245/45X16 Only Tire for 9" Fuchs??

[Harlan Chinn]

Ok, I've tried a thread search and have found nothing definitive. I presently have 245/45x16's SO-2 Pole Positions on my 9" fuch rims where the side walls bulge out slightly because the tread is narrower than the rim. This isn't the end of the world but is there a better tire size fit option? 205/55x16 on 7's up front is working fine. Any suggestions? I'd like to maintain stock or close to stock diameters for speedo accuracy.

[Bill Verburg]

The best posible choice for 9x16 is 245/45. Stay w/ that size.

245's on a 9 inch wheel is no different than 225's on 8 or 205 on 7. I think it depends a lot on the tire itself.

I've just put a set of used 8 & 9x16 Fuchs on my car. There are 245/45 on the 9's and 205/55 on the 8's. Oddly the 205's "bulge" more than the 245's.

Fitting lower profile tires would probably help. I had 245/40 & 215/45 earlier and they didn't "bulge".

[Bill Verburg]

I had 245/40 & 215/45

Unless i'm getting totally senile you had 17" wheels. That makes a big difference. You can only use the sizes that the manufacturers make and will sell to the general public.

Bridgestone makes a very desireable 275/35x17 but will not sell to the general public. There are few other choices for the 9x16 and none are as good.

I don't understand this obsession w/ bulgeing or non bulging sidewalls. The tire engineers designed a tire for a range of wheel widths, the tire works well in that range, giving a better ride at the narrow end and better performance at the wider end. There are exceptions like the cantelevered slicks that are designed to work better on narrow rims but they are the exception not the rule.

[rdane]

The SO2 is one of the really narrow tires for its size. A SO3's side wall will not only stand up but add almost an inch of contact on tread front and back.

[Glasgow 911SC]

Mikkel,
Any pics of your 'new' wheels? Are the 8" front ones the 944 variety?