I'm going to be getting new wheels for my ride soon (16 to 17). To make a long story short I found 2 different equations for total wheel and tire diameter they were an inch off from one another after calculation (dbl checked). Then I went to my car and found that both equations were off by 1 and 2 inches. I guess what looks best (art) will be better than the calculation (science). Anyway, I drive a CLp that comes with 16's and want to go to a 215/50 17. Without saying I should get an 18 what do you think about that tire choice on a 17X7.5 wheel?

 

235/45/17 better.

 

that won't rub?

 

235/45/17 won't rub,

stock wheels on CL-S are 215/55/17 and those don't rub, mind you the first number is the width of the tire, but everyone else on here that has rims that went with 235 says they are fine. 245 is really pushing it.

but if you went with 235/45/19 it will definetly rub, you can probably get away with an 18" rim without rubbing too.

 

depends ... what offset are you looking at on the 17X7.5's? I had a set of Konig Toxxins on my '00 Max - 17X7.5 wearing Dunlop SP5000's. These rims have a 42 offset. After acquiring the necessary centering hubs, put rims on one side of the CL and looked at what I had. The fronts extended slightly beyond the wheelwell, but the backs stuck out quite a bit. And the other thing, not only did the 4x4 look get enhanced, but the car looked like it would have been more in place crusin' the streets of Pico Rivera in So Cal or somewhere. I would guess that you might not rub with any extra weight in the rear, but there is no way this combination fits within the wheelwells. I believe that with 17X7.5's you want to look for an offset around 48, but others would know better than I on this point.
What SKYRASKAL missed was that you were talking about 17x7.5's, not our stock 17x7's ... and the stock tires on the '03 CL-S are 215/50/17, not what he posted. Don't know about earlier years.

 

thanks yall for the replies. That's helpful

 

i would go 225/45-17 (toyo t1s) w/ some light weight wheels.


chosen properly, they will make your car look and perform much better. aka, better accelleration.

 

get 19's.


haha.


really though; go here: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

thanks mattg, that's some good advise
thanks soopa, that's more comprehensive than what I was doing