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What Size Tires To Use?

1913 Views 28 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  Deuceman
I'm getting new wheels for my Spyder.They are 16 x 7.What size tires should I use for front and back.Thanks
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I'm getting new wheels for my Spyder.They are 16 x 7.What size tires should I use for front and back.Thanks
23" overall diameter if you can find it, and wider in the back than the front.
I really like the feel of 205s up front and 225s in the rear. Maybe a little heavy and a tad bit of overkill, but I've ran it this way for years now.

Thats on factory wheels so ymmv.


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Just make sure that you buy Continental ExtremeContact DW tires unless you need all season capabilities (if you do get the DWS version). It is a max performance tire that is very economical, has dry ratings that make most extreme performance tires jealous, can handle the wet very well also, and best of all has a 340 treadwear rating. Don't take my word for it though, check out the survey results on Tirerack.com.
I really like the feel of 205s up front and 225s in the rear. Maybe a little heavy and a tad bit of overkill, but I've ran it this way for years now.
ditto. What tires are you running in those sizes?


Just make sure that you buy Continental ExtremeContact DW tires unless you need all season capabilities (if you do get the DWS version). It is a max performance tire that is very economical, has dry ratings that make most extreme performance tires jealous, can handle the wet very well also, and best of all has a 340 treadwear rating. Don't take my word for it though, check out the survey results on Tirerack.com.
Too bad they don't come in 15" - I don't really see a good rear tire size either.
ditto. What tires are you running in those sizes?



Too bad they don't come in 15" - I don't really see a good rear tire size either.
That is true on the 15's, but the OP only mentioned 16's. If it is for a staggered 15/16 set up I highly recommend the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec (better in the dry, not quite as good in the wet, only a 200 treadwear rating).

As far as rear size goes you have to go 225/50/16 either way (unless you plan on running 205's all around on the Continentals), so you can't use it if you are running any signifigant lowering suspension. Also even those that can fit this size may be scared off thinking that it will hurt handling, but from me experience with both of these tires I gained a lot of ride quality while still greatly improving handling greatly over the previous "correct" sized tires (the popular S drives, and RE040). A nice side benefit of this is that it lowers cruising RPM by a noticable margin.
I'm getting new wheels for my Spyder.They are 16 x 7.What size tires should I use for front and back.Thanks
I have that setup ,and I run 195/45-16 front and 215/40-16 rear. I have Goodyears, but they aren't available in those sizes anymore (in the US) and you can now only get Yokohama S-Drive in those sizes. Trying to find any brand with compatible front and rear tires in 16" is very hard.
Sorry - I missed the part about 16's all around.

A square setup sounds like fun, especially if you tend to drive a little more... playfully.

How do RE11s compare to Azenis anyway?
Azenis are a whole different league than the RE11. There are only a handful of tires than can compare to the RE11.
Whoa, I didn't realize they were rated even higher than star specs on the Tire Rack surveys. Looks REALLY close between the two. I might have to try 225/50-16 in the back next time I buy tires.
I just went from RE11's to StarSpecs. Both are awesome tires and each have their advantages over the other. Either way you won't be disappointed, I promise.
I would be careful about reading to much into the reviews at Tirerack. You have no idea of the person's abilities or from what tire or tires they have experience with, I learned the hard way. As one example 040's have a high review rating but many opinions here are not that great. For me they are lacking in wet braking and grip, dry I like them. I currently am trying to wear mine out. The Dunlop and RE-11 read much better from many other review sources as well as TESTED by TR by I hope people with very good knowledge and using a good method to compare. Other sites concur. Personally from what I research RE-11's will be the tire for me over the Dunlop as they test a squeak better and are quieter. Of course I now have a louder exhaust so maybe I should reconsider....naaaawww my first decision is still best for me--RE-11's.

PS
If you have not purchased the rims yet I suggest you pick tires first then find proper rims. There seems more choice in 15" tires.

Sunday I changed the front alignment camber to -1.5 from -1 and reduced toe to a little out (a few minutes). Now the car is ALIVE and turn in is amazing. Even on 040's. Koni's with stock springs. Permagrin has cured and set!
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I have never driven Azenis. Anderson loved them at first and then hated them quickly. Re11s are the best tire I have ever had (compared with 040s and t1Rs)

I love them
I'm also a True Believer in the Re11 mojo. Two thumbs up.
If your suspension allows though, you can run 205/50/16 front 225/50/16 rear DW, Star Specs, or RE11's and end up getting a stagger on width. On the Continentals you will save about $320, while the Dunlops save about $200, and on the Bridgestones you will save around $120 (over the 205/45/16 RE11 set up). The treadwear rating is a huge victory for the Continentals at 340 over the Dunlops at 200 and Bridgestones at 180. According to the Tirerack surveys the RE11's win in dry traction with a score of 9.5, with the Star Specs on it's heels at 9.4, while the DW pays for it's treadwear and wet traction advantage with "only" a 9. Speaking of wet traction though, the Continental drops only to an 8.9 here while the Dunlop gets an 8.4 and the RE11 gets an 8.2. If you need to stick to 45 series tires I would say the decision would be between the DW or RE11 either one being a 205/45/16, with a savings of just over $200 if you go with the DW. The RE11's look great, and appear to have the best dry traction (I have no personal experience with them though), but they come at a bit of a cost premium, you get what you pay for, but you must ask yourself if you are willing to pay up to a 40% price premium for a dry performace gain of at most 6% according to the survey results, while also losing ground in most other categories.

Also I wanted to defend the Tirerack surveys a bit, the RE040's are rated 27th out of 30 tires in their category. They also have only a 3 out of 10 on would you buy again.
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There are some errors here/ not complete information. First tread wear is company specific a higher number continental can wear far worse than a bridgestone. Those numbers are only meaningful within a brand.

What specific regarding suspension are needed to run what you suggest?

Did you measure the tire height on your choices ? you know that will effect the speedo right?

Also if the OP is on a stock engine & power pushing a 225 in back will be very underwhelming.
That is good info on the treadwear rating. I am running 225/50/16 rears with stock suspension on an 03, I cannot verify what other suspension set ups this will work for. I did the math, and on my car it raises the speed by 5% over the stock 215/45/16 rears that my car came with. I can't really comment on what this set up would do for a stock 1zz as my car is a turbo 1zz.
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