195/50/R15 to 205/45/R16 or 215/40/R16?

[GUM80Y]

Howdy all,

Just picked up a new set of 16x7" rims today to upgrade from my 15s.

I will be in the market shortly for some new Kumho KU31s (best price to performance ratio IMO) and I was wondering which size I should get? Tempe Tyres offer both the 205/45/16 and 215/40/16 for $125 per wheel fitted.

I did a speedometer calibration calculation with my current 195/50/15s; for the 205/45 the speedo will be out by -2.5km/h (when travelling at 100km/h) and for 215/40 it'll be out by -0.5km/h. Both of these pretty much negligible since I was checking the speedo with my GPS and it seemed to be reading about 5km/h faster than actual speed.

My car is an EM1 Civic with a b16 engine, so the difference between the two I imagine would be the 215s would have more grip but decrease acceleration and fuel efficiency, also the lower profile would mean a harsher ride quality (if that's even possible?).

What are your thoughts on the matter? Would the extra grip not be worthwhile at the cost to acceleration? Would the 215s be too wide for a 7" width rim?

[brandonek1]

215's wouldn't necessarily be too wide for the 7" rim but the offset of the wheels will determine whether the 215 width will give you headaches (scrubbing etc.). i'd go 205/45 on an EM1 but then again I haven't really any experience with 215/40s maybe someone else can help out.

at the end of the day you gotta decide what matters more to you - grip, ride quality, etc. and make your decision based off that

[mugen_ctr]

215 are fine if ur not dumping the car, and i was running 16X7 +45... i ran 215 on track day with low ride height, 1/2 finger gap, and scrub lightly on full lock, but not noticeable

IMO go 205, as the side walls will sit flush with the rim, anything bigger will bulge slighty, as regards to performance, i didnt notice much on track an dd, still handles the same, and ride was the same, but for looks, id go 205/45R16