There is always a lot of questions asked when people are looking for new wheels and tires so I thought we could make it easier on everyone. I hope this proves helpful.
Stock Wheels:
Elantra GT: 15"x6"
Elantra GLS 15"x5.5"
Stock Tires (currently):
195/60/R15 Michelin all-season tires
Previously available were 195/60/R15 Kuhmo all-season tires and maybe others depending on location
Bolt Pattern: 4x114.3
Another invaluable resource available to everyone is Discount Tire's Info Center. Click Here for Discount Tire's Info Center. This has all the information someone needs to know when looking for wheels and tires and has a great deal of terms to make life easier.
SWortham's wheel & tire sizing guide...
I put together the best information I can come up with for wheel & tire fitment for the XD ('01 - 03') and XD2 ('04 - '06). This is based on my own experience and the experiences of many other members who have tested the limits of tire sizes. This post is designed so that you can pick a rim size and tire sizing will follow.
- Center bore must be 67.1mm or larger (if the bore of the wheel is larger than 67.1mm then use hubcentric rings for proper hubcentric fitment)
Here are your choices for rim widths (regardless of wheel diameter):
{offset in BOLD are the closest possible offset to OEM's scrub radius}
6.0" (+27mm to +58mm offset, +46)
6.5" (+34mm to +51mm offset, +46)
7.0" (+40mm to +45mm offset, +45)
Here are your final wheel & tire choices. Note that not all tires are built the same way. So always take a look at the manufacturer's range of suggested wheel widths for the tires you're looking at. They'll usually even provide a "measured rim width" which is a good width to use. That information can be found on tire manufacturers' websites or at www.tirerack.com.
15" wheels
205/55-15 (slightly undersized but a popular choice for a wider contact patch and a stiffer, shorter sidewall)
195/60-15 (OEM size, good for snow, non-tarmac surfaces)
205/60-15 (oversized, if you like the oversized tire look these will do it)
16" wheels
215/45-16 (undersized but great for autocrossing, the wider contact patch and lower profile lend itself to great handling)
205/50-16 (closest to OEM diameter, it's a great tire size for daily driving but with better handling than the 15" sizes)
215/50-16 (oversized, not a common size but these will grip nicely and be good for daily driving)
17" wheels
205/40-17 (undersized, this size is common & cheap)
215/40-17 (slightly undersized, good for autocrossing)
205/45-17 (closest to OEM diameter, good for daily driving)
215/45-17 (oversized, very common size and rides and handles great but can rub in some configurations)
18" wheels
215/35-18 (undersized, this size is not good for daily driving)
205/40-18 (closest to OEM diameter)
215/40-18 (oversized, but this tire will cause rubbing in a lot of configurations)
When you're using any of the 215mm tire sizes, the offset you choose becomes even more critical. Ideally, if you want to avoid rubbing, a 7" wide wheel with a +42mm offset should be used.
Use this info at your own risk. As far as I know this is a comprehensive list of every wheel & tire size worth considering. You may notice in several places I say that rubbing can occur. There's not a lot of space between the struts and fender to fit wide tires in there, so it's not hard to push the limits as far as width goes. That's especially true when actual tire sizing varies (ie. not all 215/45-17 tires are exactly the same width). If you do encounter a rubbing problem with the specs I provided, it's probably going to be rubbing at the fenders. If so, the most you'll probably have to do is roll the lip of the fenders to gain 5mm of clearance or so. A fender roller tool can be rented from www.tirerack.com or www.tireswap.com. I did this myself, as described in my DIY.
Also, your alignment settings can affect rubbing. The images below illustrate a rubbing problem at the fender with 0 camber (left) and no rubbing at -2 degrees camber (right).
This is an exaggerated case and the max negative camber with our cars within spec is -0.5 degrees front and -1.2 degrees rear. But getting your camber maxed out to those settings is another way you can sometimes cure a rubbing problem.
Please add to this as necessary. But please do not fill this thread up with questions. Let's try to keep it as clean and helpful as possible. Thanks everyone.
