QuestionMy son wants to bid on some rims that are 4x108. The tires are Falken 205/40zR17 84w. He is fixing his car up and I guess he is trying to make it look cool. He is 16 and thinks he knows it all. Will this wheel/tire fit this car?
AnswerJan,
It is important that ALL the rim parameters fit the vehicle.
Bolt circle: 4 X 107.9mm - and this figure must be exact!!! There are some 3 X 108mm and the lug nuts will not mate up properly and cause the seats to wear and eventually the rim falls off - very bad!!
Offset: Sorry, but I'm a tire guy and rims is not my area of expertise. I don't have a book that tells me what the offset needs to be, but I know it is important. This is usually imprinted on the rim somewhere.
Clearance around the brake caliper: This is also important, but I know this information is not imprinted anywhere, so unless the rim is guarranteed to fit, it might be best to pass on the purchase.
And last but not least - tire size.
On every vehicle sold in the US, there is a sticker – commonly called the vehicle placard - that lists the original tire size and the proper pressure for that size. The placard is usually located on a doorpost or in the glove box – but sometimes it is located in the trunk or on the fuel filler door.
Look for the placard on the vehicle, and check to see if the following information is correct. If it is wrong then the rest of this p[ost is wrong as well.
Tire Guides says the placard ough to say the original tire size was P205/60R15 90T inflated to 30 psi front and rear (there was also a 16" option - P215/50R16 89V inflated to 32 psi front and rear.)
What this means is that 205/40ZR17 84W's are too small for the vehicle - meaning not enough load carrying capacity. the numbers 84W, 90T, and, 89V are the service description which consists of the load Index (the numbers) and a speed rating (the letter). You should never put a lower load inex on a vehicle. To do so increases the risk of a load related tire failure, which sometimes have tragic results!.
BTW, if you want to impress your son, spend some time in Tire Rack's Tire Tech area. Read up about Load Index and speed ratings - and while you are at it, about bolt circles and offsets.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tiretech.jsp
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/index.jsp
