Tires: Am I safe with a bigger tire of my MX6, mazda mx6, suspension travel

Question
QUESTION: Barry,

I drive a Mazda MX6 LS 1993. 2.5 liter v6.

I've always used the 205x55x15 tire.

However, I had some 205x55x16 put on.  

Barry, did I make a huge safety mistake by putting on the 16's.  The 16's don't rub or anything.

Would you please pass along your opinion.  It would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Robert



ANSWER: Robert,

Unless I am missing something, if the tires aren't rubbing, there probably isn't an issue.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Barry,

The 16's just weren't recommended by the manufacturer.  I wanted to make sure they were safe when taking it to the highway.

The manufacturer recommends a handful of different tires; however the 16's are not one of those.

Also, I'm curious if my speedometer will show a lower speed than I'm actually traveling.

Thanks for getting back to me so soon.

Robert

Answer
Robert,

First, you have to understand I don't have charts that show the size of the fenderwells for vehicles.  This requires someone to measure them and those folks that do that think it gives them a competitive advantage - and it probably does - so they don't share that information.

So I can't say for sure if under all circumstances of suspension travel and steering angles, that the tires will not rub.

Secondly,  the tires are going to raise the vehicle ever so slightly, so I can not guarrantee that there might not be problems - but the risk is fairly low.

and speedometer?

http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

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