Honda Car Forum

my son has a 95 honda civic, with 17" wheels and the tire size of 215/45/17 . he is buying new wheels and tires, so we thought we would buy what is on the car already, since it looks good, but the tire dealer is recommending a tire size of 205/45/17 .what is best, is there really that much differance?the other tire size is 205/40/17, sorry.

205 vs 215 would hardly make a difference except may be a marginal difference in fuel economy.

yes lots listen to the tyre expert it can make a huge difference in lots of aspects including a mot test

the 215/45/17 is a little wider and a little taller than the 205/45/17. It doesn't make a lot of difference. The wider tires provide more traction but take more fuel. Although the 205/45/17 is a more proper size for a 95 civic, just go for the cheaper oneJohnhttp://www.anodizingracksonline.com

For the 215 vs 205, it should not make too much of a difference but since 205 is the standard for the Civic, they will get better fuel economy.

Go with what the dealer recommends. TPC or tire performance criteria is important, not only for fuel economy but for braking, handling and prolonging the life of suspension components.

See: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Option...utoModClar=The original equipment was 185/60-14. Any wheelsize larger than 14" will have an adverse effect on braking performance due to increase rotating inertia.If you insist on the 17" wheels, the recommendation is 205/40-17.Why buy new wheels? What is wrong with the old wheels? Or is there an extra $1000- lying around?

Honestly, I believe Nigel M has the best answer. Check out this link, put in your stock tire size (should be listed on a sticker in the glove compartment), and put in the 2 different 17" tire sizes. This will show you how accurate his speedometer will be with the tire change:http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

The car originally had 175/70/13 tires and rims on it and if it were and ex model it would have had 185/60/14. It is recommended if tire size is changed it must be within 3% of original tire size. If it is greater than 3% you run a risk of brake failure not to mention throw the speedometer off as well.With the tires on the car right now 215/45/17 the tire difference from stock is over 7.5% so traveling 60mph you are actually only going 55.4 mph and you are adding much more stress to the braking system. Out of all the sizes you gave the safest and closest to ideal is the 205/40/17 it is only 3.03% larger than the original tire.http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCal...tion=submitUse this site and use either stock tire size I gave from above and the possible sizes the dealer gave to make your decision. Make your sons car look good and be safe while doing it!