245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

Anybody got pics of theirs? I know about the 255's rubbing btw.

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

On stock wheels? I run 245/40/17's on my BBS rims with tons of room to spare.

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

Yes, on stock rims.

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

Why do you want to run such a wide tire on 7.5" rims? You may have a higher ultimate grip, but the way the sidewalls will be pulled in will result in some nice wallowy handling. You're far better off to just run a sticky set of 225/50/16's.

Edit: In fact, now that I looked Tire Rack doesn't show any tires in 255/45/16, and few in the 245 width. 245's look to be approved for 7.5-9" rim widths, with the ideal being 8-8.5.

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

ok, last thing I want is to make the car handle worse. I was hoping the 45 aspect ratio would yeild a more attractive/stiffer sidewall. Extra width is appealing too. It seems to me +17" (aka shorter sidewall) rims have a far better looking, beefier sidewall, but I want to keep the stock rims. Perhaps because I haven't been researching the right brand/price range tires, they mine look pretty nasty. Like a balloon! I'm not sure what they look like in a 225/50-16 but I found these interesting.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

and these

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

Prime example of ugly sidewalls:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/BigPic...omCompare1=yes

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

Well the thing is that the sidewall number is relative to the width of the tire. It is actually a percentage of the tire's width (ie: a 50 profile tire has a sidewall which is 50% of the tire's width). If you maintain the rim size and overall tire diameter you aren't actually changing the sidewall size at all. Going from a 205/55/16 to a 245/45/16 will get you a wider tire with the exact same sidewall size.

My 2 cents is that a jump from 16 to 17" wheels yields the biggest bump in handling, while not hiking the cost too much (going to 18" makes things nasty). I run 205/55/16 Blizzaks on my stockers in the winter and always love the improvement in control I get as soon as the summers go back on.

I agree the Pirelli's you have pictured are ugly looking. The Hankooks are said to be quite good. Those Yoko Advans are not what you want. They're a competition tire meant more for auto-x/track use. They'll be awesome tires, but burn out real quick.

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

I agree the jump to 17 or 18 would cure my problems, but I'm trying to keep cost down and more importantly keep the stock rims. This is why I'm looking for a decent pic of a 45 profile tire in the class of tire I gave the links to. It may not be a whole lot different but the construction may be different. I don't know much about tire anatomy but I'd like to find a more pronounced curve/thickness in sidewall right where the rim meets the tire.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...enSnapz001.jpg
As far as wear goes, my SVX only sees under a thousand miles each year all sunny days.

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

If you keep the 16" wheels and put a lower profile tire on without increasing width too much the gap between the fender and the top of the tire will increase... that can be awkward looking at times.

That's why the best choice is to go with a larger diameter wheel. Increasing the wheel diameter and decreasing the tire's profile results in the same overall tire diameter. This also will not throw your speedometer off.

The best choice is to find a set or '05-'07 Impreza STi wheels. 17", forged, and a good value usually. The stock STi tires are also some of the best handling tires out there... RE070. The size BTW is 225/45-17.


If you have not seen this... it will help:

TIRE CALCULATOR

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

245/45-16s have the same rolling diameter about .7% smaller than stock so my gap shouldn't change all that much. I plan on lowering it in the future anyway. Given my current finances, the distant future:D:(:mad:

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

So the tire sidewall would be the same on the 45 series as the 50 series 16". From the side they will look pretty similar. handling might be different because the tire is wider and now has more volume.

You can't base your decision on stock photos because all tires are different. meaning 16" 45 series tires from different manufacturers are all different compounds, widths, thicknesses etc. all on different wheels. The 45 series tire on a 7.5" wheel can also fit on an 8" wheel, so the sidewall will have less of a curve to it. Also the type of tire will be radically different from say a summer to an all season to a high performance summer etc.

Maybe start at how much you want to spend and what type of tire you want to get... high performance summer, all season, etc. Then back your decision out from there.

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

That's kind of the plan, I was hoping someone already went that route here. I know some have done this from the searches I've done, but I would like some pics. I have a good hunch the local tire stores won't have what I'm looking for. It seems like a popular tire for older supras and porsches via google images, but I can't be sure of the wheel width.

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

I have a question about some of my tires. I have some 225/50-16 snow tires for my '92 which is the size the car calls for. Will I be able to use them on my '97 which calls for the 215/55-16 size? Does anyone know why they changed the size of the tires for the '97?

Thanks:)

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

IIRC the change in size was only to help fuel economy & production costs.

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

:lol: Yes, you'll be fine. As long as you have all four matching tires. Just because there is a recommended size does not mean it's written in stone. Many here have played around with the size of tires they're running, mainly for performance, but also for looks, fitment, and pricing. I doubt you'll see any difference at all in the way your car drives, especially if it's a daily driver and you don't push the limits on a regular basis.

Re: 245/45-16 or 255/45-16
 

That's my conclusion, both are relevant factors, especially the economy :). 600-plus production couldn't have saved much cost though :rolleyes: