My searches on the wheel/tire forum have revealed that numerous members are using 225/50/16 tires on stock (aluminum) rims. For those of you using these, does the stock wheel give adequate support (in your opinion)? A 225 section tire seems like a lot for a 6 inch rim to handle. I'd thought of trying 215/55's, but these don't seem to have much member usage (and they're a hair larger in diameter than the 205/55's or 225/50's). My car isn't lowered and it won't be autocrossed. (It's also a convertible, but I have a set of the coupe wheels.) Thanks in advance.
225/50/16s here since 3 weeks after I got the car. Never had a problem through 3 different sets of tires (got 2 free to try out and review)
I used to race cars, now I race myself.
5K PB: 24:50
10K PB: 54:26
Honestly, just use 205/55/16. It doesn't seem like you're worried about performance, so for best fuel economy use the 205's. I have 215/55/16's and they sit wide on the rim(and they were a bitch to get on).
I have run 225's on my lowered 2000 for 3 years with no issues. I also ran the same size on my old 98 lowered Vert and my 2003 sedan with no issue either. I truely believe they handle better with the wider tire.
Different note: I helped a co-worker stuff 245/50r16's on two 95-99 Z wheels. Clear the strut by 1/2 inch in the rear. don't know about the front. He needed better used tires for the back
Running 225/50's myself and know two other locals whom also do. Wider contact patch, improved handling. Simple! They also don't have the tendency to roll under like our LS Sport's 205/55's seem to.
I see Tom mentioned they're a bitch to mount, but my buddy had no issue what-so-ever mounting them and they're even static balanced.
I'm running General Tire Altimax 225/50/16 and I love them (might go with the exclaim UHP next)...my car is lowered with Eibach pro-line and AGX's and no problems...if your not looking for performance gains then go with whats a better deal, which is probably the 205/55/16...I do like the looks of the wider tire but its really your preference and how much u want to spend, but the 225 does work well even with the stock rim, not sure of the width of my Motegi MR7's but think they are the same as stock.
I'm running Bridgestone Potenza's 225/50's on my stock GT rims also and I wouldn't change them back to stock size. I love them and handling is way better then 205.
Proud member since 99
i have kumho exctas asx, 225/50 and i absolutely love them. no complaints at all, car handles great even in the middle of winter
Clyde wins, but I'll share mine....only running the RSA's cause I got them cheap practically new, couldn't pass it up-
225/50/16 Falken Ziex 329s. I went from the factory 205 RSAs to these which the tire itself is a lot grippier so I can't really tell you if the extra width helped or not. No complaints at all though, and I probly wouldn't go back to the 205s.
im runing the 205/55R16 BFG G-Force Sports. there was no point for me to go to 225/50's as the added cost did not justify the less than a 1/4 of an inch i would gain in width. having the air pressures dialed in will net better handling than going to a wider tire on such a narrow rim.
1997 Cavalier Z24
Bomz Short Ram Intake
Vibrant Cat-Back
KYB GR2 Struts
Goldline 1.75" Springs
RK Sport Upper Insert
RK Sport Lower Dogbone
Custom Tune by Shane @
innovativetuning@rogers.com
15.647 @ 88.02 MPH
A 6" wheel is the minimum width to mount a 225 of course, but I highly doubt a 205 will net better handling than a 225 of the same variety in these cases. 1/4"? A 225 versus a 205 is about 3/4" wider (205= 8.07" 205mm, 225=8.85" 225mm). Feel free to correct my math if I'm wrong. That makes a difference.
I don't get your air pressure argument and that's not related to tire size one bit, having proper air pressure will net gains regardless of tire size.
i will use the tires i have for example, which are the BFG G-Force Sports
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=BFGoodrich&model=g-Force+Sport&tirePageLocQty=
that is the spec sheet for the tires.
it is a rule of thumb in the tire world that mounting a tire 0.5"+/- over the recommended rim width for the size will net a difference in width of 0.2 inches either for the positive or negative depending on if its mount on a wider or narrower rim.
now for the examples...
my particular size of g-force is a 205/55R16, which measures 8.4" wide on a 6.5" wide rim. using your math skills and the rule of thumb i posted above would give you a width of 8.2" on a 6" wide rim (width of my stock rim).
that makes a 205/55R16 actually work out to about 208 mm wide on a 6" wide rim. (8.2" * 25.4)
now, take the 225/50R16 from the same spec sheet...
which measures 9.2" wide on a 7" wide rim.
use your math skills and rule of thumb... that's 8.8" wide on a 6" wide rim.
now more math skills... that's about 223 mm wide on a 6" wide rim
more math... 223 mm - 208 mm = 15 mm
the 225/50R16 actually works out to about 15 mm wider than the 205/55R16... thats 5 mm less than what it is supposed to be if you just look at the sizes written on the sidewall.
