205/45-16...what does it all mean??

[Swan]

I got a question about tires.... the sizes.... I THINK I know what they mean, but I'm not 100%......anyway, is what it is, is I want to get some 16" from a 97+ prelude or an s2000..... my only question, is which number is the width of the tire, then, how do I figure out what tires will fit what wheels?? thanks for all help!

[dXsquared]

they wont fit.. wrong bolt patern... but maybe im wrong...

Travis

[YK86]

The Lude wheels are 114X4 so they won't fit. You need 100X4. As for the tires, 205=width in mm, 45 is the aspect ratio (the height of the tire which is 45% of 205mm), and the 16 is the size of rim it will fit so in this case, 16 inch.

[Swan]

ok, I figured the 16...duh, that's a given.....the 205, that's what I thought, but the 45 was where I was like "hmm.....(?)" but anyway....they make adapters, don't they? like, where you can fit any wheel on any bolt pattern? I was checking wheels on one site, and they talked about it....

[InfinityAudioLXi]

yeah I have seen them somewhere before, for some reason i keep thinking www.optauto.com but i'm not sure. also if you get those s2000 rims on you gotta show some pics and strut that stuff because thats what I really wanted to get! but i had to deal with 4 motegi 17" rims and five 205/40/17 (thats right 1 extra, i'm not on crack) tires for $375. just couldn't pass that deal up. Good luck though man!

[AZmike]

Swan, are you talking about tires like you said in your first post or wheels and tires?

[Grant2k]

wheel adapters generally make your wheels stick out a lot and look like shit. i would use adapters as a last resort. people seem to think they are the simple solution, but just get wheels that fit. it's easier, and probably cheaper.

[YK86]

If they are aftermarket rims, just buy the right ones. If you MUST have those particular rims, here's what you are looking for: http://www.playerwirewheel.com/adapters.htm

[Jims 86LXI HB]

Originally posted by Swan
I got a question about tires.... the sizes.... I THINK I know what they mean, but I'm not 100%......anyway, is what it is, is I want to get some 16" from a 97+ prelude or an s2000..... my only question, is which number is the width of the tire, then, how do I figure out what tires will fit what wheels?? thanks for all help!

First thing I want to stress is how important it is to be concise in what you ask, notice how your replies are done. That being said I'll try to anwer how I see your question.

205/45-16

205 is the tread width in mm
45 is the aspect ratio, it is the height of the tire in relationship to its width. It is tied to the height of the rim it will mount to (16" in this case). So, 205/50-16 is a taller tire than a 205/45-16 tire. BTW, the oem tire size for the 97-01 lude is 205/50-16

RIMS
Ok,before I address what tire size's will fit on the 3rd gen accord I want to talk about what you have to have when shopping for rims. 4x100mm bolt pattern, offset must NOT be lower than 40mm. 42mm, 43mm, and 45mm are ok as well. (45mm is required for 215mm tire widths when you do not want to roll the rear fenders).

WHAT TIRE SIZE WILL FIT (you only asked about 16" so,........)
These sizes are proper plus fitments that will never rub or require you to roll your rear fender AS LONG AS YOU OBEYED THE OFFSET INFO I LIST ABOVE. And WARNING if you go taller than oem with the tire size, you increase the risk of rubbing in the rear because the taller tire is closer to the fender lip to rub.

205/45-16
195/50-16
205/40-16 slightly undersized speedo will be off a tad
215/45-16 slightly taller than oem requires 45mm offset rim
215/40-16 slightly undersized than oem requires 45mm offset rim

205/50-16 is quite a bit taller than oem and I would not recommend the size at all.

[AvgWhtMale]

Has anyone tried taller-than-OEM tires? I know you run the risk of rubbing, but I wonder how likely that is to happen. I think I would like a taller tire, probably with 16" wheels. The car would accelerate more slowly, but I think it would save gas because it would cruise at a lower RPM.