Tire Choice / Alternate Size for 16/17 Rim Combination

[NSXDVM]

I'm looking to put new tires on a set of 16/17 SSR integrals I have for daily use to keep my larger wheels/tires pristine. Aside from the OE Bridgestone RE010 or Kumho Ecsta XS are there any other tires that fit the 215/45/16, 245/40/17 Combination. Or has anyone tried alternate sizes with this wheel combo where there are other tire choices. The wheels are 16x7 and 17x8. Stock height suspension. Also my main goal tire wise for this set is longer tread life, excellent wet weather traction, and the best dry weather that matches up.

Thanks for any suggestions/help.

 

[nsxtasy]

Any of these sizes generally work fine for the NSX:

215/45-16 and 245/40-17
215/45-16 and 255/40-17
205/45-16 and 245/40-17
205/45-16 and 255/40-17 (this last one is not as good as the first three, particularly on a '95-05 NSX).

However, are you sure that your rear wheels are 17x8 and not wider? If so, you'll need to use 245 in the rear, not the 255 (which generally needs at least 17x8.5).

my main goal tire wise for this set is longer tread life, excellent wet weather traction, and the best dry weather that matches up.

Based on those criteria, your best bets are these three, which are all available in 205/45-16 and 245/40-17:

BFGoodrich g-Force Sport COMP-2
Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport
Yokohama S.drive

The Tire Rack did a side-by-side comparison test of all three of these tires, which you can view by clicking here. Note that they particularly liked the BFGoodrich for its wet traction. (I've been in your area in pouring rain, most recently when Hurricane Sandy hit at the end of the Frank Lloyd Wright event in western PA this past October, and I can understand your concern for great traction in wet weather!)

These are all summer tires and aren't going to give good traction in snow or frigid temperatures.

 

[nsxter]

Depending on your front rim offset. I have old school enkei RP01's
Mine are 16x7 et35 with 205/50/16 tire with no rubbing at all. The rear tire I am using is a 245/45/17 You will find a much bigger selection in these sizes. I use this set for street driving only. I drive mine daily and tire wear is important. I have other sets of rims for other purposes. Again on the front tire size the offset does matter as I have been told that others have tried this size and had rubbing with stock wheels.

 

[nsxtasy]

The oversized 205/50-16 and oversized 245/45-17 may work, but I can't think of a single advantage they have. There isn't any type of tire you can get in those sizes that you can't get in the more popular 45 and 40 series, and they have the disadvantages of rubbing (as you mention), slower acceleration, throwing off the accuracy of your gauges, etc.

 

[nsxter]

I can think of a few, although you may not agree, cost, tire life, etc. But at the cost of superior performance, doubtfull that you would or should be pushing a tire on the street to the limit of one of the tires you mention.
A 205/50/16 is only 0.3" bigger in diameter than a 215/40/17 and 0.5" bigger in diameter than a 215/45/16. so instead of your speedo showing you are going 60 mph, it indicates 61.2 mph, umm....pretty close. No issues with the TCS at all. The differance between the undersized tires you mention is about the same differance only smaller a 205/45/16 is 0.3" smaller in diameter than the stock 215/45/16 or 1.7% smaller.

This type of setup is not for everyone, especially if its a garage queen (where you want the look of thin sidewall tires) or a track rat that needs ultimate grip, thats for sure, but it works for daily normal street driving where ultimate summer grip is not really needed.
If you need extra grip have an expensive set of wheels/tires for that, so you can get the best of both worlds.

The OP has a set of "Good Stuff" and is looking for alternatives for daily use. His last statement is why I posted what I did. "Also my main goal tire wise for this set is longer tread life, excellent wet weather traction, and the best dry weather that matches up."

 

[nsxtasy]

You haven't identified a single advantage of the oversized tire sizes. (Which is not surprising, since they don't give better performance or grip, don't last longer, etc.) All you've said is that the numerous disadvantages aren't major, and that you don't like the supersticky "extreme performance" tires (which I didn't recommend for this owner anyway, based on his stated preferences). Thanks for confirming everything I've stated.

 

[nsxter]

I bow to your expertise....
I was just giving him other options for street use with aftermarket rims, You gave him some, and I gave him some, I fail to see why you think it is necessary to argue, we all have our opinions, not everyone has the same needs in tires.

There are some advantages in no particular order
-More of a selection on tires, Grippy ones or not (You can even still get the contenental extreme contract DW in that size, as a matter of fact you can still get them for both front and rear, same front and rear available for the Dunlop Z1 star spec and the new Dunlop ZII if grip is the concern)
-Cheaper tires available in that size if cost is the concern (Sumitomo HTR Z II 205/50/ZR16 is 69 dollars, they have some cheaper tires than that, The least expensive you suggest is 99 dollars)
-Better treadlife available (Tire mentioned above has a 360AA rating, the best one you suggest is 340AAA)
-Slightly smoother ride (due to taller sidewall)
-Slightly better rim protection from potholes that may be encountered with aftermarket rims
-No rubbing with aftermarket rims depending on offset.
-No TCS issues

I fail to see any disadvantages for that size since you can get even the best grippy tires in that size.

 

[nsxtasy]

-More of a selection on tires, Grippy ones or not (You can even still get the contenental extreme contract DW in that size, as a matter of fact you can still get them for both front and rear, same front and rear available for the Dunlop Z1 star spec and the new Dunlop ZII if grip is the concern)

The ExtremeContact DW in 205/50-16 has been discontinued. The only ones the Tire Rack has are 2009 production, and getting four-year-old tires for an NSX front is not a good idea. There are NO current-production max performance tires available in the oversized sizes. You can get ultra-high performance and extreme performance tires, but there are plenty of those available in the 45 and 40 series tires too, no need to get stuck with the oversized sizes.

-Cheaper tires available in that size if cost is the concern (Sumitomo HTR Z II 205/50/ZR16 is 69 dollars, they have some cheaper tires than that, The least expensive you suggest is 99 dollars)

That old Sumitomo is a truly dreadful tire, one that no one should be putting on an NSX. (It's not to be confused with their HTR Z III, which is actually very good but doesn't come in these sizes.)

-Better treadlife available (Tire mentioned above has a 360AA rating, the best one you suggest is 340AAA)

Wrong. You can get tires with longer treadlife in the 45 and 40 series too. I just wouldn't recommend them for an NSX.

-Slightly smoother ride (due to taller sidewall)

That's a really bad reason to get oversized tires. If you want a taller sidewall, you would be better off getting smaller wheels (such as 15"/16") and proper sized tires.

-Slightly better rim protection from potholes that may be encountered with aftermarket rims

Same story as previous point.

-No rubbing with aftermarket rims depending on offset.
-No TCS issues

Which are not advantages, since both are true of the proper-sized 45 and 40 series.

Still no advantages stated, and the disadvantages are still true...

 

[nsxter]

Wow
You certainly have an opinion. These forums are an open format for all to share experiences and opinions, I respect yours, please respect others as their experiences may be different. There is absolutly nothing wrong with using a proper fitted tire wether it is slightly over sized, or slightly under sized (as you suggst) as long as it meets the owners needs and works with the car.

Personally I will probably by a set of the Dunlop ZII as my next set, but thats me, and not you, or the OP.

Again I state the OP asked for options. I gave him some viable options, Like them or not.