Noob question: 225/50R17 or 225/45R17 or none of the above?

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palpullero

Member
Apologies if this question has been asked before and answered; I seem to not find the information I'm looking for on all the post I've looked at. I have a 2016 Sonic LTZ with stock 17" wheels. Will 225/50R17 or 225/45R17 fit in my Sonic? I am thinking that the 225/50R17 will be a bit too tall but the 225/45R17 may work. Stock size is 205/50R17 with the option of 215/50R17 but I don't know about using 225s. Thanks.
 
LorbeerTLC

LorbeerTLC

Member
215/50r17 95v xl

I just installed a set of four 215/50R17 95V XL on my 2012 Sonic LTZ hatchback.

It was interesting because for this particular set of tires, it was the highest I could go to have both a "V" speed rating and the "XL" (Extra-Load) together. The 225 actually had a lower load rating than the 215.

The Portland, Oregon area has some pretty nasty potholes and I found that having a little extra rubber between the road and wheels might save you from having to replace them incase of a hard impact, especially at night in the rain. :eek:
 
V

Vicarious

New member
LorbeerTLC said:
I just installed a set of four 215/50R17 95V XL on my 2012 Sonic LTZ hatchback.

It was interesting because for this particular set of tires, it was the highest I could go to have both a "V" speed rating and the "XL" (Extra-Load) together. The 225 actually had a lower load rating than the 215.

The Portland, Oregon area has some pretty nasty potholes and I found that having a little extra rubber between the road and wheels might save you from having to replace them incase of a hard impact, especially at night in the rain. :eek:
Click to expand...
For future reference, wider tires will usually have a lower load rating than narrower tires. It's one of the reasons trucks use duallies instead of simply moving to one giant tire.

If you're really worried about potholes, going to higher profile tires will help, as will reducing the jounce stiffness of your shocks.
 
LorbeerTLC

LorbeerTLC

Member
205/50R 17XL 93V (old) vs 215/50R 17XL 95V (new)

The new wider 215 tires that replaced my 205 tires actually has a higher load capacity (95 vs 93).

The higher width also increases my tires diameter by 1.6% while keeping my scrub radius at 0% (which is what I want). By going to a higher profile like from a 50 to a 55 would put me at a negative scrub radius.

A great site that I found very helpful in comparing tire sizes is listed below:
https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?wheel1=205-50-17X6.5ET41&wheel2=215-50-17X6.5ET41&scl=0.75in&fcl=2in&wcl=1.25in&sr=0in
 
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