lower profile/wider tread tires on OEM wheels?

[HXS]

what are your guys' thoughts on running larger widths and lower profile tires on OEM wheels?

it's time for me to change out my tires (205/65/15) off my 2001 Camry and instead of getting the same sizes, i wanna try out a 225/60/15. i ran this size through the tire size calculator and it won't throw off my speedometer much.

so is this a good idea?

[ghettosled]

depends - what is your reason for doing this?

[xpeed]

Well, one thing for sure, your wheel gap will increase. Probably lose minimal comfort, and will have better traction and grip due to wider area the tire touches the ground.

[rizzy]

not to thread hijack but im interested in this all so, i have 4thgen camry saw blade rims on my 3gen... i have no wheel gap but the 65series makes the rim look to small.. i thinking about 60 or 55 series.. and wider would be nice.. ill also add spacers to make it flush..

[Silent Runner]

I don't know if the Gen4 is quite as tight of a fit as the Gen3, but on my Gen3, 225-60's, actually won't fit, they would rub on the front strut, coil supports. You have your calculator, so you know that a 215-60, is the near perfect solution for a stock wheel and speedometer issues. A 215-60 (in a nice beefy make of tire), gave me much better handling, and didn't compromise the ride one bit. If you go to a 225,(and it fits) it may look better, but its actually quite a bit taller than your OE tire, and it will likely make the car feel a bit "sloppier", and less tight in steering control.

[capnblinski]

That's what I did last year - went with a slightly wider tire as the stock tires seemed to skinny to my way of thinking. The size I went with is 215/60 R15's. From what I've read, going to a size of 225/60 causes problems with rubbing and needing 'shims' or whatever and that sounds completely ludicrous to me.

[HXS]

oh crap, i forgot about the rubbing...
ok nvm then.

i'd just like to get more tread on the ground... i don't really care about the decreased comfort or wheel gap.

[rizzy]

Originally Posted by HXS

oh crap, i forgot about the rubbing...

roll ur fenders..

[capnblinski]

I had the Goodyear assurance triple treads on the car as bought , 205/65's - they were FAT(wide) but not enough tread depth when new and that's maybe ok if u live out west or down south. OK in the rain but forget panic stopping in snow on those. Oddly those goodyr tires (compared to most others of the same size), are noticeably wider, Just not enough depth to the tread for me even when new. So I found a set from a different company on tire rack that are very similar to the gy's but have significantly more tread, new. I also went up in size from 205/65 R15's --to the 215/60 R15's -- most of those 205's are pitiful as far as width goes!

Also, go with put 215's in the back and 205's on the front, if you like.

[01CAMRYV6]

Originally Posted by rizzy

roll ur fenders..

We have such high offset wheels the problem usually lies with rubbing the strut. 225/60/15 with wheel spacers could possibly work. 10-15mm in the front and 25mm in the back would look good. Hubcentric bolt on spacers only though.

[fenixus]

225mm width will most likely rub the front strut towers and carries a risk of explosion or tire tearing apart when driving (while rubbing).

in rear is OK though.
at least I had 225/55/16'' tires in rear on my Solara V6. front had new thinner tires when I got the car, and old OEM front struts were rubbed to bare metal

I like the idea of running 215 tires, I wish I had thought of that before I purchased new tires a year ago ... instead I went with pure OEM 205/60/16''...

[HXS]

so i should just go with a 215/60/15?

according to the tire size calculator, it's shorter than the OEM tire so no rubbing; and i don't care much about wheel gap.

thanks everyone for all the help btw

[Silent Runner]

Good call.
The 215-60-15's will give you better handling, and about the same ride. If I hadn't invested $1000 to get into a 215-50-17" set of OZ wheels and tires for the look, without knowing what it would really do for the cars ride and handling, I would still prefer the perfectly good set of 215-60-15", on American racing wheels (15"x7"), sitting in my office right now with about a 1000 mls on them. This combo gave me more outside offset, and a fatter tire that looked good on the car, but I just had to have bigger wheels. Don't get me wrong they are cool, they do up the handling, and they.... look so much better. Its just that the difference between 0.84g's and 0.88g's, seems a bit muted today, as I am trying to keep my double caff, coffee out of my face as a GM Trailblazer spins out of control on an off-ramp, and I somehow manage to brake and stop safely, well short of the guy, on the same surface, after he used two guard rails to slow down on top of his brakes.

[SirThomas88]

I have a Gen 4.5 Camry.

I had 225/60R15 tires on for over two years.

My car is lowered 1.5"

I had no rubbing or fitment issues. No spacers.

I now have 17" tires with 225 wide tires. Still no issues.



The wheels in this pic and two 225/60/15 tires are for sale btw. If anyone is interested! (Since we're on the topic). The wheels are much lighter than stock wheels, and noticeably improved my throttle response and acceleration. Handling too.

[hodgoes2001]

on my Gen 4 camry i have 235/45R17s

with no issues with rubbing...

and great performance :P