Another attempt at tires too big
 

I decided Im going to try this next week and will update then
Im going to put 17" rims with 235 55 17 tires on. it will add about an inch overall in diameter from the stock tires.
I know those tires are a big jump in size, so Im not sure what will happen and I am a little concerned about the power steering having difficulties but I already have the tires in my storage (I was going to use them on my truck but ended up selling it for the HHR) rims are supposed to arrive later this week.

Uhh. You're fixing to make a big mistake.
235/55/17's will NOT fit on a HHR. Those spec out to about 27.2 inches tall and will rub on the lower strut perch. In fact, I don't think you'll get the rims all the way on the studs with those tires.
26.2. maybe 26.3 inches is the tallest tire that will fit.

I didnt consider the strut tower, Ill look at it, not doubting you, just one of those things I have to see for myself :)
I can get smaller tires, was just hoping I could get away with these tires since they cost me $740.0 and never got used :/

If you could put taller tires on it, it will throw off you speedo readings also. Your ECM is programed for a certain tire height too.

Im ok with that, Im actually used to it.

Onlin tire stores have calculators.

I measured the tires (they are currently installed on rims, but for a nissan truck)
anyways, they measure 26.5" diameter.
sooo close, I am going to see what I can figure out to use these if I can.
the rims Im getting are a +42 offset, so they should actually sit 1mm closer to strut over stock 16" (+41 offset according to https://www.wheel-size.com/size/chevrolet/hhr/2008/ )
I "might" look into 3mm spacers if, and only if, they would allow the tires enough clearance of the struts. I really dont want to go that route, but Ive used generic spacers before with no issues so Im not against it.
measuring from the ground to top of fender well was exactly 27" F/R so even taking into account the slight raising of the vehicle to probably 27.25 with these tires on, Im not sure how close these would end up to the fender and I really dont want any rubbing (obviously) I also wont roll my fenders.
so there are a lot of considerations

BTW, just thinking out loud here :)

I use this site for comparison
​​​​​​​https://tiresize.com/calculator/

Exactly. And a 3mm (approx 1/8 inch) spacer isn't going to help much in getting the tire off the strut. Over the years I've seen a lot of folks "think" they can get oversized tires on a HHR. Don't remember any one successful at this without some dangerous 1 inch or bigger spacers. (something I would not recommend)

Did you check the fluid level as suggested back in post #72?

and you really need to reread Donbrew's posts - like he says, a 27.2" tire will NOT fit which is what your 235/55/17 tires officially measure out at.

FMG
I understand, as I said, Im only going to look at it, not that its actually possible
these are just musings I had while typing a reply :)

Whopper
I will do so, once I can get the car up in the air, which I havent been able to do yet, Im actually going to have a full inspection done by my mechanic.

so I took a moment to look at what you were talking about FMG and yep, your absolutely right, no way to get much larger than stock in diameter on the front, which is too bad because there is tons of room in the rear ! lol
its exactly the opposite of my mazda protege5, I can easily get a 225 45 17 tire on the front, but can barely fit a 225 45 17 tire on the rear without rubbing struts or using at least a 5mm spacer (which I wasnt happy with, but 5 yrs going and 0 problems and not hubcentric)

I went ahead and got a set of 215 55 17 tires for the rims, the tires I got measure 25.9 not installed, Im going to assume they wont gain more than 1-2mm when inflated (fingers crossed) and that tire calculator says (generally) the diameter of 215 55 17 is 26.3" which is right at the limit.
sucks that a measly 2mm is keeping my from using the tires I already have. oh well, Ill just wrap them up really good and store them for when I get another truck :)

Since this was hijacking a totally unrelated thread I moved the discussion here.

I've got 245/45R17 which are 25.7" tall.
Don't rub anywhere.

I looked at a set of tires exactly that size, but decided against it as I wanted to go taller to see if it helps.
but it is good to know that size will fit for down the road.

Even 215 60 X 16 leave a mark. Not much, but there.

Tire rubber has a shelf life. Something like 5 years. The purist will tell you. My 2000 Mazda has original tires on it.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...689791a4d4.jpg
This is the clearance I have running 225/50/17 tires that are 26.2 I believe. The pencil is touching on both sides, trust me.

I can see it. pretty tight space in there.
I almost went with that size, but going by what FMG said and that calculator site I figured it would be close, and it is, but as long as it isnt rubbing :)
another size added to the list !

