205/55/16 or 225/50/16 on 16x7 Wheel (Street Car Only)

[makesdrivingfunagain]

I have a 2013 FR-S Auto with stock suspension. It only has exhaust and 16x7 wheels with Continental Extreme Contact DW tires 225/50/16 for modifications. I know I will need new tires eventually, and I was considering either a 205/55/16 or a 225/50/16 in an Extreme Summer tire. This would be something like an Yokohama Advan Neova AD08R with a UTQG of 200 or less. This is a pure street car with spirited driving, occasionally auto crossing (practices only), no track days. I drive in the canyons/mountians (when ultra dry of course) I live in SoCal so snow isn’t a concern where I live or ice. What tire size would you recommend for this street car either a 205/55/16 or a 225/50/16 on my 16x7 wheels with stock suspension?? I really appreciate some help. Thanks

[makesdrivingfunagain]

Perhaps a silly question. I think I may just have to do some personal trial and error. I did however find older Porsches with a 205/55/16 front with a 225/50 rear. Also I did see that the s2k used a combo of this also. Bt he Mazda rx7 did use a 225/50/16. The BMW Z4 also did. These cars except the Porsche are front engine rear wheel drive and they weigh about the same. Hopefully I can post my answer when my 225/50/16 continental extreme contact dw where out.

[churchx]

Whichever from these mentioned sizes you choose, don't go for staggered setup. Cars that have staggered setup stock have everything tuned with that in account. Brakes, suspension tuning and so on. And you'll loose ability to rotate tires.
Personally i'd go for 205 or maximum 215 width, but 225 probably also is fine. Good tires with gripier rubber compount then stock primacies will provide more grip anyway, even if stock tire size.

[stevesnj]

Agreed ∆

I would stay just under overall tire height. With that you will get the true rear end gear ratio a taller sidewall and better ride. When I get my wheels I'm going with Michelin Pilot Sport All Season (a/s) 3 This is my daily driver and the warranty is middle of the pack at 45,000 miles. Here is their site with a size chart mid way down the page.

http://www.michelinman.com/US/en/tir...ort-a-s-3.html

[churchx]

While Michelin Pilot Super Sport is often advised as good choice of tires for mostly DD & slight track use, it's not available in R16 sizes. And MPS3 is very different tire, that only sounds similar. Not sure it's best from all that can be found for R16 wheels.

[makesdrivingfunagain]

Yeah they don't make the super sports in that size. Looks like an extreme performance is for me maybe a Yokohama or Toyo etc. I will probably go with a 225/50/16 all around.

[stevesnj]

Yeh thats why I went with the a/s, more size choices especially 16"

[Wayno]

Originally Posted by stevesnj

Agreed ∆

I would stay just under overall tire height. With that you will get the true rear end gear ratio a taller sidewall and better ride. When I get my wheels I'm going with Michelin Pilot Sport All Season (a/s) 3 This is my daily driver and the warranty is middle of the pack at 45,000 miles. Here is their site with a size chart mid way down the page.

http://www.michelinman.com/US/en/tir...ort-a-s-3.html

Gawd, 205/55 and 225/50 have the same circumference ffs.



Get the 225 for more material grip, get the 205 for better economy, more fun and more mechanical grip because you're on stock suspension. You should be able to get RE003's in both those sizes. Lots of people run both those sizes. I'm putting 205's back on because I have a set just sitting there.

[makesdrivingfunagain]

Originally Posted by Wayno

Gawd, 205/55 and 225/50 have the same circumference ffs.



Get the 225 for more material grip, get the 205 for better economy, more fun and more mechanical grip because you're on stock suspension. You should be able to get RE003's in both those sizes. Lots of people run both those sizes. I'm putting 205's back on because I have a set just sitting there.

Thanks for your response!


I am not familiar with the distinction of material grip versus mechanical?


A little help

[D_Thissen]

Material is how much rubber is in contact with the road. Mechanical has to do with the suspension and how it works.

[makesdrivingfunagain]

I would suppose the way to tell whether there is too much rubber vs mechanical grip on a 225/50/16 versus a 205/55/16 is to measure the heat generated by them? Also, I can just try them and make a post. : ) Also, I might feel a difference in how the car rides and steers with the different sizes. Also, the appearance of a 225 vs a 205 can be quite different with the various sizes. However, I wonder whether the traction will actually be better or worse with a 205 vs a 225.

[makesdrivingfunagain]

I think after Autocrossing this weekend on the 225/50/16 continentals extreme contact dw I think I can say for the street between choosing a 205 or 225 it is personal preference for me. After learning how hard I can push this car on the track for performance or traction (with the 225/50's). For the street a 205 would be fine. However cosmetically a 225 and a 205 is quite noticeable. There are trade offs but I learned what this was capable of. i was faster than 2 manual twins one on stock tires the other not sure by a good second. I have a stock frs automatic This was my first time back in 6 years. The continental is a great street tire so far in the 225/50/16. However it is a compromise of course for the track. Honestly I couldnt ask for a much greater street tire for me. street driving has different demands of a tire. I was able to complete 24-25 runs with these tires yesterday.

[venturaII]

Originally Posted by makesdrivingfunagain

I was able to complete 24-25 runs with these tires yesterday.

?!


Were you the only person there??

[makesdrivingfunagain]

Well after doing an autocross earlier this month on my Continental Extreme Contact DW in 225/50/16 on my 16x7 wheels, I didn’t need much time to learn I needed tires to compete (well as least a little better, even though this was a practice) This was time only, as I don’t compete formally. I of course was compromising with this tire for street manners vs performance. As this is my daily driver not a weekend toy or a fully dedicated track/autocross car.
Once I changed the stock wheels and tires to the 16x7 and 225/50/16 Continentals I noticed a, much smoother ride and better feel in the steering wheel when driving normally around town. However, when I would take turns faster I noticed a much better improvement in grip. It was kind of cool the car was smoother around town yet corned better. This was a win win for a street setup for sure.
However, back to my autocross experience, I wanted a tire where I wouldn’t have to make excuses why people were a second faster or so with similar setups and less driving experience in some circumstances. So I purchased my first set of Extreme Summer Performance tires from Tire Rack this week. I had only two options for this tire size and setup without drastically changing tire height. It was either a 205/55/16 or 225/50/16. I like the way the 225 looked on my car from behind. It looked a little “beefier” plus it has more rubber on the road. So I stayed with the 225. I have driven 11k on the stock wheels and 14 k on the continentals; which by the way the Continentals are barely even worn. They have another 12k at least left. I purchased the Yokohama Advan Neova ADO8R in the 225/50/16 and had them mounted on the same wheels. By just looking at the tires you can see the sidewall is much stiffer. When parked the sidewall doesn’t flex as much. So after getting an alignment yesterday I went for a drive. Wow, the extra grip was very noticeable! The change in tires from the Continentals to the Neovas was as noticeable when I went from the stock tires to the Max Performance tire of the Continental. Also, the car rides stiffer. It feels as stiff as the low profile stock tires even though this is a 50 aspect ratio. It honestly feels like a increase in spring stiffness from just the sidewall difference from the Continentals. I know these won’t last long but man you can really feel a difference. I think the car has it where it counts now. My future tires will more than likely be Extreme Performance Summer tires; however they may be another brand because of price. Well I hoped this helps. Thanks!