Upsizing the tires on my Mazdaspeed 3

[double vanos]

OK, my Mazdaspeed 3 is equipped with 215*45*18 Bridgestone Potenza tires.

I just replaed them with Pirelli PZero Nero Rossos. So far my impression is that Pirelli tires s uck - they flat spot overnite and they balanced out, at best, just so-so.

I went with these tires because there isn't a lot of choices in this size at tirerack.com.
They only positive thing about the Rosso's is that they have a unidirectionl tread and can be crossed at rotation time.

I would really like to put Michelin Pilot Sport A/S on the car next round - whoops!, those tires don't come in the stock size.

My question is this...can I get to those Michelin tires in an upszed tire, and what size should I go to?

Anybody here have a MS3 that they have non oem size tires on the factory rims?

Cheers and thanks for any input!!

 

[Johnny]

I personally would stick with the size that came on the car even if it meant using the Bridgestone, which I happen to like.

 

[Quattro Pete]

How wide are your rims?

 

[double vanos]

I think they're 9 inch rims. And I agree with you Johnny, the Bridgestones were great, but I like high performance all season tires because they have a higher treadwear rating and there are times when they come in handy. I'll have to check the rim width on tirerack and get back to you. Open to any suggestions....

 

[mpvue]

have you tried any mazdaspeed forums for ideas? I would do comparisons on tire diameter also, do a search for 'miata tire calculator' to get a good one. OTTOMH, I'd say a 205/50 (if there is such a thing) would fit.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: double vanos
I think they're 9 inch rims.

I doubt it. The recommended rim width for 215/45/18 tires is from 7 to 8 inches, so your rims must be somewhere in that range.

So, you could run 225/45/18 tires, which have a recommended rim width range from 7 to 8.5 inches. Tire selection is much better in this size, but you need to check if there aren't going to be any clearance issues with that slightly larger size.

 

[double vanos]

Thanks Quattro! I forget where I got the idea that my rims were 9 inches - maybe it was on the plus size tire calculator on 1010tires.com, but at any rate you are probably right.

mpvue - I went to mazdas247 to see what those guys are doing and kinda got a mixed bag - no real solid evidence that a plus sized tire will go down without some sort of **it - it's either "I had to roll my fenders" or "the car is all over the place with the new oversized tires". Brother!!

It's a by gum shame too, since I have the Michelin Pilot Sports A/S on the 330ci and they are GREAT on that car. We just had a light winter storm here in Houston featuring snow and everything and the Bimmer did just fine. And one gives up very little for having that A/S tacked onto the PS name.

Maybe with a little bit of luck the tire selection in this size will get better in the next year or two.

Cheers all!

 

[sprintman]

Your owners manual should give you rim size. For upsizing you use the half split rule. 225/40 18 is the next upsize followed by 235/35 18. Up the width drop the aspect ratio.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: sprintman
For upsizing you use the half split rule. 225/40 18 is the next upsize followed by 235/35 18. Up the width drop the aspect ratio.

That doesn't always work out that way. For example, diameter difference between 215/45/18 and 225/45/18 is only 1.4% while between 215/45/18 and 225/40/18 it's 2.1%. But I agree that the 225/40/18 is less likely to cause fitment issues since it is smaller than OEM. It is also a very popular size.