Ride quality, and Largest tire size to fit on S 5 spoke rims

[dknight211]

Hi all,

A couple weeks ago, my parents were out to buy a 2009 Matrix S, and they wanted to get the 5 spoke 17 inch wheels based purely for the looks.

Being that they're in their mid-50s and accustomed to the soft ride of their old Lexus, I advised them to stick with the 16 inch wheels for ride comfort. They didn't listen to me, of course, and now hate the harsh ride quality.

The 5 spoke rims came with 215 / 45 / 17 tires.

So I am looking for ways to soften the ride quality. These were my thoughts, and ideas:

- some kind of suspension change? probably not though since virtually all suspensions out there are to stiffen the ride, not soften it

- adding some kind of shocks? adding, not removing, suspension components to soften the ride? possible?

- lowering the tire pressure. my parents drive only on city streets, never freeway with this car, so never above 45 mph. I lowered tire pressure to 30 psi all around, and it made a slightly softer ride only, but not much.

- replace the rims with 16 inchers ... not an option cause my parents like the styling of 17" 5 spokes.

So my final thought was to:
- get tires with more sidewall: either 215 / 50 / 17 or 215 / 55 / 17
They don't care about the odometer being off, but I'm afraid there might be rubbing because of the increased overall diameter.
My question is ... will either of these tires work without having to modify the suspension or roll the fenders?

Thanks!!!