widest tire we can put?

[dL_RL]

i want to buy new tires soon and im wondering what is the widest tire I can put on our stock rims? I was thinking 225/45/17. Give me your input guys

[MrCleanY0]

I wouldn't think you could go much wider than what are on them now without getting wider wheels first. Unless you like the bubbled over look?

When I put 18's on my old Grand Am they were 215/40 18's. But the stocks were 205/55 16's. Not sure how relevant that is but I just felt like typing a bit.

[Jim Lewis]

I'll be using 225/45-17s when I change my tires - not a problem, take it from a long time tire and wheel guy. We're talking 10mm.....1/4-1/2"..?? No big deal.

[navymitch12]

ok i know what the last number is but can anyone just explain the first 2 for me, always kinda wanted to know.

i think first is width not sure, and have no idea what the second one is

[Jim Lewis]

The first number is section width (not tread width), meaning a 225mm tire is 8.85" wide - 225 divided by 25.4 = 8.85". The 45 is the aspect ratio, meaning the tire sidewall is 45% of the section width. Generally speaking, a 225/45 tire should have a 3.98" sidewall (from the very bottom edge that sits, unseen, inside your wheel). If you take 3.98 + 3.98 +17, you'll have the tire's overall diameter = 24.96".