I want to know what you guys think and recommend my stock dunlops are almost gone. Im looking for a narrow running tire brand in the 205 50 16? please push me in the right direction.

 

It will work, but 205/50-16s are best suited for 6.5" wheels and can run between 5.5~7.5" though. What do you mean by narrow running, a 205 tire that is not really 205mm in width?

I am going to go with AD08s, but it is pretty much overkill for the power of the Fit, but I want as much grip as possible. My outlook on tires, they are the only thing allowing your suspension and brakes to work to their full potential and what your life depends on so I don't skimp out on tires. I always used AD07s after the stock A046s wore out on the old 5R and even with my continuous gymkhana events and every weekend touge running, I would get a solid year out of them. I could of went cheaper and lasted longer, but would not of had the same grip levels to appease my driving style which is super agressive and on full tilt.

There are plenty of tires to choose from, first is to start looking at what your budget will allow and go from there.

 

Kumho Solus KH16

If fitment is your concern, I've tried several 205 50 16s, all fit fine, even a 215 45 16 didn't rub.

 

I'm getting these when my stock Dunlops are done (I've decided to keep the stock 16" rims and just upgrade the tires):

Continental ExtremeContact DWS

 

thanks guys, keep the info coming.

Me myself i was thinking of the general altimax tire, or a falken 912?

 

Thousands and thousands and thousands of Ford Focus' have been produced with 16x6 wheels. All of them have 205/50/16 tires. That size is no problem at all for the Fit wheels.

 

I'm running Goodyear Fuel Max's in 205/50/16s. They were squirrelly for a few hundred miles but ride fine now. I would like to try Kumho or Falkens some time.

 

I lifted this pic from someone who posted it here on FitFreak. It's a 205/50 - 16 on a stock wheel.



Looks beefy.

 

So what happens to ride when you drop down to a 50 tire? And ride? Any fuel economy concerns? What is the widest one could go without being 'out there' - 215?

 

On the previous car (Mazda Protege 5) I switched to 205/50/16 on the stock 16/6 wheels & had no issues at all, except for better handling & traction!! As soon as the stock Dunflops are worn down, I will be going to 205/50's.

 

I have 205/55 16's and they rub on occasion, but are mostly pretty fine.

The ride quality is a lot nicer and they corner much better then the stock tires.

I'd go for the 50's - the 55's was a mistake on my part. Whoops!

 

Hey Codger, ... do you prefer the fit to your old Mazda Prot5? I drive a Mazda Prot as well, and i am curious. How does the ride compare...i know there's gonna be a big difference in HP and acceleration, but what about the overall ride, handling and noise? Thanks....

 

I plan on going with 205/50/16 but I'm going to be getting some 16x6.5 Rota Slips ;-)

I am waiting until my stock tires are pretty much gone though.

Good luck with your choice, I wouldn't mind seeing more stock 205/50 pics.

 

It was quite a change. The old P5 was giving me not so subtle hints of expensive repairs to come- and I'd aready dropped 3K in repairs in the last year. That & my left knee was really telling me my clutch days were over
With the independant rear suspension the P5 handled corners much better, that & the lower centre of gravity. I find I cannot dive into corners as fast as I used to. The MPG of the Fit is one of the main things that brought me over, I am averaging 34-35mpg while the best I got out of the P5 was 28-29 mpg.(damn this lead right foot of mine!!) & I like the paddle shifts on the Sport AT.
When I get around to upgrading the tires I should get some handling back.
I have not noticed a great deal of difference in noise between the P5 & the Fit. Sitting up higher has taken a little getting used to, but Its OK now. Mmmmm, maybe time to look into the Eibach springs....
My P5 was a 2003 Laser Blue. What do you have? Are you on the Mazdas24/7 Forum?

 

My wife and I ran a full season of autocross on stock wheels with Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec in 205/50/16 and never rubbed at all and those tires stick like glue...didn't wear too bad, either. This is our bone stock 09 with an autocross alignment as the only mod. I run in "Street Tire" which is open to all SCCA classes but running street tires only with the exception or the ST classes, which are already PAX'd for street tires. My wife runs in LT (Ladies' Street Tire)...both of us with the HS PAX. (For the record, we both won our class!)



Here's a good shot of the suspension pretty well compressed...still no rubbing at all. I'm thinking about going with the Kumho XS in 215/45/16 this season to gain the little bit of width and gearing advantage of that size.

 

Cool pics! Good to know of other options when the Dunnies do crap out.....I was amazed that you only have 2 choices in the OEM stock size?????


BG

 

Yup...why the 'sport' doesn't use 6.5" or 7" wide wheels is beyond me...at least if they were an option from the factory they'd be legal for stock classes...oh, well.

 

I think the tire size is appropriate for the overall goals of the car; primarily fuel economy with a secondary goal of driving enjoyment. The narrower tire generally maximizes fuel economy, the larger diameter lowers rolling resistance for the same reason yet allows a lower profile tire which increases steering response.

I don't know for sure if the size even existed prior to the 09 Fit intro. The original Honda Insight is the only car I know that used a 165 65 14, to this day still only available in two different tires, only one until recently.

 

I have the general altimax on my jetta in a 195-65-15 and find them to be satisfactory, not amazing, but wears evenly, fairly quiet (jetta's engine is loud though) and decent in the water.

 

Well said. You would think that they would at least offer the 16x6.5 HPT wheels or something similar for the "Sport" version. The challenge is outfitting the 09/10 Sport for stock class autocross...wheels have to be within 1/4" of stock width...so 16x6 is it...and there aren't any lightweight 16x6's out there. I realize that autocross wasn't even on the radar of the engineers when spec'ing out the Fit...too bad, though...little car handles well for what it is.