Will 215/65R16 tires fit 1997 Q45 (stock size 215/60R16)

[jteuvonnen]

Hi All,

I am trying to find a set of used snow tires for my 1997 q45. For some reason 215/65R16 seem to be abundant in my neck of the woods, and 215/60R16 are hard to come by. If I did my math correctly, the total radius (from the axle center to the outer piece of the rubber) will be 10mm (0.4 inch) bigger for 215/65. I am wondering if it will rub on wheel arches or suspension parts. If anyone has experience installing oversized tires on Q45, I'd appreciate you sharing it.

[elwesso]

The OD of a 215-60-16 is 26.2", where 215-65-16 is 27". At 60 MPH your speedo will read about 2MPH slower than you're actually going (insignificant, the speedo probably is barely that accurate as it is)..

I really don't see that size up being that big of an issue, especially since you're not changing the width..

[jteuvonnen]

My primary concern is whether adding the additional 0.8 inches of the outer diameter of the wheel will make the tires rub against something. I am concerned about front tires rubbing when you turn, after a cursory look the rear seems to be a non-issue. To be honest, I could care less about the speedometer being off by 2-5 mph. I'm putting winter tires on, so I won't be driving fast.

[elwesso]

I'm going to have to refer to some of the wheel/tire specialists for this car. I am most concerned about the fronts, because I know that the wheel is close to the strut, so I don't know if increasing the diameter will cause them to hit there.

[Q45Owner]

Your car will ride taller with the 215/65R16 tires.. not always the cutest of looks. You're much better off going with a 225/55R16 tire. There are tons of options out there for that size and it is much closer to the factory height than the 215/65R16 tires will be. Your car will ride slightly lower and wider with the 225/55R16 tires which is better for handling and will look much better. You will not be happy with how the 215/65R16 tires look and your speedometer will be off due to it being a taller tire.

[Q451990]

In the absence of anyone chiming in with real world experience, I would think just turning your wheels to the lock and seeing how close they are would be a "good enough" guess.

Like you said, you're not going to be driving that aggressively on snow tires...

Heath