Automotive → Tire size question

My Focus ZX4-ST has 205/50R/16 tires as original equipment.
I have an oportunity to get 215/55ZR-16 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires for 400 bucks. Will they fit my car? Tire height should be ok but there isn't much room between the tire and the strut.

Most vehicles can handle one size up. I would certainly ask a tire shop if the present wheel offset would clear the strut, though.

The speedo would also be pessimistic by a a couple of percent, or so.

The 215 tire is only 10 mm wider, so as long as you have at least 10 mm between the tire and the strut, you should still have at least 5 mm left after this tire. The radius is about 16 mm bigger.

»www.miata.net/garage/tir ··· alc.html

I wouldn't do that.

The Miata tire calc has been my go-to for over 10 years.

Those 215/55s are far too big for your car. You're talking 1.5 extra inches of overall diameter. Your speedo will be off by over 3 mph @ 60 and it'll handle worse which is probably not what you're after when looking at tires like those. Adding .75 inches of sidewall is going to make it loose & comfy.

Edit - clicked the wrong size on the tire calc to start with -- oops! The difference is not as drastic as what I originally saw.

You should just remove your wrong calculation.
People will probably jump to making fun of you to use inches when the measurement is in milimeter instead of reading the "signature" sized text at the end

205 to 215 will work. They will only be 5/12th of an inch thicker. Look at your computer mouse wheel. The thickness of that wheel is roughly the same. And considering this is added evenly on both sides of the wheel, it will only be HALF as much in reality if you want to know how much closer it will be to the strut.

Even with 1.6% understated speed, it won't get you a ticket, unless you're EXTREMELY unlucky and pass by a cop that would let you do 62 in a 61, but not 63

I have a jeep that I had put different size tires on it and got really bad mileage, changed them back a year ago and I'm back to normal (whatever that is )

And I think you also entered the wrong sizes

Not only would he go from 205 to 215 but the aspect of the new tire goes from 50 to 55, making it much different than you specified. My edited post does contain the correct figures. If it was from 205/50 to 215/50 it wouldn't be an issue at all.

Overall diameter difference is 1.2 inches taller, or a little over half an inch all the way around. Not a lot (and not as much as the full inch + I originally thought) but a noticeable difference, and not beneficial for handling which is the main draw of those tires.

And to be more precise, a 225/45 would be the best swap. Any time you alter standing sidewall height there are significant issues to consider.

Good point - as far as tread width goes, I'd want to measure a mounted tire at it's widest part, which would probably be at the sidewalls, then be sure I had plenty of room.

Re: sidewalls, I'd wonder about how much the sidewalls would flex on an avoidance turn maneuver, and if the tire would flex so far as to hit the struts or other suspension or body parts. I'd want to be sure that even if the tire pressure is a few pounds low, it would have plenty of clearance on hard turns.

Being a cautious sort of guy, I'd stick with manufacturer's recommendations until I was convinced it was safe to do otherwise.

I came across this chart on Focaljet that doesn't list the F1 size as a fit.
I'm looking at at least 165 bucks/tire in stock size and they are cheap crap.
I'd like to grab the Goodyears just for the savings if they fit. the garbage Nexxens on there now are impossible to bust loose on corners but suck in wet conditions.

175/70-14...23.8"
185/70-14...24.3"
185/65-14...23.5" OE size
195/65-14...24.0"
195/60-14...23.2"
205/60-14...23.7"
215/60-14...24.2"
195/60-15...24.2" OE size
205/55-15...23.9"
205/50-15...23.0"
215/50-15...23.4"
215/55-15...24.3"
225/50-15...24.0"
195/50-16...23.5"
205/45-16...23.4"
205/50-16...24.2" OE size
205/55-16...25.0"
215/45-16...23.7"
205/40-17...23.5"
205/45-17...24.2"
215/40-17...23.9"
215/45-17...24.6" OE size
215/35-18...23.9"
215/40-18...24.6"

HERE ARE THE REVS PER MILE THANKS TO OREO:

Tire Size ........ Diam. . Rev / mi
175 / 70 - 14 .. 23.7" .. 853
185 / 70 - 14 .. 24.2" .. 834
185 / 65 - 14 .. 23.5" .. 859 OE size
195 / 65 - 14 .. 24.0" ...841
195 / 60 - 14 .. 23.2" .. 869
205 / 60 - 14 .. 23.7" .. 852
215 / 60 - 14 .. 24.2" .. 835

195 / 60 - 15 .. 24.2" .. 833 OE size
205 / 55 - 15 .. 23.9" .. 845
205 / 50 - 15 .. 23.1" .. 874
215 / 50 - 15 .. 23.5" .. 860
215 / 55 - 15 .. 24.3" .. 830
225 / 50 - 15 .. 23.9" .. 845

195 / 50 - 16 .. 23.7" .. 852
205 / 45 - 16 .. 23.3" .. 867
205 / 50 - 16 .. 24.1" .. 838 OE size
205 / 55 - 16 .. 24.9" .. 811
215 / 45 - 16 .. 23.6" .. 854

205 / 40 - 17 .. 23.5" .. 860
205 / 45 - 17 .. 24.3" .. 831
215 / 40 - 17 .. 23.8" .. 848
215 / 45 - 17 .. 24.6" .. 819 OE size

215 / 35 - 18 .. 23.9" .. 843
215 / 40 - 18 .. 24.8" .. 814

You ever consider Nitto?

Rifleman, I had the same size tires on my ZX-5 and I replaced them with Falkens which were about $130 a tire and performed better than the original Pirellis.

What a difference these tires make. The car seems to feel lighter on both sides. Much more controlled feel on corners and traction is much better.
I was never big on spending huge bucks on tires but these may affect my decision on the next set.
That said the brand isn't well known except on bikes and big truck tires.