Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Do they rub or they don't?

Some CSVT owners would like to walk away from the noisy but otherwise excellent BFG KDW 215/50/16 tires. There is however a confusion about using the wider 225/50/16 tires. Some owners claim that these will fit without rubbing. Others object to that.

Luke@Tirerack sums it this way: "I don't think the 225's will fit on most Contours. I have seen some minor variations on a few cars that does allow the 225's to work but, not on many cars. The proper width would be a 215."

Luke is probably (?) referring to the suspension mods which would create those variations. It also seems that rubbing occurs with the 225's installed on the 1998 E0 CSVT stock wheels.

Let us then ask the more specific question: Is there any rubbing with the 225/50/16 tires installed on the 1999 CSVT with STOCK WHEELS AND SUSPENSION?

Your input (and Luke's opinion of course) would be greatly appreciated since I am replacing my stock tires in a couple of days.

(Thanks to Mike Delange for his reply in the Wheels and Tires forum)

I have the BFG KDWS 225/50ZR/16 with no problems on my stock rims; they have better tread than the stock ones (KDW vs KDWS). I can chirp in third if i'm aggressive

Check my sig!

Stock suspension and rims!

-Andy

Heck, I have the 225-50-16 Firehawk SZ50EP's as well. But, I'm also lowered with Koni's and Eibachs and don't rub!

Fulda Extremo 225/50/16's lowered with Leda Sport Springs. Rubbed a hole in one of the rear fender liners, but since that happened, it doesn't rub anymore Fronts rub occasionally with the wheel turned a certain way and with the suspension loaded when I hit a bump, but it rarely happens.

Of couse my car is a 98, and they revised the fender liners in 99. It really depends on the tire, since different types of tires of the same size will vary slightly.

Its your call I guess. The 225's really do fill up the fenders much better than anything else. If I had it to do agian, I would still get them.

You have to realize that different manufacturers measure their tire tread width differently than others. (Example: Bridgestone... contact patch, Good Year... from tread groove to tread groove (that wraps around to the side wall a little)) I'm not saying that those manufacturers measure their tires that way, but I'll tell you what... different brand tires are measured totaly differently.