I did run 1.5" spacer/adapters on a ford ranger I had back in 04, I had bought a set of rims, not really knowing much about them, figuring 5 lug + 5 lug = fitment... not lol
the rims were a chevy 5x5 pattern while the ranger is a 5x4.5, but I really liked those rims so I went with the adapters to use them, gave my truck a real aggressive stance too !


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...bd4d7a246c.jpg

I am running the 215/60/16 Michelin Ice 3 tires @ 30psi cold. Close, but do not touch.
2nd set with no issues.
Love the overall all around Performance. Smooth and quiet.
Run them year around in our moderate climate.
Saves the Winter hassle and need for extra wheels etc.

Silverfox

question, do you experience problems with your power steering with that wide of a tire ?

Whats the point in such a wide tire on an HHR? Looks?

aradmahogany
handling mostly.
I havent gotten too far into the handling aspects of my HHR yet (work in progress) but my mazda p5 Ive spent some time working on improving handling, one of the first things I did was change tires/rims from stock which was 195/50/16 tires on 16" rims with an offset of +50.
I put 225/45/ZR17 tires on a new set of 17" rims with an offset of +40 (10mm wider stance each side, 20mm total) and noticed a huge improvement in cornering from that alone. although, the downside was less handling in rainy conditions as the car is so light it tends to hydroplane very easily, especially with such wider tires than stock.
I settled on 205/45/17 tires so that I can have an all around improvement in all conditions.

I am hoping to achieve the same from this with the HHR, plus Im hoping it might help resolve the TAP issue that so many experience. (constant shifting between gear lock and no gear lock while in OD at certain speeds)

living in FL, rainy conditions are something I deal with on a fairly consistent basis, so I probably cant do the 245/45 on my HHR, which is why Im sticking as close to the 215 measurement as possible as its proven to be a solid width in both wet and dry conditions.
my job adds 700 miles a week to my HHR, I do a lot of driving and the TAP issue mentioned is of concern to me.
while I can get a used trans locally for about $250.0 (3 avail within 30 miles, all with less than 80k on them) Id rather not unless I absolutely have to, so if I can do something that will alleviate the need for a new trans for as long as possible, I will try, plus, the new rims will look GREAT on the HHR ;)

Why would you change transmissions when the problem is in the computer (tune)?

I used to do a minimum of 1,000/week, sometimes a day. It didn't bother me, I just understood it was there. It is exactly like driving a standard trans in high gear and trying to accelerate without downshifting. In the case of the HHR 4 th gear is overdrive just like 5 th in a 5 speed.

The TCM is programmed for fuel economy.

As to driving in the rain, I don't remember driving a car that scared me more. It feels like all 4 tires are spinning at different speeds on brand new tires. New LCAs and dropping the psi 2 lb did a lot to help. I think that is a product of the weight distribution.

I am just thinking ahead, eventually this type of issue causes undue wear on the trans, so if I plan ahead of time, I can allocate funds for that eventuality down the road :)
I understand why its doing it after reading through that entire thread this got moved from plus Im not a stranger to vehicle issues ;)
but I will admit this is my first Chevy since the late 80's, and that car was a walking bank roll... at least once a month it was in the shop for repairs. that said, I drove that car all over the state during the several years I owned it, putting almost 100k on it in that time as well. which would, of course, be part of the reason it was always in the shop, but it left me with a more cautious approach to the brand.
only reason I wanted the HHR panel is its unique look, I plan on keeping it, pretty much the rest of my life, just not as a primary vehicle. I have 2 other cars I can use, but both are having issues and since the HHR runs great and gets excellent mpg, I dont mind using it at all, but I also want it to last a very long time, so Id prefer to be able to spread the miles out among several vehicles if possible :)

I havent had too much trouble in the rain, maybe its the tire, I simply couldnt say, but Ive driven in some pretty heavy rain (when Michael went past us it dropped a ton of heavy rainfall in the area) and Ive only hydro'd badly once, that was standing water a good 2" deep.

back on topic, Im going to hold off on putting these rims on the car. I really want too, but Id have to pay almost double to have these tires removed to get to the TPMS to put on the new rims, so Id rather wait until the tires currently wear down to the point of needing replaced.
its either that or buy new TPMS per rim, which.... well, we all know how much that will cost ! lol

Driving a 2 speed auto was pretty close. Passing at hiway speed was exciting.

"handling mostly"
I havent gotten too far into the handling aspects of my HHR yet.

I would start with TTR Rear sway bar..... It works all the time you are driving and will Improve any tire/wheel combo you choose.

