Alternative tire sizes for 2000 protege ES
 

I currently have original Bridgestone RE92 tires on my car and it has a serious problem on wet traction. I'd like to get new tires for my car and at the same time, I would like to go for a little wider tires. I would love to go for 205/55-15, but the tire sales is telling me I might bump into rubbing problem because the extra 1.1cm height. I don't really want to go for 205/50-15. Has anybody tried 205/55-15 tires on their MP3 without other modifications ( wheels/shocks )? Is there any problems? If anybody can recommend a set of tires with great wet traction and snow traction will also be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I just replaced my tires on my 99 ES. After much research, I went with the Dunlop Sport SP 5000 205/50 ZR15. This size fits well. Speedometer error is only 1.6%.

I highly recommend these tires.

You can read all the reviews on tirerack.com. Everyone loves these tires. I wanted to get All season tires and so far these are great. So much better then the stock Bridgestones. Dry traction is great. Wet traction is great, too. I haven't tried them in the snow yet. Very quiet, no squealing. Someone told me that 215/50 would rub, so I went with the 205/50. The size is perfect.

Oh my god, that's exactly the same tire I'm looking at tirerack.com. My problem is that I'd rather go for a size bigger than a size smaller if possible so I won't lose the fuel economy on this car. I noticed that the rear tires and the shocks are awfully close, so I'm not sure if I will bump into rubbing problem when I do hard turn or with weight in the back on a bumpy road.

So, how do your tires look on your car? Will it appear like tiny tires in big wheel bays because the tires are a size smaller? I don't want my car looks weird if not ugly. I'm in Jersey too. I guess you are pretty satisfied in the past couple of rainy days, huh? did you try hard cornering? no rubbing problem? Let me know, I really appreciate that.

dinky

The tires look good on my car. The difference in size is too small to notice. I don't have any pictures of my car with the new tires yet. I have tried hard cornering on dry and wet roads and have had no problems with traction or rubbing. Driving in the rain is great. No hydroplaning. A great improvement over the Bridgestones. And these are cheaper too. I love them.

Thanks a lot, John. I ended up getting Dunlop SP 5000 in 205/55-15 from tirerack.com. So far so good. I can feel the differences instantly and what a quiet ride comparing to the stock Bridgestone tires. I suspect that I might still bump into rubbing problem if I have heavy load in the back. I tried with two skinny adults in the back seat with no problem though. Thanks again.