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Stock Wheels - A question of tire width

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Old Feb 5, 2009 | 01:05 AM
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Stock Wheels - A question of tire width

Hey guys, I'm buying a pair of stock 88 turbo 7 spoke polished wheels. I currently have 87 unpolished GXL wheels. The GXL wheels are 6 inches wide, while the turbo wheels are 7 inches wide. In the FAQ, it says that Mazda slapped 205 tires on both. For a daily driver, would it be possible to fit a wider tire on (without any compromises?)

References:
Wheel widths:
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...52#post5131052

Tire sizes:
https://www.rx7club.com/showpost.php...21&postcount=3
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Old Feb 5, 2009 | 01:22 AM
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How much wider?
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Old Feb 5, 2009 | 01:41 AM
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Originally Posted by need RX7
How much wider?
Thats what I was wondering. Would 215s or 225s fit? Since 205s fit on a 6 inch wide wheel, whats the biggest tire size can I comfortably run on the 7 inch wide wheels?
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Old Feb 5, 2009 | 01:43 AM
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I don't know what the max is, but a 215 or 225 on a 7" wheel should be fine.
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Old Feb 5, 2009 | 01:58 AM
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Originally Posted by need RX7
I don't know what the max is, but a 215 or 225 on a 7" wheel should be fine.
Thanks for your help buddy.

Does anyone else have any experience with this, or any insight to add? All comments are welcome.
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Old Feb 5, 2009 | 02:20 AM
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I thought my 225/50/16 Potenza RE-01R's looked bubbly on my 7 inch turbo wheels. If I were to do it again, I'd run 205/55/16.

Wider is not necessarily better, in this case, you would lose transitional grip due to the sidewalls being so flexible on the larger tire.
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Old Feb 5, 2009 | 02:55 AM
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Originally Posted by Roen
I thought my 225/50/16 Potenza RE-01R's looked bubbly on my 7 inch turbo wheels. If I were to do it again, I'd run 205/55/16.

Wider is not necessarily better, in this case, you would lose transitional grip due to the sidewalls being so flexible on the larger tire.
Good point, I'll stick with stock. Thanks guys!
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Old Feb 5, 2009 | 08:56 AM
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i had 225 on the stock TII wheels, and it didnt look right, bulged out on the sides. 205 has a nice straight sidewall on 7" wheel
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Old Feb 5, 2009 | 10:54 AM
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I currently run 225/50/16 Sumittomo's on S5 TII on my 90 Vert. I picked this size because it is within the allowable size on the rim and it keeps the speedometer accurate.

The tire size work well for my purposes but there were issues:

I had to install a 5/32" spacer on the fronts to clear the strut tower, install longer wheel studs to account for the spacer and slightly roll the front fenders. Too much.

Next time I will probably go with 215/50/16 and live with the 1.7% speedo error.
Attached Thumbnails Stock Wheels - A question of tire width-imag0248.jpg   Stock Wheels - A question of tire width-imag0249.jpg  
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Old Feb 5, 2009 | 11:45 AM
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Originally Posted by jackhild59
I currently run 225/50/16 Sumittomo's on S5 TII on my 90 Vert. I picked this size because it is within the allowable size on the rim and it keeps the speedometer accurate.

The tire size work well for my purposes but there were issues:

I had to install a 5/32" spacer on the fronts to clear the strut tower, install longer wheel studs to account for the spacer and slightly roll the front fenders. Too much.

Next time I will probably go with 215/50/16 and live with the 1.7% speedo error.
I forgot about that as well.

I had to use a small 2-3mm spacer on my front wheels as well to clear 225/50/16.
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