I scored a set of 5 16x7.5 alloy wheels, unblemished. I went to local tyre emporium to get some 245/50R16 tyres on them. The guy tried to tell me that I need 8.5 inch rims for such tyres. Although mine would be legal, he muttered that I will have caved-in sidewalls, and handling is degraded (but would be more comfy). For good handling, I am supposed to use wide rims so that the sidewalls are more vertical. Is this a significant factor?
Wider rims are just a fashion statement. Ideally we'd have taller rims with shorter sidewalls, maintaining the same overall diameter and stock width.
A narrower wheel/tire is actually more stable and tends to keep rolling in the same direction with less caster than does a wider one.
Yes. Handling when cornering will likely be quite odd. If you go with the 245's, you might want to take turns very slow. Try to match tread width to wheel bead width. The section width typically bulges out about 1" more than the tread. Your tires are 245mm or about 9.5". Subtracting 1" gives a wheel bead width 8.5". A 7.5" wheel is about ~192mm. The correct tire would be in the 220mm section width range.
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