in about 10 minutes. If you know where to watch you can pick up extra wheels relatively cheap (I have several sets of 14" steel wheels that I paid about from $1 to $5 a wheel for, from Honda dealers.)

 

very true, your going to spend alot more money replacing used up winter tires than just haing two sets.

during the summer they are just going to melt. you could end up replacing winter tires multiple times during the summer if you drive enough, and depending on the heat where you live.

is there alot of snow in North Carolina anyway?

 

No, not alot of snow where i live in NC.
More ice than anything else, but even that typically lasts maybe 4-5 days a year tops.

Sounds like i just need some type of all-season tire for all year round.

 

I have used the Falken ZIEX ZE512 205/40/16 for a recent customer and he came back with a consistant pull on his car. We checked alignment, camber, toe, EVERYTHING, nothing seems to be out of the norm. I am getting the tires refunded and I already went ahead and sent the customer off with a set of new Toyo tires to keep him happy. I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this.

Another question:
What tire are you guys all running on 16's? Brand? Specs? I've built about three Fit's at the dealership already, and this is the first with the problem. (I've used both 205/40/16 and a 205/45/16). It could also just be a tire defect. But also, I heard that some vehicles react differently to uni-directional tires.

Any comments are appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

 

I have had other tires do this in the past, the way you can tell is change positions on the car (if possible, maybe not with directional tires) and see if the tire pulls the other way.

 

Criss crossing doesn't work, putting the rears to the front doesnt work, and when I put the stocks back on, the car is trouble free. So I assume that it's a tire malfunction.