Hey group I'm looking into getting new rims & tires, but I'm a bit confused. What do the different numbers mean when the tires are rated? 215/60/15? 195/55/15? I figure that the last # is the diameter of the rim, but after that I'm lost. Does anyone know a good website that has a bit of an FAQ on buying new tires & rims? I'm thinking of going with a 17" FYI - just because I like the look. Cheers, Nicolas

your absolutely right about the last number. The first number is the width of the tire in millimeters (i.e. 195 is 19.5 cm tire width). the second number is the profile in terms of percentage of the tire width (i.e. 195/55 means the side wall will be 55% of 195mm or 10.7cm high). This is how i understand it. Hope it's right :) see ya

I believe Dave is correct, I was always wondering about the "series" of the tire size in our case- 55 for the 1.6 and 65 for the 1.7. I do believe that the plus one/ minus one rule applies; it's that if you increase the rim size by one inch, the series (or height should be decreased by 10) so from 195/55-15 would translate into 195/ 45-16. I have read in this group that some folks decrease the series by 5 instead of 10 (but that's probably because going to a 35 series tire in a 17 inch rim would be too low.) I think you speedo's calibration can be screwed up if you put on the wrong size. One point of advice though, make sure that when you upgrade the rims to a bigger size, you do not end up with heavier rims/tires. I have also read that the added weight of larger diameter rims would adversely affect your suspension parts as well as far as wear. Personally I would worry a lot if there would not be too much tire height to protect the rims, as you're sure to dent the rims even if you hit the curb slightly, or hit a pothole. You also get a stiffer ride as the ride height that absorbs the bumps on a factory sized tire would be much lower. Go to www.tirerack.com , they have samples of how certain rims would look on you ride and you can change rims size to see if it will look OK. Vicman

Vic and Dave are right. There are a lot of things to consider if you are getting new rims and tires. I've got a 16" and 17" rims for the summer although the 16" I sold to my brother. Anyway, having a 17" rim with tire which I think is 205/45/17 this is a thin profile tire so all the small bumps and holes will be felt. One more thing to consider is how low will your car be? Like what Victor said, having a large rim and low profile tire can/will cause serious damage to parts of your car if you are not aware of how you drive. Over all it does look tight having a bigger rim. Let us know what you decide. Chris