what size tires to use w/15" and 16"

[todaCspec]

you know for 92-00 civic's you can use: 195 50 15,195 55 15, 205 50 15. 16" would be 205 45 16,205 40 16, 215 40 16. tire rack recommends 195 50 15 for 15" and 205 40 16 for 16" but clearly those are not the best sizes for those sizes. does anybody know of a place where you can go for better reference? i was wondering if you can put 205 50 15" on the stock wheels or 205 45 16 on aftermarket 16" rims?:)

[DynaSpeed]

but clearly those are not the best sizes for those sizes

Why not? It depends on your wheel. If we're talking about a 15" 7.0 then sure... that will handle *everything* from a 5.0 (195) to a 7.5 (205) wheel. So for a 15 wheel, I would put at least a 50 series tire, otherwise it would be kinda dumb looking and the performance would be wasted. plus, it'd be tough to even find anything smaller. Toyo only makes *2* tires in a 45 series tire for 15".
16" is a little more flexible. Now you have 195 thru 245 to work with, therefore a 16 wheel will work with everything from a 6.0 to a 9.5 (for the 245, of course)... and these will come in a range from 40 to 55 series.
17" (IMO the most performance (and looks) for the dollar) 205 thru 265 is common, in 35 - 50 series. Now a 265 can handle a 9.0 - 10.5 wheel, with most Tire Manufacturers recommending a 9.5
So what I'm getting at is it's whatever you want to put on your car that will fit. Just check the width of the wheel to get the optimum tire width. Obviously, if you own an Si, you're not putting anything bigger than a 225 (eek!) in your wells, unless you're cutting some of your car off. I know a little bit about these #'s, so if you have a width of wheel in mind, I could recommend a tire for it.

[todaCspec]

i was thinking of getting Rota slipstreams. i don't want the car raised,so i was thinking of going 15" x6.5 or 16" x7. those are the only width,that is offerred through them. what tires can i put on them for the 02 si?
tirerack suggested for 15" 195/60-15 and 16" 215/50-16.

[DynaSpeed]

If those are the only 2, I would really be interested in talking you into the 16's (...*subliminal message*... you will buy 17's !!!). Whats the motive for paying money for slipstream 15's? (Looks? Performance? Money?) To keep the same total wheel and tire diameter you have to get *60* series tires... ewwww! but, you can upgrade to all the way to 225, but recommendation for 6.5 for this car and tire setup is 205. Therefore, I would suggest (lets say hypothetically a Toyo T1-S) 205/50R-15.
The 16, to keep around the same wheel and tire diameter, would have to take an inch off profile of the tire (like about 10). But, you can put practically *any* width tire on a 7.0 (all the way from 195 - 235). So, 205/50ZR-16 or 215/45ZR-16 would work nicely (with no chance of rub).

(...*back to subliminal messaging*... 215/40R-17) :D

I hope this is helpful. Or am I just a rambling idiot?

[todaCspec]

these cars are just totally different from the previous si's(wheel diameter). i'm probably going to end up getting 17"s considering it'll offer better handling and of course lower profile choices w/tires. thanks!

[stingyboy]

hey, i got 215/40/17's recently. they look great in the garage!

i'm waiting for springs/shocks to come in to do the install all at once.

[IceD out N CALI]

I'd love to keep the stock wheels and put 205 50 15' on them, cause it would give the car a nice look in myopinion, only problem is it will throw off the speedomoter by like almost 5 miles per 100 miles so after like 10,000 miles its gonna read a +500 miles. GRrrr I wish they had put 195-55-15s stock like they did on the 99-00 sis

[Hondatech]

The best option on the stock rims would be a 205/55R15 (Bridgestone Potenza S-03 or Dunlop SP Sport 9000 would be my choice in this size)

If it'll fit, and god knows if it will, 225/50R15 is pretty close to the overall diameter of the stock tires.

For 16s, 205/50R16 (Or 225/45R16, once again, if they'll fit....)

For 17s 215/40R17

Bigger then 17? Up to you... :p