215/40/17 vs. 215/45/17

[RelentlessRacer23]

my tires are worn out and im thinking of getting 215 45 17 on all four tires. my question is will it make my car go slower and will the gap between the tire and fender be smaller? also will it make my car higher off the ground?

[Bling]

Your car will be slower, the gap will be smaller, and your car will sit higher off the ground.

[pokgai]

plus you will have more meat on the tire, maybe offer a smoother ride, prevent pothole-related bends, becuase your rim is protected more (by 5 percent of the width).

the ideal tire size is 225/40R-17, but not many companies make tires in that size.

if only they had like 215/42.5R-17 or something heh

[Korywithak]

Originally posted by Bling
Your car will be slower, the gap will be smaller, and your car will sit higher off the ground.

all of this is true, but all three will be a pretty small amount.
I have 215/45 17s on my ride and notice almost no difference in accelaration, but my rims only weigh 17.5lbs. Handling is considerable better. As far as the ride height goes between the two look at it this way... The difference in the height is almost exacly half an inch, so it would raise you car 1/4 of an inch if you go with the 215. (half of it goes below the rim raising the car and half goes above the rim to fill in the wheel well) Hope this info helps! Good luck.

[Personafied]

You wont even know the differnce. Its way to small to make a big differnce.

[nyoneway]

I run 225/45/17 and love the way my car is. Yes it raise my car by .5 inch, but with my car is lowered with bodykit, it's the perfect height. I can clear almost any driveway or curb and the car still looks low enough.

Hotchkiss celica also uses the same size tires. 225/45/17, and it's by far the BEST handling front wheel drive car ever tested by SCC.