16" Tire selection: will they ever come back?

Back in the day, 205 50 15 were probably the widest available 15" tire size for those not looking anything higher than a 23" tire, or thereabouts. I'm talking late 90's and early 2000's

But then, all of a sudden - thanks to Miata, Mini, Golf/Rabbit, Civics up to the EK, and the like - 15 inchers diversified and even got crazy! I remember when Kumho and Hoosier came up with 225 45 15 R tires and we thought they were so wide. Then came 275 35 15. Now there are 295 35 15!  Oh, and street selection also expanded. The aforementioned 225 45 15 is now fairly easily found. So is the 245 40 15.

What then of 16" tires in the 24.5" -> 24.7" diameter range? They're all pretty much gone!  Vintage Porsche racers still run 245 45 16, so it seems like Toyo, Hoosier, and Yokohama, maybe Pirelli, might keep making them for the time being. But other than that, street tires of this size are nonexistent.

So, is that it for the 16" tire selection?  Gone and dried up? No demand at all?  I feel like so many 90's cars ran 16, but I guess they're all contented just running 17 and up.

 

I have 16" wheels on my R53 MINI, so it's definitely something I pay attention to.  So far the selection of 205/50-16 tires is reasonable if not great. 

That said, 17" options in the same diameter aren't exactly plentiful either. 

I own two cars with 16 inch wheels, plus an extra set of 16s with the autocross tires for the civic. A friend has offered me a set of RPF1 wheels for it in 17 inch, might have to grab them. 

Only if there’s the demand....

And I have 16s on the Porsche but, like you noted, there’s enough demand there to satisfy the various offerings. 

Luckily, my R53 MINI and ND-RF take the same size wheels and tires. Lots of choices in a 205/45/17 for either, and still several in 205/50/16 if I put the 16" wheels back on the MINI.

the problem is the size of new cars. In order to not make them look like a roller skate on teeny tiny wheels, 20" are becoming the norm. As demand for larger diameter wheels increases, those of us using 17s or smaller are going to find our supply of fun tyres drying up.

No I don't think it will get better, and at this point it's hard to say whether going down to 15s or up to 17s would be the better long-term decision. For slicks you might actually be better off with 15s.

GameboyRMH said:

 it's hard to say whether going down to 15s or up to 17s would be the better long-term decision. For slicks you might actually be better off with 15s.

I think that is pretty much a function of what diameter you want to run.

The 944 turbo I bought in March has 16" Cup wheels and I looked up the date codes on the tires, like 5-6-7 years old.  I then learned that 16" tires are not that popular anymore.

If I could find decent 17" wheels in the 5x130 and offset I need, I would likely go that route.

In reply to Jerry :

If you like old school classic wheels, try VTO Wheels and see if they have anything that turns your crank.

I've been on 16s since 2015 and the 200TW tire selection has been limited the whole time. I'm set up for a 225/50R16 because it's the most rubber I can get in a 16" wheel. I love my wheels but I'm really looking to change to a 17" so I can run a 235 or 245 rubber .

I went round and round on picking tires back when designing Midlana. On the one hand, everyone argues for lightweight and a diameter that looks "right" on a Seven. On the other hand is reality - if they aren't there, they aren't there. I ended designing around an outside tire diameter. That way, builders could use whatever tires they could source as long as the OD was reasonably close. Point here is that other wheel and tire sizes besides 16" might be available that have the same desired OD.

I'm content with the 200TW selection at 225/50R16 which I run on the E28. I have a set of 17" x 8" wheels that need some refinishing before I run them but the 16" package is cheaper (compared to the same tire in a 225/45R17), looks better on the car and lighter (maybe I give up a bit with the taller sidewall). If I ever go to a 9" wide wheel (looking at you Apex) it will be a 17" but I'd rather spend the money on more track time.

If you're looking outside of a 205/55R16 or 225/50R16 the pickings get slim though for sure.

I used to run a 235/60 15, which eventually became Cooper Cobra, and nothing else, so I bought a set of GTA Firebird 16" wheels, 245/50 16's, and last time I needed tires, it was BFG Supersports, and nothing else.  

So, if I want more good tires in a few years, I guess I have to look like a douche and buy some 20's to fit a car built in 1982.