honda accord tire question
 

totally random (i know) but thought id post for a friend whos looking for an answer..

he has a 98 honda accord dx (4cyl), just his daily driver, and hes about to spring for some tires so he asked me for help (he's not a car guy).. he currently runs 195/65/15 tires. he wanted to know if he could go a size wider to 195/60/15 without having any rub/clearence/spacers issues? could he go any wider than that?

since hes buying tires online, it has to be right the first time.

can he go to a wider 60 for a little bigger footprint or should he just stick with the 65 stock size? thanx

itll be fine and wont effect the speedo enough to notice either

By your numbers there, he isn't going a size wider, he's just changing the aspect ratio. The aspect radio is basically the height of the sidewall. By going with a 60 AR over a 65, he is shortening the height of the side wall.
If he wants to go wider, the first number would have to change. 205 is the next size up. 10 more mm shouldn't cause any rubbing issue.

sorry wasnt thinking, brain fart..looking to wider for his tires, i realize i switched up the number's definitions.. so you think 205 is the way to go? will he be ok with a 65 or should he go with 60 AR?

I dont see why? If he's looking for better handling, buy a tire that will offer that.
Increasing the width of the tire can also hurt MPG. Maybe not by a lot, but some do notice a difference.

You could go to a 205/60-15 but thats a tough tire and not very popular. Could leave you with only a few options. The 195/65-15 has tons upon tons of options from high milage smooth riding touring tires, to high performance and high grip tires.

I always screw this up but, Al will correct me.
205/65= 133.25 mm sidewall height
195/65= 126.75 mm " "
205/60= 123 " " "

So, yes, step one size down in the AR.

for every 10 you go on the size, you can drop 5-10 on the ar

A 205/60/15 should be ~.3" shorter. Probably not an issue – some cars that might cause issues. IIRC that was a typical Acura size and I would think there should be a decent selection of tires out there. Now don’t go wider & cheaper. If he’s going to buy a cheap tire just stay the same size. If he is looking for handling he should get a quality tire. Maybe step up to a V speed rated tire for the improved carcass construction.

my '97 accord fit 225/45/17 all the way around with no rub or anything! dramatic change in handling with right rubber! I would recommend Falken (great traction dry/wet/ and pretty good on snow)(I'm sure there more great tires i'm just saying what i tested myself). was 205/65/15 before. If he is looking for handling... I would also recommend just getting "package" - rims, tires, mounted/ balanced. Just swap them and you're ready go. I got nice rims wrapped in Falken tires all for 750 shipped.
Like here: CLICK ME
Good luck.

if he is ordering online, they should tell him optional tire sizes that will fit on his rim........

That's what i'm talking about. They have specific packages.

My shop keeps a stock of 205/60/15's made by Fuzion, who is a basically made by Bridgestone.