205/45/16

[280z money pit]

Is this size tire going to be too small? I'm adding eibach springs and tokico shocks so the car will be lower than stock.

[Arne]

Well, I think so, especially on a 280Z. That size is the same diameter as the original 13" rubber on cars like 510's and 1st gen Rabbits. Will throw off your speedo noticeably, and gear down the car too.

[Zs-ondabrain]

Just go with a 215 or 225/50R16.

Fills the well, better sidewall for a smoother ride, wider foot print for better grip.

I have Eibachs and KYB's (soon to be Tokico HP's) 225/50ZR16's And there's no rubbing, great grip, smooth ride and they fill the well without any issues.

Dave

Pics below show how they look, plenty of clearance without looking too small.

[Gary in NJ]

The OEM tire, 175/78-14 has a total height of ~ 24.75 inches.

What you have asked about has a total height of ~ 23.25 inches.

The 175's have a sidewall height of 5.37", wile the 205's have a sidewall height of 3.63" - and they're much stiffer. The car ill ride like a skateboard.

215/50-16's will fit well and have an overall height of ~ 24.50 inches.

For what it's worth, I'm running 225/50-15 (just under 24 inches). The ride is stiff and the steering is heavy at parking lot speeds, but they do look good.

[280z money pit]

Thanks for the info. I found some wheels I wanted to buy that have these size tires, but I guess ill have to pass. it would have saved me a couple hundred bucks, but I don't want my car to look funny.

[280z money pit]

http://forums.club4ag.com/zerothread?id=70783 Edited May 12, 2010 by 280z money pit

[MikeW]

Here's one of many tire size calculators on the net that will help you determine the diameter difference (and resulting speedometer error) of various tire/wheel combos:

http://www.miata.net/cgi-bin/tirescgi

Oops, tried to post URL of results page instead of original page:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Edited May 12, 2010 by MikeW
bad URL

[tlorber]

That calculator is great. Can someone verify what the original stock tire size was (or what the speedo was originally geared to?) I have read 195 60 14, 175 70 14 and a couple others.

[Arne]

All 280Zs came original with 195/70-14

[Zs-ondabrain]

I get "Error Recieving Arguments" when I try the link.

Dave

[MikeW]

I get "Error Recieving Arguments" when I try the link.

Dave

Sorry, I posted a bad URL. Edited above but here it is again:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[Gary in NJ]

All 280Zs came original with 195/70-14

Opps. I'm 240-centric and gave a 240Z size. Sorry. For what its worth, a 175/78-14 and a 195/70-14 have the exact same overall height.