[EEZATOY]

Just curious as to peoples thoughts/opinions regarding replacement tires for those of us still running stock 16" rims.



Has anyone else noticed that most if not all the 225/50 and 205/55 tires (according to Tire Rack) are now designated for rim widths of 6.5" and 7" respectfully as apposed to our 7" and 8" - we fit within the allowable range just not ideal.



Also the available options for 16" tires (range of sizes) seem to be decreasing quickly...



And for the record I just purchase Bridgestone RE750 in 245/45 ans 225/50 (for 7" and 8" rims) which I will get install this week - I had originally ordered Goodyear DS G3 245/50 and 225/50 but they weren't able to get the 245's after a month so I opt'd for the RE750's and they should according to their charts be a better fit.



So as I said - just curious as to what people think - has tire technology improved to the point where now 1" less width rim has the stability of our 12 year old standards? And should we consider adjusting our tire sizing to meet modern technology?





Sam

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[josephsc]

[quote name='EEZATOY' date='Jul 25 2006, 10:39 AM']Also the available options for 16" tires (range of sizes) seem to be decreasing quickly...[/quote]I run 9inch rims in my 944 Turbo S (those Club Sport rims) -- but I often wonder why bother now, since you can't get appropriate tires unless I want to go one inch bigger and run 275/45/16..... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/mad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[mike]

I ran into this same dilemma recently when looking for tires for my '91 S2 (also on 7" and 8" x 16 rims). My front Michelin tires still had about 50% tread and the rears were worn out completely. I had 245/45s on the rear and just wanted to get some new Michelins to replace them. It seems that Michelin had quit producing this particular model in that size. A survey of the local tire dealers found no tires of any brand / model in size 245. I ended up ordering a set of 225 and 245 Yoko AVS ES100s from Tire Rack.



mike

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[Kim]

I have 7 and 9 inch wheels, 16 inch. I use the 205/55 and 245/45 sized tires. I also had a hard time getting rear tires but Continental makes a tire that fits (ContiSport Contact). I could not get Michelin tires. I had used the Yohohama tires before and got only about 18,000 km per set. This is expensive and I hope the Continentals will work better.

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[968 Cab]

Sounds very familiar... just got Falken FK-451 tires for my son's 944 NA to fit 7 & 8 x 16 BBS rims - 205/55/16 and 245/45/16 ZR rated with a decent wear index. Had a very tough time finding that combo size and concluded that most mfgs had given up on the 245/45/16 size.



These tires are a lot softer feeling than the Yokohama's - got 25,000 miles out of those, but they were stiff sidewall tires and noisy too! The wear rating index is similar, but I suspect the FK451's will not last as long. They are very reasonably priced however - $507 mounted and balanced from Discount Tire, so I cannot complain!

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[ether_joe]

I just put Avon Tech M500's from Tire Rack on my rears, stock 16" wheels. . . 225/50/16 - I didn't know there was an issue for stock wheels?

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[Kim]

The trouble is that I don't think that 9x16 was a stock wheel on a 968. My wheels (I think) were from a 993. The offset on the 9s is about 70 mm - I had to buy a 28 mm spacer for the rears to bring them out more. I think the 968 stock wheels were 7 and 8x16 and 7.5 and 9 x 17.

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[EEZATOY]

Yea, there are not very many choices in the 245/45/16 anymore...



My big question would still be dealing with stock sizes vs recomended rim widths - the 225/50/16 tires the rim range is 6-8" with the recomended being 7" - you would be maxing out the rim width range and how that might affect the tires handling and/or wear. The 205/55/16 are less of a strech, but still not ideal.



As I said mostly I'm just curious as to what people thought/we're doing/ and if there was any concern about the change (assuming that back in 1992-95 225/50 were made for a 8" rim width?) loss of options for stock 16's. Or is it just time to move up to 17's <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Sam

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[flash]

for street use, i think the 17s are the way to go - less sidewall flex, more rubber onthe ground, not a huge increase in net weight, more options and availability

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[Ferdinand_Porsche]

I run the stock 16 inches weels. Works fine, I see no reason to switch to 17''. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/dry.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

But in France, Michelin and Bridgestone still supplies good tyres in 16.

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