Effect of 7.5 width all the way around?

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Originally Posted by engarom

Im glad this came up.
Why does it matter if your wheel is 7.5 vs 8 since you are going to put the proper tire on anyway?
for example if I were running a 235/17 tire on the rear, the tire is the same but the wheel is .5 wider.
shouldnt the tire have the same amount of contact on the ground?

Please school me, I need to know

Certain tire sizes work best on a few different rim widths but it is limited. From this chart a RE-11 235/40/17 is best suited for an 8-9.5 rim width. A narrower rim might work but you won't get the best performance from the tire. A 225/45/17 fits great on a 7.5 wide rim. That is what I would choose to run on a 7.5" rim width.

A 245/45/17 will also fit on a 7.5" wide rim because it is a taller tire with more sidewall.

Bridgestone****Potenza RE-11