Stock Wheels:
Elantra GT: 15"x6"
Elantra GLS 15"x5.5"
Stock Tires (currently):
195/60/R15 Michelin all-season tires
Previously available were 195/60/R15 Kuhmo all-season tires and maybe others depending on location
Bolt Pattern: 4x114.3
Another invaluable resource available to everyone is Discount Tire's Info Center. Click Here for Discount Tire's Info Center. This has all the information someone needs to know when looking for wheels and tires and has a great deal of terms to make life easier.
SWortham's wheel & tire sizing guide...
I put together the best information I can come up with for wheel & tire fitment for the XD ('01 - 03') and XD2 ('04 - '06). This is based on my own experience and the experiences of many other members who have tested the limits of tire sizes. This post is designed so that you can pick a rim size and tire sizing will follow.
- Center bore must be 67.1mm or larger (if the bore of the wheel is larger than 67.1mm then use hubcentric rings for proper hubcentric fitment)
Here are your choices for rim widths (regardless of wheel diameter):
{offset in BOLD are the closest possible offset to OEM's scrub radius}
6.0" (+27mm to +58mm offset, +46)
6.5" (+34mm to +51mm offset, +46)
7.0" (+40mm to +45mm offset, +45)
Here are your final wheel & tire choices. Note that not all tires are built the same way. So always take a look at the manufacturer's range of suggested wheel widths for the tires you're looking at. They'll usually even provide a "measured rim width" which is a good width to use. That information can be found on tire manufacturers' websites or at www.tirerack.com.
15" wheels
205/55-15 (slightly undersized but a popular choice for a wider contact patch and a stiffer, shorter sidewall)
195/60-15 (OEM size, good for snow, non-tarmac surfaces)
205/60-15 (oversized, if you like the oversized tire look these will do it)
16" wheels
215/45-16 (undersized but great for autocrossing, the wider contact patch and lower profile lend itself to great handling)
205/50-16 (closest to OEM diameter, it's a great tire size for daily driving but with better handling than the 15" sizes)
215/50-16 (oversized, not a common size but these will grip nicely and be good for daily driving)
17" wheels
205/40-17 (undersized, this size is common & cheap)
215/40-17 (slightly undersized, good for autocrossing)
205/45-17 (closest to OEM diameter, good for daily driving)
215/45-17 (oversized, very common size and rides and handles great but can rub in some configurations)
18" wheels
215/35-18 (undersized, this size is not good for daily driving)
205/40-18 (closest to OEM diameter)
215/40-18 (oversized, but this tire will cause rubbing in a lot of configurations)
When you're using any of the 215mm tire sizes, the offset you choose becomes even more critical. Ideally, if you want to avoid rubbing, a 7" wide wheel with a +42mm offset should be used.
Use this info at your own risk. As far as I know this is a comprehensive list of every wheel & tire size worth considering. You may notice in several places I say that rubbing can occur. There's not a lot of space between the struts and fender to fit wide tires in there, so it's not hard to push the limits as far as width goes. That's especially true when actual tire sizing varies (ie. not all 215/45-17 tires are exactly the same width). If you do encounter a rubbing problem with the specs I provided, it's probably going to be rubbing at the fenders. If so, the most you'll probably have to do is roll the lip of the fenders to gain 5mm of clearance or so. A fender roller tool can be rented from www.tirerack.com or www.tireswap.com. I did this myself, as described in my DIY.
Also, your alignment settings can affect rubbing. The images below illustrate a rubbing problem at the fender with 0 camber (left) and no rubbing at -2 degrees camber (right).
This is an exaggerated case and the max negative camber with our cars within spec is -0.5 degrees front and -1.2 degrees rear. But getting your camber maxed out to those settings is another way you can sometimes cure a rubbing problem.
Please add to this as necessary. But please do not fill this thread up with questions. Let's try to keep it as clean and helpful as possible. Thanks everyone.