OK - on a very tight budget- as in zero- a couple of months ago bought a set of four Pirelli P7's- 215/60/16- yeah I know the car looks better with 18" but reality check- could replace all tyres for $620- I have recently found I have a set of four 16x7 mags sitting in the garage- is there anything at all to be gained by going from the 16x6 factory wheels to 16x7?- I have chacked the offset- matches perfectly- I did read somewhere a comment about standard rims being too narrow and do not give great tyre response when cornering- thoughts please!

16x7 greater surface area, more grip.


But in time, get 20's...

16x7 is a wider rim which will allows for wider tyres.. which allows for more GRIP... enough said?

Wider than 215/60... yeah, maybe not

if you change wheels but keep the same tyre there wouldnt be much difference. If you were looking to upgrade your tyres to say a 225/55 (or 50) /16 you would have something a little wider, with a stronger sidewall (less roll in corners/harsher over bumps)

What I am wondering is if the benefits of mucking around changing the tyres I have now (new new Pirelli P7) onto a wider rim than stand justifies all the trouble- don't want to fork out for different tyre- just trying to get the best out of what I already have.

Even with 215/60 tyres, the 7" rims will improve sidewall stability - there'll be less tendency to "squirm" in hard cornering. When the time comes to replace the tyres, you can then go to 225/55 for an ideal fit.

If we're talking factory rims on AWD's you should already have 16x7's, that was standard on all of them I'm pretty sure..

If we're talking factory rims on AWD's you should already have 16x7's, that was standard on all of them I'm pretty sure..

I think most had 16x6"s actually.

Maybe the VRX/Sports variant had them, but my TJ exec AWD & KJ2 AWD had 16x6".

But to the OP: I'd put the 7" wide rims on, if you have them. 215 wide tyres will sit on a 7" wide rime, with nearly no sidewall bulge at all. Upgrade later to the 225 wide tyre as Ken_L has said.

All other things being equal, which they almost never are, wider tyres don't make for more grip on their own. The shape of the tyre contact patch changes, but the surface area doesn't. The wider patch is also shorter and is inherently less stable, a caster effect, and speeds up the handling. Wider tyres usually have grippier compounds and constructions, so are often grippier too, but, as I said, all things being equal, just putting wider tyres on does not increase grip. The size of the contact patch doesn't change, just the shape.

The wider 7" rims will stiffen up the sidewalls and improve feel in my opinion. Make sure the bore is the right size, the bolts do not centre the rim on the hub, the bore inside the centre does.

Steve

I think most had 16x6"s actually.

Maybe the VRX/Sports variant had them, but my TJ exec AWD & KJ2 AWD had 16x6".

But to the OP: I'd put the 7" wide rims on, if you have them. 215 wide tyres will sit on a 7" wide rime, with nearly no sidewall bulge at all. Upgrade later to the 225 wide tyre as Ken_L has said.
Fair enough, I know the wheels off my car are 16x7, but that is a VR-X.

Edit: Just looked it up, the TL/TW VR/VR-X AWD's had 16x7" Wheels, the entire TJ AWD range, and standard TL/TW AWD's (and Verada equivalents) were 16x6". The only one that surprises me not having the 7" wide wheels was the GTVi AWD, always thought that was the Verada and VR-X Magna combined. Missed out on that one.

215/60R16 on 16x6 wheels causes the tyres to sag more which in my case, prematurely wore the shoulders, even when pumped to 40psi. I've compared a Fairmont Ghia/G6 and my car, both weighing the same and have tyred pumped to the same psi, both Bridgestones, mine are Grid II and the Ford had something similar (ERxxx). Anyhow, my tyre sagged visibly more then the ford. Use the wheelmaster (http://www.rimsntires.com/specs.jsp?item=Wheel-Tire size comparer&sw1=215&ar1=60&bd1=16&rw1=6.0&et1=46&sw2=215&ar2=60&bd2=16&rw2=7.0&et2=46&text1=&text2=)website and compare the end-on views to get the picture. The tyres are 8.5" so the 6" rim has a 1.75" bulge vs a 0.5" bulge for the 7" rim.

Great web link thanks vlad- I got excellent mileage out of the original bridgestones but they certainly did go on the edges first- still appeared to have plenty in the middle- as a result of comment I will more than likely swap tyres onto 16X7 and give them a go- even though they are not the most attractive looking wheel- I don't mind the look of the factory TL alloys but if there is a performance and longevity of tyre life to be gained then it sounds like a good low cost option.