Why did the TII rims come with the same width tires as the 15 inch rims? Shouldnt they have 215's on there? I want to put 215's on my TII rims, and I know theyll fit no problem, thats not my question. If I put the 215's on the 7" rims will the tires roll more during hard cornering?

 

because you touch yourself at night...



no i dont know why they put 205s on. but if the sidewal is the same height then it shouldnt roll more

 

generally when u go with a wider tire without changing the wheel the tire breakaway is not as smooth as it is with a narrower tire on a wider wheel. 215 on a 7inch wheel is not bad but i woudltn go any wider, unless all you do is drag racing. its much better to go with a stickier compound tire then try to increase the width on a small width wheel.

 

Tires and wheel size are a compromize between handling, cost, and smoothness.

So, to keep costs down, the went with a thinner tire.
So to keep the smoothness up, they went with a taller series tire.
So to give it decent handling they went with better than a 70 series tire (as was very common at the time).

Remember when the Turbo came out in the USA there were people already complaining about the ride being harsh on the regular coupe (hence the softer S5 suspension).

 

So its better to stay with the 205's on there than to go with 215 and a smaller profile?

 

I have 225's on my 16x7's....they're not stock rims though..........I have noticed that under hard fast cornering my car tends to understeer........not sure how to fix it.

 

So Ice, for handling purposes would it be better to go with a 215 and a smaller profile since it can easily go on the 7 inch rim?

 

I personally like the 225/50-16 on the stock 16x7 rims

Keeps the speedo correct and fits fine

 

what is the widest you can fit on a 16x7? and should I try going a bit wider or should I stick with 225's all around?

 

Thats exactly what Im getting ready to purchase.

 

225/50-16 here also.
Best for general use.

One exception - 205/55 cheap/hard compound tires are better for drifting.

 

Would 215's be ok for both drifting and grip then? Because I do both, sometimes autocross and sometimes drift, so I want the best width for both on the stock TII rims.

 

Actually 215/55 x 16 were going to be used on the cars, but at that time a 215/55 x 16 tire was almost non-existant. Mazda then went to a more abundant tire 205/55 x 16.