205/45 r17 doesn’t fit 7” rim??

Hey all,
So I just bought some potenza re71rs, because everyone in my autox is running them, in a 205/45r17 to throw on my team dynamics pro race 3 17x7 and I went to two tire shops and they dont fit. On my car rn are the dunlop direzza 215/40r17 Im confused because the tire shops said its to small for the rim. Like they let me back to see and the tire when they were trying to inflate it just wouldn’t contact the outside of the rim in one spot. That doesnt seem to make sense to me since they are rated to go up to 7.5” width. Im just so confused about this whole situation and was deciding between the 205s v 215s because of fitment. I chose wrong apperantly but like now I have no choice but to get the 215s. Apologies for so stream of conscience and appreciate any insight as to why putting 205s on wouldn’t work.

The OEM wheel is 7" wide and and a 205/40R17 is the OEM tire size. There's really no reason why a 205/45R17 wouldn't fit. Maybe incompetent tire installer?

Probably didn’t want to mess with low profile tires. Take it somewhere else

yep. get a new tire shop, their either crazy liars, or crazy incompetent. i'm running a 205 on a 7.5 rim and none of the 4 tire shops i've worked with have ever batted an eye.

Depending on availability in your area. Try to find a shop that works on stance car 3 piece wheels. I go to a local shop to put 205 tires on my 8" wide wheels and they tell me my setup is cake compared to some of the massive stretches they do for other cars. Plus you get the added benefit that they take care of your wheels better.

Especially not an autocross/road course one with super stiff side walls.

The RE71RSes have a notoriously narrow tread width for any given size, but there is NO REASON, save for a fully defective tire/bead that they should not go onto a 7" rim.

Maybe they were afraid of scratching/messing up the overly large outer lip of the Pro Race 1.3s during installation??

Thanks for the replies! I knew I wasn’t crazy. I guess cause I brought it two different places I thought they both can’t be wrong, but whatever aha. Tire racks returns are so on top of it though ups already picked them up to get returned and refunded but it feels crazy ordering the same tire over again. Thinking I will just go up to the 215s. And maybe find a better ahop in the meantime. Am open to any suggestions on if I should just re order or get a different tire entirely? I historically have had bad luck with tires.

Yes, others on here have had no problem whatsoever (like WannabeST above) with shops putting a 205/50 or 205/45 on an 8" wide wheel.

I, on the other hand could not find a place willing to do this.

Until I went to the local (for me at that time, when I lived on the other side of the Delaware) tuner shop, and they did not hesitate at all, albeit they charged me almost twice what the more general populace type tire stores were for the same exact service.

Go to the part of Tire Rack's website to find one of their authorized installers in your area. You can have the tires shipped directly to the installer or take them there yourself.

Also you can talk to someone at Tire Rack and tell them what happened with shops not being able to mount the tire.

Tire Rack will step in to help/suggest a shop for a scenario like Dunjor's above, but they will NOT help (nor 'order' said shop to install) if the wheel is even a HALF INCH wider than what the tire manufacturer lists as the widest wheel their given size tire can be mounted onto.

Never implied that they would. But he had installers reject a tire and rim combination that is in the manufacturer's recommended range.

Yes, I know.

I was just alerting anyone else who also ran into the even tiny bit out of range width wheel problem like I did.

Other similar stories here:
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/mounting-issue-with-bridgestone-re-71rs/258521/page1/