SE drivers.. and maybe others - tyre width

[zawrilla]

After the Iceberg run.. I realise that I am needing some new rear tyres. My question is, the stock tyre size is 205/40/r17. I still have the stock wheels. Wondering if anyone in a comparable situation have decided to go wider. I suppose on a 7inch wide wheel (I think that's how wide the SE rims are), you wouldn't want to go more than 215 or 225.
Any detriment in going a bit wider??
At this point, I'm thinking Toyo T1R, Michelin PP2, Falken RT615.

[blackster]

After the Iceberg run.. I realise that I am needing some new rear tyres. My question is, the stock tyre size is 205/40/r17. I still have the stock wheels. Wondering if anyone in a comparable situation have decided to go wider. I suppose on a 7inch wide wheel (I think that's how wide the SE rims are), you wouldn't want to go more than 215 or 225.
Any detriment in going a bit wider??
At this point, I'm thinking Toyo T1R, Michelin PP2, Falken RT615.

OEM 04 SE rim is 17X7 +40mm 8kg

I have PP2s on the OEM rim 205/40/17 (now sitting in the garage), the sidewalls are definately stiffer & perform better than the OEM toyo's, however the OEM toyo's were more comfy.

Check the change in rolling diameters for 215/45 215/40 and also if clearance is an issue; if your SE is really lowered.

I wouldnt be putting 225s on 7" rim, distort excessively sideways under fast cornering, as its too large of tyre for a 7" rim & clearance may also be an issue.

If your considering a semi slicks like tyre ie RT615, you may want to check out the Kuhmo KU36s. The treadwear are similar, if you plan hammering the car, dont expect good mileage out of them.

Currently running 215/45/16, improved level grip and a more compliant ride.

[MINX]

I am running 215/40/17 on Std Rims and Std SE Suspension.
Cant say as a matter of fact if grip is better than with 205s.
Be careful with clearance, I was running 215/45/17 and they rubbed occasionally (esp hitting Dips and some bumpy corners).
And speedo error was obvious.
215/40/17 gives accurate speedo.

[zawrilla]

Yeah.. I was thinking to keep the same profile, but just run the next wider tyre so 215/40/R17. According to MINX, clearance should be fine.. considering the difference in size is not that great between the two anyway. At this stage I'm going to be sticking with the same wheels, because I can't afford to change them yet, but will be needing new tyres very soon.
The car is lowered, but will be raised about 1cm when I get the tyres changed over + new alignment to hopefully not have so much inside tyre wear from the camber.

For tyre life, if I can get about 15,000 kms, or even maybe 20 000 kms that would be good. Most of the time I drive it pretty gently, but of course there are the odd hard driving days. Most important is dry grip, and at least competent wet grip. I don't plan on hammering the car through the wet, but I still need to be able to drive relatively normally without fear I'm just going to slip and slide.

From what I've heard, all those tyres mentioned will be great in the dry and still decent in the rain (including the RT615, not sure about the KU36). Price is anything under 300 a tyre, but of course, the more change I get the better. If I could score something around 230-250 a tyre that would be awesome.

I had the RE001s on my NA, and before them I had KU31s, and I thought they did the job, but wanting to try something new. With the RT615s, I know that there more a halfway semi slicks .. so sort of a quarter slick haha. Not sure where the KU36s are rated. I don't think I'd run tyres like R888s on the road - wouldn't be using them to their potential and then just suffer with tyre wear.

[StanTheMan]

For tyre life, if I can get about 15,000 kms, or even maybe 20 000 kms that would be good. Most of the time I drive it pretty gently, but of course there are the odd hard driving days. Most important is dry grip, and at least competent wet grip. I don't plan on hammering the car through the wet, but I still need to be able to drive relatively normally without fear I'm just going to slip and slide.

From what I've heard, all those tyres mentioned will be great in the dry and still decent in the rain (including the RT615, not sure about the KU36). Price is anything under 300 a tyre, but of course, the more change I get the better. If I could score something around 230-250 a tyre that would be awesome.

