I was speaking with Jim@TireRack a while back asking if at 205/45 or 215/45 tire would fit on the front AP1 wheels. Below are his replies:

- It is not a good size at all. They would be 1.7" shorter than the stock tires. You would have a big gap in the wheel well and it will throw off anti lock brakes.

- They also do not have enough load capacity for the car.

I asked for some clarification on both points but never heard back from him. My car is currently stock but I will be installing new coilovers soon so the gap could be fixed. What I do not understand are his comments regarding the anti lock brakes and the tire not supporting the load.

How are others running a 2xx/45 front tire on aftermarket wheels without it affecting the anti lock breaks or load capacity of the tire?

Thanks

 

The guys running 215/45 or 225/45 are running 17" wheels- not 16".

 

True. But that still doesn't answer either question. Does that 1" difference in tire size affect the load capacity of the tire? And what about the anti lock brakes? Why would they work any differently between a 16" and 17" wheel?

 

Tires are rated by load capacity. I'm guessing that having a shorter sidewall gives it a smaller load capacity than OEM, which is not recommended. Not sure if it would really matter but I'm sure he's just giving you the facts.

Being that much shorter it will throw off your speedo significantly, why are you set on these tire sizes?

 

Yes, the shorter sidewall affecting the load capacity... that's what I figured as well but it still doesn't make any sense when there are so many people with 17" aftermarket wheels on 2xx/45?

I wanted to go to a 2xx/45 tire on the front because I think it would look better than the stock 205/55. I wanted to make sure it wasn't going to cause any problems.

I didn't even consider the speedo being affected. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

Front tire diameter does not/cannot affect the speedo.

People running 215/45-17, 225/45-17, 245/40-17, 255/40-17, which are all between 24.5" and 25" in diameter, has nothing to do with whether you can or should run 205/45-16s which are less than 23.5" in diameter.

I've run 205/45-16 fronts, but not by choice (track tires that were given to me). ABS worked OK, but I could tell that the brake bias was shifted pretty radically to the front. It would be better if you ran them with 225/45-16 rears (another odd size).

Even lowered to fix the huge gap, the tire diameter is small enough to looks somewhat roller-skatey.

Tough to argue against lower unsprung weight, lowered ride height with no impact on suspension geometry, "better" gearing, and more responsive braking you get with shorter tires, though. My 240Z was brilliant on 225/50-15s of about the same diameter.

Load rating doesn't seem to be a real issue to me. A stock S2000 with driver and fuel will only be putting about 750 lb. on each front tire, looks like most 205/45-16s are rated for more than 1000 lb. static.

I think the bigger issue is that you're not likely to be able to get the best tire for your usage in oddball sizes like 205/45-16.

 

Sigh yet another person that is worried about how a tire looks instead of how it performs. Buy the normal tire and save money for wheels or buy some AP2 wheels so you can have 17's with the smaller sidewall tire.

 

Sigh yet another person that feels the need to criticize what other people are doing. If you're not going to contribute to the discussion, mind your own business and get the FCK out of here!

I'm tired of people like you!

 

Good info ZDan, thanks!