15 mm / 25.4 = .6" wider
ok, so its more than a quarter of an inch, but its still less than the near .8" wider you said it should be.
for me, spending that much more money to gain a half an inch was not worth it. like i mentioned (although not 100% relevant to this argument) taking educated guesses at my tire pressures to make the car handle more neutral gained me more in the handling department than getting the wider tire.
so basically, tire and rim size play more of a role to each other than you might think. there's also rules in air pressure changes that go along with this, but i wont get into that.
1997 Cavalier Z24
Bomz Short Ram Intake
Vibrant Cat-Back
KYB GR2 Struts
Goldline 1.75" Springs
RK Sport Upper Insert
RK Sport Lower Dogbone
Custom Tune by Shane @
innovativetuning@rogers.com
15.647 @ 88.02 MPH
Got 225/50's on my 03, I love it. Hands down better then the Eagle LS I had previous. I have Kumho AST's right now, not a bad tire either. I'll put some pics up of them later for those interested
M62, 42's, ZZP 3", ZZP S3 H/E
214whp 190wtq
shot i am interested on it i just bought some z24 rims and i have a stock height sedan 99 cavalier so i need to no if the 225/50/16 will clear even with a 2 inch drop on it as well.
I'm Runnig 225/50 16" Toyo Proxes 4 and have never had problems. i have had them on for a little over a year and half. I went this size so i wouldnt hear and feel every bump i go over
I originally started this topic because I was looking for alternatives to change the appearance of my car. I didn't like the "fender gap" and wasn't sure I'd want to lower it, but the car looked awkward (to me) and I really liked what some of you here had done with your cars. After searching through posts, reading the suspension FAQ and your responses here, I decided to lower the car a bit and go with the 225/50/16's on the Z24 coupe wheels I have. I just finished installing a Tokico HPK291 spring and strut kit and am very satisified with the results. The original struts were shot anyway, the kit was affordable and would give the drop I wanted. (And since the parts are all sanctioned and supplied by Tokico, they say they'll warranty it.) Although the car is basically put away for the winter (snow is due here any time), by next spring I'll have the tires mounted. I want to thank everyone for all their responses and great pictures of their cars and tires. (Maybe I'll get some pictures of my own car and introduce myself on the newbie forum.) - Mark
glad you found the responses helpful. also, good choice on the kit, i was eyeing the HPK kit as well, but came across to good of a deal on buying my springs and struts seperate that i couldnt pass them up.
1997 Cavalier Z24
Bomz Short Ram Intake
Vibrant Cat-Back
KYB GR2 Struts
Goldline 1.75" Springs
RK Sport Upper Insert
RK Sport Lower Dogbone
Custom Tune by Shane @
innovativetuning@rogers.com
15.647 @ 88.02 MPH
There seems to be an agreement here that the fitment of the wider tire(225) seems to be a non-issue with the 6" wide rim, but I do have another question I haven't seen answered. How is the tire selection for the larger tire? Is it less or more than the stock 205? anybody running yoko avs?
Cheers!!!
Since I decided to go with this size, I've found models in various price ranges from many domestic, European and Asian manufacturers. There is certainly no shortage of vendors and there are deals to be had online. (Querying eBay with the search string "225 50 16 tire" brought up 62 hits for both new and used tires.) Availability is certainly much better than the 215X55X16 I originally was considering. And, if you're close to a vendor to save on shipping and have an accommodating tire shop that will mount them reasonably, life is good. - Mark
I would like to get new summer tires for my stock Z24 wheels next spring. My car is lowered on Skunk2 springs and KYB AGXs and it runs about two and a half degrees of negative camber in the front. I was using 225/50/16 earlier this year on a 16x7" wheel. I am not sure what the offset of those wheels is but I'm positive it is smaller than the stock 16x6" offset of 42(?) or 45(?). Do anyone with specific knowledge think I can get away with using a 225/50/16 on my stock Z wheels without changing my alignment? All reasonably intelligent answers and educated guesses are welcome.
ZZZZZZZ
^^you should be fine, but as i always recomend, test fitting will tell you 100%
1997 Cavalier Z24
Bomz Short Ram Intake
Vibrant Cat-Back
KYB GR2 Struts
Goldline 1.75" Springs
RK Sport Upper Insert
RK Sport Lower Dogbone
Custom Tune by Shane @
innovativetuning@rogers.com
15.647 @ 88.02 MPH
I would think that there would be an issue with the sidewall and how it's aligned with rim and tire.
Under ultimate conditions, the 215 wide would be the best fit tire for the 6 inch wide rim.
225 places the sidewall in a position of being loaded and could squirm more than a sidewall that is more parallel with the tread and rim.
For drag racing, I could see a 225 being used because of the wider contact patch.
But for actual racing or spirited driving in which your tires will be stressed in the sidewalls, you'll start to see alot more squirm and give in your handling.
It might look good with 225's but the level of handling will be ultimately reduced.
That's just my opinion though with no actual testing to prove my theory.
Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO! 
