From all the research I've done, putting a 205 width tire on a 6" wide rim, even though it fits, really isn't ideal and results in the tire having a tendency to roll over during hard cornering. The 205/50/R16 Kumho Ecsta PA31's on my car now have that same problem. Just like some of you guys I'm running a higher psi to compensate but it makes the car ride rougher. I'm planning to go to a 17"x7" rim eventually and run 205/45/R17 tires and hoping that will really tighten things up. That should give the tires/wheels a little more flush look as well with the wider, lower offset rim.

-Dustin

 

Are you looking at any particular rims? I have my eye on either Enkei PF01's or Kosei K1 TS's in the 17x7 size, but am leaning toward the Kosei's. Both of those wheels are 2 - 3lbs lighter than the stock wheels. The Enkei RPF1's are a smidge lighter than those two.

-Dustin

 

Probably the RPF-1

BUT, I drove the Porsche Macan S yesterday and might just order one and sell my Fit. If it was a manual trans I already would have, that car drives fantastic and has SUV utility. The PDK is probably the best flappy paddle gearbox I have used but I am a die-hard manual trans lover.

I was planning on ordering a new Boxster S and keeping the Fit. It sounds crazy but I really don't feel like dumping $1,500+ into making my car drive right again when I can just cash out for like $13-14,000 and then spend LESS on a new Macan S than I would have on a Boxster S, and have one car, insurance for only one vehicle, etc.

Plus, the AWD would be nice when visiting family in Ohio for Thanksgiving/Christmas.

I am still undecided but haven't found any good deals on RPF-1s, and then I would still need TPMS sensors all the way around AND a whole new set of tires that don't suck.

 

Last night the roads were a little wet so I decided to try a sudden lane change to see if the sidewall flex is merely an annoyance that I am making a big deal about, or if it is a legitimate concern. I could do this just fine on my nearly bald stock tires, albeit with a little sliding from the front tires. The DWS bite the pavement very well in the rain and I swerved over a lane but when I straightened out the rebound effect from the sidewall flex actually broke my rear tires loose and I had to countersteer a tiny bit to keep the car straight. This is NOT ok.

I am at 48F/45R right now and am going to try 50 all around, which I used to run just fine on my stock tires. The front tires, although squirmy, don't seem to have the same rebound effect as the rears, so perhaps taking these things to their max recommended pressure will mitigate the problem enough that I will still be able to enjoy driving the car.

If this doesn't work either the rims and tires are going up for sale, or just the tires and I'll get something else on the stock rims, considering whatever money I lose on the tires and another round of mounting/balancing a lesson learned.

On the flip side, while driving home last night the sky opened up and a typical Florida downpour started. On the stock Dunlops I would have to turn off the cruise control and slow down to about 50, otherwise the car would wander all over the road and the TC light would nearly continually flash as the car attempted to grip the wet road. On the DWS I was comfortable cruising past everyone at 65 while they slowed down to 40-50 with their hazards on. The wet grip is fantastic, I will give them that much.

 

35 psi might be too stiff and might cause the ride to be more bumpy. try setting it at a lower pressure around 30 to 32 psi.

 

So I am guessing that you just wandered in here and replied to that without ever having owned these tires, which is exactly how bad information spreads- when people who have no idea what they are talking about answer a question. Especially considering the person who posted that was complaining about MPG! Lower pressure will give even worse MPG lol.

Considering the numerous posts I have in this thread and the fact that my car now is riding on Continental DWS 205/50R-16 tires...you know the tires that we are talking about in this thread...I can actually answer questions about them.

Brb heading over to the Subaru WRX forum to drop some knowledge about a car I've never owned

 

So I now have about 1000 miles on these tires and am still pretty set on getting a whole new set of rims and tires, possibly 15x7 RPF1s for the light weight, or 17x7 since the weight is not much more than the 16" and will guarantee a nice firm sidewall. I will throw the DWS back on when I head up north to visit family during the winter and when I sell the car.

Even at 48 all around the rear was still too squirmy and the sidewall flexed too much. I experimented with everything from 35 to 51, finally ending up at 51 all around, the max recommended pressure on the sidewall. Finally at this pressure the sidewall flex is greatly reduced and the car feels safe to drive aggressively. The ride is still quiet, albeit firm, and road feel is less than with the stock Dunlops.

Dry traction is good, wet traction is excellent, and I am assuming snow will impress me as well. Final verdict on them is that IF you drive in heavy rain or snow enough to not be able to buy summer tires, then this tire is acceptable only at the max pressure. When I had a Civic before this I had Enkei 17s with summer tires and steelies with Firestone winterforce tires for the bad months. That was a much better setup as even at the max pressure the car doesn't feel nearly as tight as it did with the factory Dunlops. I live in Florida but drive to Chicago in the snow 1-2x a year, so I do need either an all season tire or a backup set of winter tires.

It will be some time now before I pick up some RPF1s and summer tires to actually improve the handling.

 

Have almost 2,000 miles on the Continental DWS now, 205/50/16 on my stock Fit Sport 16x6 aluminum wheels. The ride is too stiff at 51psi all around but at any lower pressure it is too squirmy and the sidewalls flex too much.

I do not recommend this combination. They handle well but they are stiff at this high pressure and if you do not do very aggressive driving you can probably have them at 40psi and enjoy them very much.

Wet traction is phenomenal, dry is very good. On a 7" rim they are probably excellent all around, but 205's are really not meant to go on a 6" rim.

My next tires are 195/55/15 on 15x7s. Switching over in a few weeks and will probably list these for sale.

 

Curious... wouldn't moving to a taller sidewall, introduce more flex?

I still have my DWS (with 16x7 Enkeis) at 36-38 psi and I drive in/around Chicago all year round.

The reason I suggested waiting until after putting on the Swifts in the other thread was because it might settle the Fit down enough for you to find it acceptable (even if marginally).

 

36-37 psi on my DWS. they are soft sidewall, but they are lightweight and grips well in wet/light snow.

not my favorite tires but they are pretty good for wat they are..

 

Maybe I'll give this a shot since the swifts are already sitting in my living room. I haven't ordered camber bolts yet and am still debating whether I really even need to add them.

Taller sidewalls won't necessarily flex more, it depends on the tire itself, as well as the size of the tire and the size of the rim it's going on. A 205/50/16 on a 16x6 will flex more than a 185/65/16 on the same rim despite the taller sidewall (all else being equal). The DWS has a soft sidewall already, and the flex is made much worse but putting them on a narrow rim (stock rim is 6" wide). A 7" rim fits a 205 tire much better, but if I am buying new rims I might as well get the 15's as the weight savings is HUGE.

On your 16x7 Enkeis the tires are probably great!

The wet traction is amazing with these tires though, even in a really deep water.