Tires and Wheels are all a Compromise depending on what you want and are willing to settle for.
Size 205 will give you more pounds per square inch on the ground and better in the heavy rain.
Size 215 looks better on the HHR.
16" Aspect ratio of less the stock 55 rides slightly harder.
16" tires run stock at 30psi cold
17" Aspect ratio of less the stock 50 rides slightly harder
17" tires run stock at 35psi cold.

Silverfox

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...b8cb410690.jpg
No problems whatsoever.
I drove the car locally for about a month in S Florida and of course encountered some heavy rains and then almost 1600 miles to northern Michigan under all kinds of road conditions and weather. They even had late snow when I got there.
Car was very responsive, tracked very well and rode well. Felt like a go kart.
Drove at 75 mph most of the trip but did hit 100 or so for a few spurts.
Drove around Michigan for a week or so, then left it there for my daughter.
Not familiar with any tranny shifting or downshifting issues, it acted as it should have all the time, both in heavy city traffic down here and then in hilly traffic up north.
No TAP issues at all. I did change the tranny fluid and filter at 105k miles when I got it though.
Daughter has since put 6k miles on it with no issues.

Not particularly fond of the wheels, they are very light. Tires don't seem that wide to me, but I'm used to larger cars with wider tires.
When I bought the car the tires and wheels were only 2 weeks old so it was a no brainer to leave them alone.
They are Goodyear Eagle Sport and I'm pretty happy with them.

I plan on getting one as soon as I get some extra finances, perhaps I can convince my wife that would make a perfect Xmas present ;)
could I ask, how much space between the side of the tire and the strut ? the pencil, is it right at the edge of the tire in your picture or is it closer to the middle. do you think a 235 would be too wide to fit ?

goodyear eagle tires are real good, I had an older version of them on a car I had about 7 yrs ago, the handling was top notch, even in rainy conditions, so Im betting that has something to do with how well the car responded :)
I read that the TAP issue is kind of hit n miss, but I havent any idea personally why that would be the case.
for me, it started happening one day after I pulled out into heavy traffic, had to cross a 3 lane hwy to get into a turning lane a block away, so I gunned it, then had to immediately slam the brakes, once I started going again down the road after, it started happening.
the reason Im so concerned, is that unlike most, my issue extends from 26mph up until 60mph, cruise or no cruise (actually, its worse with cruise at any speed) once I hit 61mph, it doesnt happen.
now, maybe the taller tires will help, maybe not, but as I wanted to change the rims anyways, I figured that would be a good place to start, then work my way to other things. first and foremost of those, will most likely involve a trans flush, as well as a full inspection.

I might look into a wider tire down the road, but for the moment, I already bought a set of 215's so Im kind of stuck with them for now :)

Im bouncing back and forth between 245/45 or 225/50...

If you are using stock 6.5" wide rims, I would not go bigger (section width) than the 225.

no, I have a set of 17x7.5 Im putting on, atm Im using 16x7 rims, I simply dont like the looks of them for the HHR.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...e72eb888bb.jpg

Then it's up to you. Nice Panel.

thank you
the rims I have for it are the same as the ones on this
https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/clas...version-60720/

Touren tr9's, although Im betting he is running 18's.

I would think 18's as well on his.

update
I had decided to go with the 245-45-17 tires, found a set of cooper zeon rs3-a on ebay for $280.00 shipped. unfortunately, when I went to purchase them, they had already sold. however, the same company had sets of 225-50-17 zeon rs3-a tires for the same price. so I got those instead and they just arrived !
Ill be putting them on the HHR next week as I also ordered new TPMS which wont arrive until earliest tomorrow afternoon.
Ill update with pics of them on the car next week.
​​​​​​​
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...f51e2eee79.jpg

I'd be careful buying eBay tires. Look at the Date codes, Tires get hard quick & there goes the traction.

I make sure Tires I buy are fresh as can be. Not more that 1 year old.

date code is 2017, Im ok with that :)
now, if it was 2015 or less, I would be hesitant.

well, Im kind of glad I didnt go with the 245-45-17's, with these rims those tires would have rubbed the post of the struts on the front, unless I went with probably 3mm, maybe even 5mm spacers.
with the 225-50 on there, the clearance in the picture added, is also about the clearance from the strut post itself. I didnt measure it, but I cannot get a pencil to fit between either top or side.
whew, dodged a bullet there lol
not saying 245 wont fit, as I know some are using them, just not with these rims due to their offset.
I will say the HHR looks 150 times better with these rims over the others I had on there.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...222da2e5aa.jpg


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...1a5877afa3.jpg


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...84281abffd.jpg

gotta love pollen season when your house is surrounded by Oak and Maple trees.....