Hi everyone, I have pre-order a TL-Type S, and I have a question about the tire.
According to the tirerack.com, there are only 8 different tires for 215/50/17, and there are 28 different tire for 215/45/17. I am condering if I can use those 215/45/17 without any mod. I drive a lot (20,000+ miles per year) and I don't really drive that fast, so the performance is not a big issue, I am more worry about the traction and treadwear. Any suggestion? Thanks a million

 

I think traction and treadwear depend on what brand of tire you buy, not necessarily the size, and normally they are inversely related. The ride would probably be harsher. Further, from what I know, if you lower the aspect ratio of the tire without a corresponding increase in width, your speedo/odo will be inacurate.

 

Correct. If Y goes down (X/Y/Z: for example, 215/45/17), the radius will be shorter than the original configuration.

 

I started looking into tires and rims but I am starting to get buried. Can someone clarify what tire specs I should look for if I want to buy 17x7 wheels w/o lowering the ride as well as minimizing wheel gap. Some of these posts are blowing me away with technical jargon. I need it straight and simple. Preesh

 

Thank you for the reply, you guys are great.
I have another question, the stock tire for the TL-S will be 215/50/17, and the proper +1 size is 225/40/18, but is there any other size within the 17" range that I can use?
I mean, I really like Pirelli's P7000 SuperSports, but they don't offer the 215/50/17

 

Try going to 225/50/17 ... It should fit fine (clearance). My car uses 185/65/15 and I went to 195/65/15 because they were cheaper.

 

Alot of people with 17" wheels are using 225/45/17. The below link is a tire size calculator. This will tell you how far off your speedo will be. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

according to tire size calculator, the difference between 225/45/17, and
215/50/17 is about 2%, since I am driving
20,000+ miles per year,so 2% difference is not oticable for me. Also, can the stock 17"
rim be fitted with the 225/45/17 size?
or do I have to purchase a new set of
wheels?

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by phototalk on January 17, 2001 @ ]</font>

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by phototalk on January 17, 2001 @ ]</font>

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by phototalk:
[B]according to tire size calculator, the difference between 225/45/17, and
215/50/17 is about 2%, since I am driving
20,000+ miles per year,so 2% difference is not oticable for me. Also, can the stock 17"
rim be fitted with the 225/45/17 size?
or do I have to purchase a new set of
wheels?

You can use the same wheels.