Does rim width effect the handling of a car?

[JamaicaBlue]

I have a 1990 Honda Accord Ex with stock wheels which is 15 x 5.5". What I'm planning to do is put the Enkei Classics 92 15 x 7” ET38. What effect will those wheels have on the handling if I use 205/55/15 for the front and 225/55/15 for the back? Would it be better if I just used the same size of either tire?

[19dabeast85]

Running 205-55's will be fine with a 7" rim. Really 205 is the widest you'd ever want to run on a 7" rim if you're concerned with handling. 205mm = 8.07" wide which means the tread is 0.5" wider than the rim on both sides.

I'm running stock 195-60's on a 15x7 rim. The sidewalls are essentially straight and handling is noticeably better. A narrow rim results in the sidewall looking like /_\ while a wider rim lets the sidewalls sit straight like |_|.....straighter sidewalls gives quicker handling and a firmer ride.

Whether you go with 195 or 205 I would keep the fronts and rears the same size.....absolutely no need for the rears to be different plus you won't be able to rotate tires if they are different sizes. If you have abs, differently sized tires could screw with the system depending on how different in diameter they are.

[JamaicaBlue]

Running 205-55's will be fine with a 7" rim. Really 205 is the widest you'd ever want to run on a 7" rim if you're concerned with handling. 205mm = 8.07" wide which means the tread is 0.5" wider than the rim on both sides.

I'm running stock 195-60's on a 15x7 rim. The sidewalls are essentially straight and handling is noticeably better. A narrow rim results in the sidewall looking like /_\ while a wider rim lets the sidewalls sit straight like |_|.....straighter sidewalls gives quicker handling and a firmer ride.

Whether you go with 195 or 205 I would keep the fronts and rears the same size.....absolutely no need for the rears to be different plus you won't be able to rotate tires if they are different sizes. If you have abs, differently sized tires could screw with the system depending on how different in diameter they are.

Oh okay. Well would i get better handling if I go with 200/55/15 all around.

Response to: Really 205 is the widest you'd ever want to run on a 7" rim if you're concerned with handling.

[19dabeast85]

Oh okay. Well would i get better handling if I go with 200/55/15 all around.

Response to: Really 205 is the widest you'd ever want to run on a 7" rim if you're concerned with handling.

You mean 205/55/15, no such thing as a "200" width tire. 205/55's all around will give you great handling, the specific tire is more important than the size. I suggest tirerack and compare different tires and ratings. Bridgestone Potenza re960 A/S pole position are GREAT all-season tires as are BFG g-force super sports.

[deevergote]

If you want to run really wide tires, you'll want really wide wheels. If you were even able to get a 225 ont a 7" wide rim, the handling would be very... squishy. There wouldn't be much benefit to running wider tires in the rear anyway, since these are front wheel drive cars! A fully matched set of tires will give you the most predictable handling. The only time you should ever get creative is when you know enough about your own setup (and your needs, such as a track or auto-x car) that you'll be able to determine what changes could be positive.

For instance, a FWD drag car could benefit from a thinner, lighter rear wheel running a thinner, lighter tire made of a fairly hard rubber compound (soft rubber sticks, and would be detrimental to the drag car's performance.)

[JamaicaBlue]

Thanks Guys! That was very helpful!

[Tippey764]

Im not so sure about 205 being the largest you would want to run on a 15x7 wheel

Prelude sawblades come stock with 205's and they are 15x6.5

[CyborgGT]

205s and 215s are common for 7" rims, and I hear of 225s every now and again on here. A larger contact patch (wider tread) equals more grip and better braking. Our cars are front wheel drive, and therefore naturally understeer in high-speed turns. If you don't know, understeer (NASCAR folk call it 'pushing', I think) is when you turn the steering wheel but the front tires break traction and slide out, resulting in the car turning in a wider radius than it would have if you weren't going so fast and overloading them. It's a heavy burden, asking a tire to simultaneously manage both steering and power delivery. Oversteer is just the opposite; when the rear tires slide out... drifting, or powersliding, what ever you want to call it.

Equal-width tires for both the front and rear are ideal for a daily driver so they can be rotated. On a track car, no matter your drivetrain layout, widening the tires gives you more grip and the difference front to rear changes the characteristics of how the car turns under different sorts of loads. For front-wheel drive, slightly wider (like only a size, maybe two, larger than the rear) is better for circuit/autocross to help cure understeer and further neutralize the handling (might kick the rear end out), yet still be predictable. Much bigger slicks up front would obviously help get the power down for drag racing... but only if you have enough power to break traction to begin with. Too big a wheel and the extra rotating mass is going to rob horsepower.

Know that the tire IS part of the car's suspension system. Sidewall stiffness, usually proportionate to the tire profile except in the case of run-flat tires, will affect handling. Stiffer will give a rougher ride since it doesn't absorb bumps as well. Up to a point, a lower profile will improve handling. Going too low in profile would have adverse effects, or else GT race cars would be using them, but their tires are actually fairly beefy. Sidewall flex has its own benefits just as the right amount of play in your shocks and springs does. There's definitely such a thing as being too hard, you want to balance the way load is transferred around the car.



"Handling" is a very broad aspect of a car. Helping a front-wheel drive car take turns faster involves a lot. Tires/suspension, the right kind of differential, weight distribution, so much to think about.

Side note, if you don't have power steering: a wider tires makes it harder to turn at parking lot speeds!

[19dabeast85]

Im not so sure about 205 being the largest you would want to run on a 15x7 wheel

Prelude sawblades come stock with 205's and they are 15x6.5

I didn't say people don't do it, I said it can cause handling issues. Some people put 215's on the stock 15x5.5 rims.....which means the contact patch is 1.5" wider than the rim on BOTH sides....causing a "squiggly" feeling whenever a turn is initiated as this sidewall flexes. It will also give a softer ride since the "angled" sidewalls have less rigidity than a vertical sidewall. 215's and 225's should use an 8" rim IF you are concerned with handling performance. If you just want a soft squishy ride then put the wider tires on the narrow rims! It will increase acceleration and braking traction but decrease turning traction.

[deevergote]

I've dealt with 17x7.5" rims running 215/40/17 tires and no power steering (pump still in place, so I'm fighting that as well!) and it wasn't that bad. I'm no wimp, but hardly He-Man.

A tire that is so wide that it extends over the lip of the wheel will most likely provide squirmy handling.

[speedfr3ak]

it really depends on ur set up on my cd5 wheels i have 205/55/ on front rear is 205/50 so dependson your setup. I do this for various reasons its mostly a track car THATS ONE and i used that setup on my corrado so it stuck with me

[chappie752]

I'm running 225/55r16s on my Odyssey with 16x7 time. The ride feels good to me. I think it depends on the tire you use. My cb7 has 16x8 225/50 up front 16x7 205/55 in the back.

[chappie752]

Dang phone. time--rims lol.