DetailAddict

iTrader: (52)

So I am looking for new tires. Something cheap, okay performance, all season good tread life. So I narrowed down to the following using tirerack decision guide.

continental conti extreme contact
bfgoodrich g-force t/a kdws
yokohama avid v4s
dunlop sp sport a2

When I call up big-o-tires in Santa Cruz. They guy was asking me why I want to go with 225 and not the stock size. He said it'll make it worst in handling. I was just thinking to have a bigger foot print better cornering. But since he is the 'tire guy' he must have a good reason for it. But I am at work, so didn't want to stay on the phone for too long and ask

What do you guys think? Thanks in advance.

useful

You know I was asking the same thing a while ago on this board. Its posted here somewhere....

Anyways, 225/50/16 widens the tire making it wider (not much), but making the sidewall smaller. and making it an idea "upgrade" from the stock 205/55/16 for the wrx.

Since there is more tire pressed up against the ground, it "should" grip the road more. Like you said footprint more for bettering cornering.

At least, this is what I was lead to believe....

Only downside was that I heard the tire "donuts" or "bulges" a little bit more.

Before you believe me, someone confirm what Im saying is true before I give bad info! Last thing I want to is to mislead someone

ish

iTrader: (7)

your sidewall height will still be the same, you are just going with a wider tire so it requires a smaller aspect ratio to keep the same outer diameter.

going 225 will increase your handling. larger contact patch means more tire to grip the road



the tires that you posted vary quite a bit for performance. do you have a second set for auto-xing and stuff?

i have the dunlop sp a2s on my stock wheels that i use for winter and off-roading. i like them a lot, sooooo much better than the re-92s were. a lot better in the snow and do pretty well off road. i used them in a couple rally-x's and did quite well with them.

dry road grip with the dunlop a2s isn't much different from the re-92s, so you won't be getting too much benefit from that aspect

the a2s however do have a tredware rating of 440 compared to the 160 of the re-92s so they will last a lot longer.

DetailAddict

iTrader: (52)

Yeah, I do have a second set of tires for autox (Falken Azenis). The first two on the list are Ultra-High Performance All-Season and the last two are High Performance All Season. When I look at tirerack comparison it doesn't look so bad for the continental. I am just wondering why that guy would say 225 is would make it worst than 205.

DetailAddict

iTrader: (52)

what does that mean?

Dexter@tirerack

Check the "Tire Info..." link on the top of the posts page. Tire sizing is confusing. The reason they have the same sidewall height (i.e. same outer diameter) is because 50% of 225 is essentially the same as 55% of 205. If that doesn't make sense - read that sticky post!

On the bulge - a wider tire on the same wheel hangs over the side of the wheel a bit more. The difference in total width is 20mm - less than an inch. Split that between right and left side and you get about 1/2 inch more "hangover" on either side of the wheel than you got out of the original 205 width tires. A good thing in my opinion.

DetailAddict

iTrader: (52)

Thanks! So can there be ANY bad things at all by going with 225 instead of 205?

ish

iTrader: (7)

camber angle plays a larger affect on the tire. the same camber between two tires of different widths, the wider one will wear faster on the inside (assuming negative camber)

Kevin M

iTrader: (12)

Slightly better braking performance, slightly worse fuel economy. Neither one is really enough to base a decision on though. The only time I would recommend agaisnt a 225/50R16 is if you're getting S03s or another tire that's primarily for performance and tends to run wider than its listed size. I last had 205/50R16 S03s on my stock wheels.

VRWRX

I am also looking to get new tires, and I have been looking at the same tires, but never thought to go with a wider tire.

So, from what I'm getting out of this, going with 225's rather than 205's will yield:

handling benefits
slightly better braking performance
slightly worse fuel economy

It sounds like the pro's outweigh the con's to me.

Kevin M

iTrader: (12)

Well, the wider tires also cost a little more, weigh a little more, and in the case of S03s, the difference in actual contact patch size isn't as much as it should be (not 20mm wider). If you are still on your stock wheels, I would stay with 205s for now. You'll still notice a huge difference just by upgrading the rubber. If you have 7 or 7.5" wheels, then go ahead and go with 225 if you wish.

VRWRX

I just think the 225's would look better. I have always thought that the RE92's were too thin...

Kevin M

iTrader: (12)

I agree, wider tires look a little better. However, the 205/50 and 205/55 S03s are almost an inch wider than RE92s as it is.

VRWRX

Yes, but I'm not getting SO3's. I'm getting an all-season tire. The ContiExtremeContact...

8200rpm

???

I realize that there is an acceptable range of wheel widths for a given tire width. But doesnt' the bulge (or wheel pinch) compromise the performance of the sidewall?

Bulge = extra play in the sidewall. NO?