Which tires to chose??

i have a 97 Civic Ex, it is lowered, lots of engine work done, and has 16" Konig rims wrapped in 205/40R16 BF Goodrich Euro TA tires and they are wearing thin. I want something a little more aggressive than the current tires i have. I want to know what i should buy for my car so i have great dry pavement handling, yet i don't slide around in the rain. I plan on using the Euro TA's in the winter as a half-assed snow tire and maybe getting them studded. The only tires i have found were GoodYear Eagle F1 DS-G3 tires that were slightly larger than the ones i currnetly have, but fit the same rim 225/45Z16 or 245/55Z16 either size would work($200 per tire approx.) Anyone have any suggestions??

Falken has a great line of tires & they do wear quickly as any soft sticky tire will.
http://www.falkentire.com/index.htm

No way will a 225 or 245 tire fit on a civic with out different rims & body/suspension mods.

the 225 will fit the rims i have, and it looks like it has clearance enough in the wheelwell to put on a slightly larger tire. Currently i have 205/40R16 tires and they don't rub or anything. You don't think a 225 would fit w/o rubbing??

Yokahama Prada-Spec 2 are a great looking/handling tire for a great price, about 70 each on tire rack. And they come in your size. Also BF Goodrich makes a couple tires in that size (G-force, Scorcher) Just got to www.TireRack.com put in your tire size and presto you've got your results. I donlt think they carry Falken Tires so if you are looking for them you will have to look elsewhere.

By the way how wide are thos wheels of yours. It seems very unlikly that the same rim can accomadate that diverse a tire from 205 up to 245.

Also I hihgly doubt you will get a tire that wide on a civic, listen to Jackasssi on that one.

DoubleTap

i tried the bridgestone fusions (rear) on my 17's and i love them...i have to replace my toyo proxes in the front now because they dont have enough tread, but they lasted me for over two years, so im not sure if i want to get proxes for the front or fusions. The proxes were great, but it think the fusions are better. I actually think its spelled fuZion.

I looked in a tire catalog at a Sears Tire store to find those numbers on the width. The 245's said they would fit rim widths from 7-8" and my rims are 7" wide. I think i'm going to go w/ 225 or maybe go with 205 again. IDK what to do.

Not Sure what to do huh... Here's what you do.
You listen to a board member with lots of expirience in the real world (jackasssi) who tells you that a 225 width tire will NOT fit under your car. The fact that it fits on the rim is irrelevant. The tire will rub, maybe be cut, then blow out and send you into a ditch.

Then you look for a tire that will fit (205), buy them, install them and be happy you are not on fire in a ditch.

DoubleTap

What kind of tire should i get (brand) and what type of tread pattern should i get, because i have to drive my car daily and want a decent ride most of the time, but have the traction when i need it. I had planned on taking your advice and wasn't sure if that 225 would fit under my car or not, but i want to stay out of the ditches. I have a hard enough time on my own staying out of the ditch.

215 is the widest I would suggest, 205/45 being the recommended size. 45 or 50 series tires may not look as good as a 40 but the 45/50 will ride much better. The tire sidewall is the first thing to absord bumps and can have a huge effect comparing a 40 to a 50 series.

http://www.falkentire.com/tires_502.htm it's too bad Tire Rack does not sell Falken's. I know Azenis are widely used for RR, solo I & II.

this may be helpful - provided by whalentire.com
STOCK WHEEL WIDTH: 5.0"
STOCK TIRE SIZE: P185/65R14 STOCK LOAD INDEX: 85
STOCK SPEED RATING: S FRONT PSI: 30 REAR PSI: 29
View load table for stock tire (http://whalentire.com/loadtable.cfm?size=1856514&pmetric=1&loadindex=85)

DIAMETER: 23.5" SECTION WIDTH: 7.3" SIDEWALL HEIGHT: 4.7"
MINIMUM RIM WIDTH: 5.0" MAXIMUM RIM WIDTH: 6.5"
REVOLUTIONS PER MILE: 860



SELECTED TIRE SIZE:205/45R16

DIAMETER: 23.3" SECTION WIDTH: 8.1" SIDEWALL HEIGHT: 3.6"
MINIMUM RIM WIDTH: 6.5" MAXIMUM RIM WIDTH: 7.5"
REVOLUTIONS PER MILE: 867

IF YOU TRAVELED 60 MPH WITH THIS TIRE INSTALLED ON YOUR VEHICLE
YOUR SPEEDOMETER WOULD READ 60.5 MPH


SELECTED TIRE SIZE:215/40R16

DIAMETER: 22.8" SECTION WIDTH: 8.5" SIDEWALL HEIGHT: 3.4"
MINIMUM RIM WIDTH: 7.0" MAXIMUM RIM WIDTH: 8.5"
REVOLUTIONS PER MILE: 886

IF YOU TRAVELED 60 MPH WITH THIS TIRE INSTALLED ON YOUR VEHICLE
YOUR SPEEDOMETER WOULD READ 61.8 MPH


taller diameter tires work better for top speed
shorter diameter tires for acceleration

So what, may i ask, Jackassi would you go with for tire size, brand and tread. I want a rougher ride like what i have now w/ the Euro TA's at a 40 profile. I want to spend less than 150 a tire, but preferably around $100. Thanks for the advice thus far.

I would go with a 205/45/16 for the winters & 215/40/16 Summer only tires for the warmer months.

WWW.TIRERACK.COM (http://www.TIRERACK.COM)

Just for winter? I'd go with the narrowest/thinnest tire you can get on your car.

I was contemplating 185/65x14" or 195/55x15" (which is my OEM size). The wider you go the worse off you wil be if you get snow.

My Nokian Hakkapelitta 2s are 195/55x15" and I never had a problem these past two winters.

That is really cool to know the sizes of tires jackasssi. Glad you posted your findings.

You can check out the BF Goodridge KD tires for dry weather only or the KDW-NT (New thread, also called the KDW-2) also. Sport Compact Car always uses these tires, and I know quite a few people that have with great results. The Sticky Falkens suggested are good but wear quickly ifthats a concern. The Prada Spec-2's are over-rated. They may "look cool" but don't handle great. For a street tire, I personally like the BF Goodridge KDW-NT for dry/wet and KD for dry weather.

Thanks Jackasssi, i looked on the link you posted and found the Falken ZIEX ZE-502's for my car at a 45 profile and a 205 width, but most importantly, they are z rated and only cost $108 per tire. Sweet deal.