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16" or 17" tires?

I

Icepick

Diamond Member
I'm considering purchasing a Mazda 6 and have to choose between the sport and touring models. It's about a $1300 difference between them. The biggest difference seems to be the tire size - 16" on the Sport and 17" on the Touring.

Should I factor this into my decision? Are 17" better performing that 16"? Will there be any real-world advantage to having the larger tires on a four door sedan?

What are the benefits, if any, to the 17" tires?

Thanks!
 
If the 17" wheels do not come with bigger brakes, the 16" are superior in every way except aesthetics (and some would say steering response, but on the street it's a negligible factor).
 
Chances are the tires are also wider on the 17's.

Its 2 things the 17;s will have over the 16's

1. Fill the wheel well up. Some say looks better, your opinion as you have to drive/own it

2. If it comes with wider tires it should handle a little better and also may make the tires last longer (not a lot but some)

Also don;t forget to take into account the tires may cost more. Go to treaddepot.com, tirerack.com, and tires.com and price out the 2 sizes. Should not be the only thing you look at but just add it to the 2 things I listed and see if its worth it to you.
 
Marlin1975 said:
Chances are the tires are also wider on the 17's.

2. If it comes with wider tires it should handle a little better and also may make the tires last longer (not a lot but some)
Click to expand...
True, but unless OP drives aggressively it's not really an issue IMO. Besides, when the tires wear out he can put in wider ones... 😉
 
Howard said:
If the 17" wheels do not come with bigger brakes, the 16" are superior in every way except aesthetics (and some would say steering response, but on the street it's a negligible factor).
Click to expand...

Thanks Howard. I'll probably stick with the lower end model with the 16" tires then.
 
Marlin1975 said:
Chances are the tires are also wider on the 17's.

Its 2 things the 17;s will have over the 16's

1. Fill the wheel well up. Some say looks better, your opinion as you have to drive/own it

2. If it comes with wider tires it should handle a little better and also may make the tires last longer (not a lot but some)

Also don;t forget to take into account the tires may cost more. Go to treaddepot.com, tirerack.com, and tires.com and price out the 2 sizes. Should not be the only thing you look at but just add it to the 2 things I listed and see if its worth it to you.
Click to expand...

I don't know if the ones that come stock with the car are wider. Guess I should be able to tell by the code on them (R17 ....).

If aesthetics is the main reason for the larger tires then the 16" ones are probably the smarter option for me.
 
Howard said:
True, but unless OP drives aggressively it's not really an issue IMO. Besides, when the tires wear out he can put in wider ones... 😉
Click to expand...

Yeah, I noticed that I habitually drive conservatively from a desire to extend the life of the car. Don't know if that really makes a difference but that's probably what my driving will be like most of the time.
 
Icepick said:
I don't know if the ones that come stock with the car are wider. Guess I should be able to tell by the code on them (R17 ....).

If aesthetics is the main reason for the larger tires then the 16" ones are probably the smarter option for me.
Click to expand...
Yes, tire width is the first number in the size code.
 
17" is the straw that broke the camels back when it comes to tire/wheel cost. 14/15/16 not so much different from each other, then you get to 17" and boom head shot, it goes from $60 a tire to $140 a tire.

I know this because I have a Camry with 14s and a Cobra that has had both 17 and 18, and I've been looking to get a set of alloys in 14/15/16/17 for the Camry and have extensively compared tire prices across the whole spread.
 
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exdeath said:
17" is the straw that broke the camels back when it comes to tire/wheel cost. 14/15/16 not so much different from each other, then you get to 17" and boom head shot, it goes from $60 a tire to $140 a tire.

I know this because I have a Camry with 14s and a Cobra that has had both 17 and 18, and I've been looking to get a set of alloys in 14/15/16/17 for the Camry and have extensively compared tire prices across the whole spread.
Click to expand...

Yea that why I wanted him to see the price as well. If its a weird 16 and common 17 then it might be close in some cases but most its like you said.

My CTS has 16's and I can get DWS tires around the mid $90's. My BiLs STS has 17's and they are around $150 for the same tire.
 
sports and touring has more differences then rim size....

i duno what it is but sports models normally have slightly differnt suspensions/braking systems/ ABS options, manual trans option and couple more random things.

I love mazda 6 hatch option. Wish camry and maxima had a hatch option like they did with the mazda6 sedan.
 
Yeah, I was also going to point out that you're paying for a lot more than just larger wheels. Personally, wheels would not be the deciding factor as they're the easiest part to replace/upgrade.
 
NutBucket said:
Yeah, I was also going to point out that you're paying for a lot more than just larger wheels. Personally, wheels would not be the deciding factor as they're the easiest part to replace/upgrade.
Click to expand...

Do you mean that the "i Sport" model that comes with 16" tires will have different suspension, brakes, and possibly other changes from the "i Touring" model that they ship with 17" wheels? I assumed that both models would be built the same since they're both Mazda6 models. If there are other changes then maybe it's worth it to upgrade to the Touring model.
 
Icepick said:
Do you mean that the "i Sport" model that comes with 16" tires will have different suspension, brakes, and possibly other changes from the "i Touring" model that they ship with 17" wheels? I assumed that both models would be built the same since they're both Mazda6 models. If there are other changes then maybe it's worth it to upgrade to the Touring model.
Click to expand...
You need to do more research if you're not sure about this then.
 
Apparently, suspensions between the two models are the same.

Key differences include wheels, stereo system, fog lights, interior trim, leather wrapped steering wheel/shift knob and a power driver's seat.

So explain why you wouldn't investigate the differences aside from wheels on your own?
 
The Touring runs on 215/55-17 which are not cheap. Out of the 46 tires at TireRack the cheapest will run you about $110 each. I have 205/50-17's on my Subaru and that size is even worse.
 
Just use 215's and call it a day. Any decent tire shop would tell you the same. I have no clue why manufacturers insist on such oddball sizes.
 
Howard said:
If the 17" wheels do not come with bigger brakes, the 16" are superior in every way except aesthetics (and some would say steering response, but on the street it's a negligible factor).
Click to expand...

Superior except in handling, traction, braking etc... Yep
 
MJinZ said:
Superior except in handling, traction, braking etc... Yep
Click to expand...

If the tire is the same outer dimensions it will be better in every way except possibly steering response, as stated prior. In general a 16" wheel+tire will weigh less than a 17" wheel+tire. The reduction in un-sprung and rotating mass will be a very good thing. Now one can get some 17" wheels that are lighter than some 16" wheels (i.e. getting forged 17" race wheels vs cast 16" style wheels) but all else being equal, 16s are lighter. The taller sidewall will also have a more comfortable ride.
 
If the only difference is wheel size and tires, that $1300 can be spent much more wisely elsewhere.

How much do you care for handling performance? If it's very important, you should take the $1300 and upgrade your suspension to a nice set of coilovers. If not, the only real difference between the 16 and 17 inch wheels will be noise (17 worse), comfort (17 worse), unsprung weight (17 worse) and handling (16 worse).
 
Chances are the total tire/wheel diameter will be the same for 16" and 17" wheel/tire packages so going with the 17" just means you are getting more wheel and less tire. It's a trade off. The 17" combo may improve handling at the expense of the ride. The 16" combo will most certainly ride better.
 
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