215 or 205s on the front?

[austin552]

I need tires. Will 215/60/15 rub on my unrolled narrow front? The 205/60/15 don't have issues. The difference is 0.5 in tire width and 0.5 in height.

[RonDent]

I put 215's on the front of my 84. I ended up having to roll the front fenders. But then again, I have my car lowered front and rear.

[fintstone]

They rub on mine...front and back. I am running 205/55/15 on 7x15s and they still rub a tiny bit now and then.

[Hester]

This is a good tool for estimating the differences in tire sizes: http://www.wheelsmaster.com/rt_specs.jsp

[rfn026]

Keep in mind that changing tire size does not change the total area of the contact patch. A larger tire will change the shape of the contact patch - but not the total area.

The size of the contact patch is determined by the weight of the car and the tire pressure.

If you change tire size you're changing the volume of the air in the tire which may allow you to make some pressure changes. That could give you a larger or smaller contact area depending on which direction you go with the tire pressure.

If you just change the size of the tire and use the same air pressure the total area of the contact patch will remain the same.

Richard Newton

Wheel and Tire Performance Handbook

Autocross Performance Handbook