I bought my GXL with 205/55/r15s on it. When I went to tire rack it said that the factory tires are 205/60/15 and that for 16" rims the tire size would be 205/55/R16. I just bought a pair of Motegi MR7 16" rims and put the 205/55/R16s on it and they just seem big to me. Is that just because the tires that came with the car were smaller than factory equipment?

 

I prefer 225/50-15 on the stock 15x6 and 15x6.5 rims, and yes they are slightly wider.

The 205/55-16 should be perfect if not go to a 225/50-16.

 

Yes, the correct tire size for your car is 205/60/15 for 15" wheels and 205/55/16 for 16" wheels. they look too big to you because the previous owner of your car put the wrong size tires on it.

As for putting 22/50/15 tires on the stock 15" wheels, that is not too good an idea. First of all, the wheel is only 6" wide and a 225 tire will perform best on a 7.5" to 8" wheel. On a 6" wheel, the sidewall will not be vertical (it will bulge) and the performance will suffer. The wheel should always be 80% of the width of the tire for good performance.

Theoretically, on a 6" wheel, a 185 or 195 tire will perform best because the sidewall and tire shape will best and heat buildup on the tire will be more even.

A 7" rim is best for a 205 tire.

 

I think if you check with just about every tire manufacture out there, that their 225/50-15 will fit just fine on 6" wheels to 8" wheels.

 

Icemark,

I agree that a 225 on a 6" wheel is allowed by the tire manufacturers, but it is not an optimal setup because the wheel cannot support the tire as well as a wider wheel could. You can read tests on this topic in books on suspension setup and theory.