I had the RE001s on my NA, and before them I had KU31s, and I thought they did the job, but wanting to try something new. With the RT615s, I know that there more a halfway semi slicks .. so sort of a quarter slick haha. Not sure where the KU36s are rated. I don't think I'd run tyres like R888s on the road - wouldn't be using them to their potential and then just suffer with tyre wear.

I was under the impression the KU36 was about the same catergory as the RT615

15k km should be attainable on the RT615 at least. I'm considering the Kuhmo for my next tyre.

[blackster]

I was under the impression the KU36 was about the same catergory as the RT615

They are.....

[zawrilla]

I was under the impression the KU36 was about the same catergory as the RT615

They are.....

Cool.. I will consider them as well then. I just wasn't sure if they were in the 'ultra high performance' or 'semi slick' category, as I don't actually want to go semi slicks.

[AB7]

IMO running 215 on 7" wide rims is a waste. I've done it before and you'll prob won't notice the difference. You'll get better performance running 205 on 8" rims.

[MINX]

Yep 215 vs 205 cant tell the difference on the road.
However, it fills the rim better, and offers more protection for the rim from gutter rash.
More of an appearance advantage.

But, the extra width, with same profile percentage(40) fixed my oem speedo error. Spot on with 215/40/17

[zawrilla]

KU36 don't come in the required size, so they're ruled out. Smallest 17 inch is 215/45/17 which aren't suitable. Shame, as they were looking like a decent tyre for the money.

Falken RT615 and Toyo T1R do.
I know we're looking at two different types of tyres - the RT615 being a ultra high performance street/entry-level race, and T1R being high performing street.
So I imagine dry grip for the RT615 will be a bit better, but wet weather and tyre wear will be a bit worse.

I haven't got an exact dollar figure, but from talking to Spinning Wheel, it seems they will be in the high 200 to under 300 bracket. Is this reasonable? I was expecting around $250 a tyre.
I haven't rung around to others yet, but I will get onto that soon.
Yoko S-drives are up there as well, but I would imagine they are a bit more expensive and maybe not worth the money? Not sure. Same with the Michelin PP2s.

[philz]

Try Taleb tyres for prices on the RT's.

Another tyre to consider is the R1R instead of T1R.

[zawrilla]

Try Taleb tyres for prices on the RT's.

Another tyre to consider is the R1R instead of T1R.

Tried them.. they don't stock the right size unfortunately.

[wun911]

I run 17" from a comfort point of view whats better the 215 40 R 17 or the 205 40 R 17??
or is there no difference,

[bensale]

Wun, a 215 will a poofteenth more comfortable than the 205 as the 40 bit is a ratio (%) of the tread width.

I have a pair of T1R's on the front of my other set of wheels. Not bad tyres, quite good in the wet. A little noisey and a lot of people complain of them having soft sidewalls. Running highish pressures seems to fix this. They are definetly the safe choice, reasonably grippy for what they are, probably almost as much so as my fresher aus spec re001's although the T1Rs are 205's and the re001s are 185's. I imagine they are a fair bit cheaper than the RT615's too. They'll also last quite a while too. If its a daily car and you aren't going on the track regularly I think they are a good choice.

[Benny]

I have 17X7" wheels on my SP, and I run the RT 615's in 205/40 on the front, and 215/40 on the rears.
The overall diameter of the 205's V the 215's are almost exactly the same, but if you move up to a 225, the sidewall height increases quite a bit, so I wouldn't go for the 225's.

I'd actually like to go to a 245 tyre on the rears, as my car wheelspins even in 2nd gear when it hits 4000RPM, but there isn't anything really suitable, so I'll stick to the 215's on the back.

I have found the RT 615's to be about the best dry weather tyre, but they aren't great in the wet, although they are quite OK.
I get around 12K out of the tyres (I'm on my 3rd set of these now), but that includes skid pan days and a track day or 2, so if you are driving them on the street only, and your car doesn't wheelspin all the time, you should be able to get at least 15K out of them.

I've found the best prices for the RT 615's are from Tempe Tyres and the last set I bought cost around $220 a tyre.