kmo98

Greetings and Happy New Year!

I'm a new member to this forum and look forward to spending time learning about my car.

I have a 2002 E320 wagon with Continential 215/55-16 tires which have worn down and need replacement.

Would it be possible or practical to put a larger tire say 225/50-16 on the stock rim? This size seems more popular than the 215/55 that is on the car.

Would a 50 series tire make the car ride significantly harder?

My local costco does not stock the 215/55-16 but has plenty of 225/50 series

Any advice or recomendations would be welcome. I'm not looking for a high performance tire, maybe something that would wear better. I only got 24K miles out of the contis.

Thanks

Kevin

Whitey

Welcome to the family kmo98!

In case you're not aware, the "50" size means 50% of the tire width in millimeters i.e. 225mmx50%=113mm=the tire profile.

Therefore, 215x55%=118mm, your current tire profile. In response to your question, that means there will be a 5mm thinner profile. I believe it would not make a significant difference to ride quality but the important thing is whether or not the width of your wheel will be able to accomodate the extra 10mm in tire width (225-215=10mm).

I'm not sure what the width of the standard wheel is but I've found as a general rule, wheels would generally take any tire that's up to 1 to 1.5" wider than its own width. So if my calculations are correct, a 225 tire is 8.86" meaning if your wheel is 7.5" or more, it might fit - but I'd let others who'd tried confirm.


In addition, be warned that the 5mm thinner profile (or total of 10mm in overall wheel diameter) of the 225/50's will create a slight inaccuracy in your speedo reading. Good luck!

E55 KEV

The perfect tire upgrade for your car and still use the OEM wheels is size 235/50/16. However, not many tires in that size. The overall diameter on that one and the 215/55/16 is 25.3". I like the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 which is a Ultra High Performance All Season:

jimmydagreek

On my stock 16's I have 225/50 16's and they ride and even look much nicer than the stock 215/55's. That's the way I went when I was riding on stocks and it's a great size. IMO, 235 is just a bit too wide for my liking on the stock 16's.

My recomendation for a brand would be the Toyo FZ4's. They are all season and have a 300 tread wear rating. I just got them in 19's for my Carlsson and just had the chance to test them in the rain today, they're tight and are priced great as well. Btw, they're also very, very quiet compared to my Dunlop SP Sports that I had on my stocks at one time. Although the Dunlops are great and I would also recommend those, they are louder than the Toyo's. Just my $0.02...Good luck!

Air Marshall Eldritch

Jimmy, what kind of Toyo, or is that the full name? I'd like to price 17's on Tirerack.

I have the Sumitomo's for about a year now and the wear is pretty good too.

By the way, a 300 rating for wear is only relative to that manufacturer. A 300 Michelin is not the same as a 300 Goodyear.

jimmydagreek

You are right, some of the tread wear ratings do differ but the 300 in the Toyo brand is high, which is good. I have a wholesaler in Miami that I deal with all of the time, his name is Gaston. Here is the info:

FAST Motorsport.com
12021 SW 117th CT
Miami, FL 33186
800.749.9832
305.328.0561
http://www.fastmotorsport.com

kmo98

Everyone,

Thanks for your replies. I am going to go to Discount tire and see what they have.

I am concerned that a higher performance tire could produce more noise.

I'll let you know what I end up with.

Thanks again

Kevin

Whitey

Your tire man should be able to tell you which brand of tire is quieter - there are noticeable differences even between tires in the same class.

jimmydagreek

Whitey

Hahhahhaa! Well, you gotta cater for all levels of knowledge....

apb

The best tire I have had and amazing value is the
Kumho HP4s 716 - check the rating at tirerack.
Yes, it is not a "cool" tire and lacks snob appeal but it is the smartest buy out there.
50 kmi warranty, can be bought at discount tire for about $85. I have the 225/55/16.

For reference, I have also had the Michelin MXV4, the XGTH4, the Toyo T1S (235/50/16) and the Dunlop SP A1.

The Kumho is the smoothest and quietest by far and corners very well. Give it a try, you can return tires for 30 days if you don't like them.