I got some 17x7 rims and looking to get some tires for them. My car is on stock wheels/suspension right now and i don't plan on lowering it in the future. I just want to get something that won't have any rubbing issues and will also have enough cushion to protect the rim in case i hit a pot hole. I read in the wheels section that 205/40 is the recommended size for 17x7 but it looks real thin from the pics i've seen on here. i was thinking about getting a 205/45 or 215/45... what are your thoughts on those? i just don't want my rims to get damaged. has anyone running 40s had any issues with pot holes?

 

205/45/17 is the recommanded size on TireRack.com

 

yea i thought 205/45 would be better too since it'll have a lil more meat on it to protect the rim. but looks like most ppl on here are running a 40

 

The first rims I bought used rims, they came with a 40 side wall and it was too thin imo. Rough ride and potholes were dangerous. I've got 45 now and I'd say its much better. If you don't plan on lowering it, you should be able to jump up to a 50 if you want that extra cushion and mpg, but don't quote me on that

As for width, I wouldn't go any wider than a 205. You can run a 215 but I wouldn't recommend it. I think you would run into more rubbing issues on a 215/45 tire than a 205/50 tire

But yea, perfect size is a 205/45, and if you do lower it, the tires will still work

 

Thanks for the insight man. now hopefully we can get some 205/40 guys drop in and share their experiences. btw those rims on ur ride look real good!

is 205/45 not a common setup or something? cus i was looking online for some barely used ones and they're hard as hell to find. i found many 205/40s but like no 205/45!

 

I had 205/40 when I had my 17 inch rims, on stock suspension. The ride was a little rough, but I had no problems with bending wheels. I live in rural WI and there is a lot of rough roads. Never bent a rim or anything. My car kind of looked like a monster truck with 17s on stock suspension though... Wasn't feeling it.

 

I had 205/40/17 for a while. I liked them.
Bending wheels highly depends on the quality of the wheel. Cheap wheels will bend no matter what. High end solid wheels will stand up to most road hazards.

 

yea i figured that the ride wouldn't be as smooth anymore but i'm willing to sacrifice that for the looks of it with new rims lol. is that a pic with 17s? yea that does look pretty high... is there a difference between the different generations cus i have a 03 and i seen some 03s with 17s and not lowered and it still didn't look that high i don't think. i was thinking about going with 16s cus i wondered if 17s might be too big and also cus its recommended to go 2 inches above the stock size but then when i saw some cars with 16s it just looked too small.

 

well thats good that u didn't have any wheel bending issues either. yea i got some enkei rims and they're definitely not a cheap company so i'm hoping they're gonna withstand any bumps or holes i might hit on the road. plus i think you would have to be going like 70mph and hit a pot hole to have damage done and i don't drive like a maniac so i should be ok

 

Here's a pic of my setup
215/45 R17 tires... my car is lowered on Tein S-Tech's so this is how it would look... I do have a bit of a rubbing issue when I make sharp turns, but other than that, I just drive carefully and try and avoid potholes at all costs...

 

so i was just checking online how much of a difference there is between a 40 and a 45 sidewall... and its only a difference of 0.4 inches! i thought it was gonna be like an inch or something. 0.4 is like almost no difference.

 

That's not 100% true
I actually cracked a wheel(eagle alloy) But roads down here are !@#&$!@%&!@#$!@ crap. We don't have potholes... we have craters waiting to swallow your car whenever you don't pay attention to the road.

 

half an inch makes quite a bit of difference.

Also, 02/03's have a pretty big gap in the front. I didn't like the look of my old 17's without a drop, so I'd suggest you go with 16's if you don't plan on dropping it, but thats your call. Plenty of people run 17s w/o a drop

 

Yeah that's with 17's. That picture makes it look higher than it really was, but I still didn't like it. I have 15's now lowered on Progress springs, i think 1.5 front 1.2 rear. I really like that look, although I think 16's look perfect on our cars. Get 16's!

 

That's usually because people go with 205/40/17 instead of 205/45/17. 45 profile will still have a gap, it just wont be as big.