Topic: 205/50R15 tire on 8" wheel?

We have acquired a decent set of 205 tires and have both 7 and 8" wide wheels in the garage that fit on the s10. Does anyone know if this would be better/worse on track to use the 8" wheel? What about safety since the tire might be stretched a bit more than on the 7"?  Thanks!

2021 Rust Belt GP Gingerman IOE - 1995 Chevy Super10
2021 Tony Swan Never Say Die mid-pack participant.

Re: 205/50R15 tire on 8" wheel?

Assuming it isn't a boat anchor the 205 will be faster on an 8".

Full Ass Racing
#455 Piñata Miata - 1990 Miata
#735 BMDollhÜr 7Turdy5i - 1990 735i

Re: 205/50R15 tire on 8" wheel?

Thanks for the reply. We have the 2.2 in it, so boat anchor might be a compliment!

2021 Rust Belt GP Gingerman IOE - 1995 Chevy Super10
2021 Tony Swan Never Say Die mid-pack participant.

Re: 205/50R15 tire on 8" wheel?

205 is kinda narrow isn't it? One thing besides brakes you don't want to skimp on is  tires.

"get up and get your grandma outta here"

Re: 205/50R15 tire on 8" wheel?

rusty_lugnuts wrote:

Thanks for the reply. We have the 2.2 in it, so boat anchor might be a compliment!

lol.

And as Mr. Yuck mentioned, I didn't even notice that, yeah I think you may end up overworking and overheating a 205. A bigger tire costs more but if you're overheating the smaller one you will consume tires like no other. The only problem is, squeeze on too much tire to a certain wheel size, the sidewall buckles, and you will get excessive edge wear. Generally speaking you'll want a 205 on 8" and 225 on 9".

Full Ass Racing
#455 Piñata Miata - 1990 Miata
#735 BMDollhÜr 7Turdy5i - 1990 735i

Re: 205/50R15 tire on 8" wheel?

Find the treadwidth of the tire you plan to use (Check tirerack).  Aim for a treadwidth 1/2"-0" smaller than the wheel width. It's kind of a tossup.  If it were me I'd run the 8".  We run a 1990 ranger on 225/45/15(7.9" tread) on an 8" wheel.

That 2.2 should be competitive in C class.  It has more hp than our 2.9 and we run well in C class...when our alternator is working.  We are also very heavy. 

Which s-10 are you guys?

Re: 205/50R15 tire on 8" wheel?

We were the red s-10 that showed up completely stock at Gingerman a few weeks ago. It was a ton of fun, but we were terrible in the rain. Hoping better tires and a few other small improvements can hide our talent deficit!

2021 Rust Belt GP Gingerman IOE - 1995 Chevy Super10
2021 Tony Swan Never Say Die mid-pack participant.