lotmohicans

I looked in some of the posts here but I can't seem to find the manufacturer's recommended or the stock rim and tire sizes for 1999 Acura CL 3.0. Everyone seems to be asking which tires/rims they can fit but I would like to check what are the original tire and rim sizes.

I just bought this car in August 2010 and I'm 100% sure the rims on the car the original acura stock rims. The tires that came on these rims are 205/50/16.

So, I'm now looking for slightly used set of winter tires and rims on local online classifieds and I'm stumped on what size rims will fit or what size tires I can put on. People are claiming in their ads that most honda (or honda accord) tires will fit acuras and some bmw rims will fit as well. Any help on this will be appreciated.

I want to know what rim sizes (rim size in inches and the offset) will still be safe to use on the car and what tire sizes are recommended (without affecting the speedometer significantly), in case tire size/shape is slightly different.

Also, in case I can't find reasonable rims, I may just decide to take off the current tires and buy 4 winter tires and put them on the existing stock 16" rims. If I go with that option, what tire numbers can I fit on them? I understand it will have to be 16" tires but how about the first 2 numbers on the tire models (treadwidth and profile)? Can I use any xx/xx/16 winter tires or does it have to be something close to the current numbers.

Thanks in advance.

lotmohicans

***Actually correction to above post. The tires on my stock rims right now are 205/55/16, not 205/50/16. I believe 205/55/16 may also be the stock tire size.***

Blazin Si

205/55/16 is the stock tire size. If you do a lot of your winter driving in snow, a more narrow tread width will allow the cars weight to sit on a smaller contact patch. It works well for cutting through deep snow.

I believe Tire Rack sells steel wheels in just about any size you would need. Give them a try. Their customer service is great and can answer all of your questions. Ask them what for a norrow wheel/tire set up for winter driving. The stock wheel size is 16x6.

I had a set of Blizzaks in the past and didn't have much trouble driving up the mountains of western PA. Occasionally I would have to peg-leg up a hill in reverse, but it never kept me from my destination.

lotmohicans

Thank you Blazin Si for your response. So you're suggesting a narrow treadwidt, meaning the first number for the tire model should be less than 205? And the stock rims are 16x6, which I'm guessing I have right now. What does the x6 on the rim size signify, if I can ask a stupid question like that! So the narrow treadwidth tires should still be ok with the stock rims, or will I need to find matching rims as well (given the same diameter)?

I'm just looking for a good deal on kijiji online with anyone selling pre-installed slightly used winter tires on rims, so I won't have to go through all the trouble of finding and matching. I'm driving in toronto/mississauga area in Ontario and I will definitely need the snow tires. The tire rack place you suggested, is that an online store or a local store?

Finally, and sorry for all the questions, the stock bolt pattern for rims shows up as 4/114.3. Do I have to match the 114.3 exactly as well or can something slightly different work as well?

P0401

iTrader: (1)

as long as they are 4x114.3 they should fit the 1st gen CL

97'CL2.2

-x6 signifies a six inch width of the stock wheel

-Tirerack is an online store. if u put in the year make and model of any car it will show you stock tire size and there is a special search you can do for "winter wheel and tire packages" these are a bit pricey but would still be a good place to go for information on what tire sizes fit the stock wheel

-i have 205/55/16 snows on my stock wheels and i had no problem last winter (NE ohio)

Blazin Si

The mid 90's Accord wagon had the same size brakes as the 3.0CL. You can likely get away with 15" wheels, if you're looking for options. A wheel with a 15 or 16" diameter with a 5 or 6" width would be fine.

If you can locate something like a 15x5" wheel, a 185/65/15 tire would be close to the stock tire height. However, it will also look very ugly. I just want to point that out in case you have any concerns on aesthetics. A 195/65/15 would definitely be a better fit.

If you chose to keep the stock wheels, a 195/60/16 is fine. Your current tires are only ~10mm wider.

DaInFaMMuS1

i'd go 195/55/16 for winter tires

Blazin Si

That's a good one also. All the sizes posted are within 10mm of the stock tire diameter. A 195/60/16 is the closest being 0.5mm taller. The effect on the speedo is likely negligible for any of these sizes. My current tires are about 1.5" smaller than stock and the speedo reads 5 mph higher than my actual speed @ 80 mph.

mitch14

That is what my car looks like with 205/60/15 winter tires on 15 inch steelies, they came with the car when i bought it, so i don't know how much they cost or anything.
i'd recommend getting 15" wheels and tires since it will usually be less expensive then 16".
my size seems to have a smaller diameter than stock, but really for winter driving i don't think it matters too much, not like you're going to be speeding all over the place with ice and snow everywhere

Eband27

I had some Accord 15" stock mags with some HUGE minivan winter tires. It made my car sit higher and it looked like a friggen 4x4!! haha. If i find some pics, ill post em.

I know it messed up my speedo, but i didn't rly car. Having a huge sidewall is nice for winter driving.





















































Haha, just kidding. Here's what i had:

lotmohicans

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions guys. I'll use these to find the proper rims/winter tires this week and have them installed by next week. I don't want to take a chance with snow again after I crashed my 2001 civic into a pole in january because of slipping on ice. But, at the same time, I don't wanna go out buy new tires/rims and spend $800 on a $2500 99 acuara!

Btw, I haven't seen too many black cl's around here but the black one posted by mitch14 looks real sexy. I have the same color as the one in the post above and that color is not sexy at all. I think I'll buy and put on a spoiler at some point. It really give this car a bit of an aggressive look I think.

dracura99

i would suggest a 205/55/16 its not only the proper fit but its a popular tire size. By going with a more common tire size you get more options and a lower cost. I personally run the Yokohama W drive(v rated snow traction and great cornering) and they are the best snow I've ever ran. Now if you want to change sizing i would suggest smaller NOT bigger. Larger tires will cause you to have a sled effect when stopping also if there is snow and ice build up in your fender well it will rub shortening the life of the tire. As for smaller tires i would only suggest the 195/55-16 fitment being less wide it will do a little better then its wider counter parts, but once again not a common size so cost is higher. Now for wheels bolt pattern is very important yes. Once you do find a correct bolt pattern wheel please make sure you use the correct seat on the lugs.

Ryan
Assistant Manager
Discount Tire Co.
Colorado

lotmohicans

What do you mean by 'use the correct seat on the lugs'? Well folks, I was finally able to find a nice set of 205/55/16 winter tires (not a good brand name though) pre-installed on 16" nice honda silver aluminum rims. All I have to do is try and take off the honda centre caps and replace them with my acura centre caps. The tires look brand new and the previous owner said he used for less than 5k last year on a 2.3 CL. I haven't put them on yet since it doesn't seem to be snow season yet but I hope I won't get any problems. Bolt pattern and tire size is exactly same as what I have and I paid $420 for everything (including delivery).

Thanks everyone. In case they don't fit, I'll put them up on sale here!