K-Series Swap Tire Size Options

Jun 22nd 2026

As you may know the 3rd generation Prelude has the record for the lowest hood line of any production front wheel drive car (lower than some mid-engine cars even). Additionaly the sheet metal of the hood dips down in the center.

This causes extra ground clearance challenges if you are K-swapping, compared to other Hondas. Our kit requires removing part of the hood support structure to move the engine up and very close to the hood, providing the best possible clearance with the way the engine is mounted.

One solution for more clearance is simply raising the ride height, but the downside to that is the increased wheel well gap. To counteract the gap you can run tires with a larger outer diameter. This fills out the gap again and also has the benefit of further increasing the ground clearance at the same time.

This is how my 3rd gen sat after I first swapped my B21A for a K20A. I did not increase the ride height or change the tires, I wanted to test drivability at this height:

While I did manage the ~300 mile round trip to Hondafest that year; I also made use of the Prelude Engineering skid plate several times on the freeway. The hits were hard and I certainly would have destroyed the oil pan if I wasn't using the skid plate.

This ride height *might* be viable for going to shows or weekend cars that are used in known-areas with good quality roads, but you are playing with fire if you aren't running the skid plate upgrade. I think it's very much on the "sketchy" end, I don't enjoy driving the car when I have to worry about every little dip or imperfection.

I eventually settled on 205/55R16 tires (same as RSX Type-S). These tires are on the larger end, they filled out the gap, and raised the ride height a notable amount. Here is how the car looked at the next years Hondafest, parked next to other lowered 3rd gens for a visual comparison:

Good news is after this tire + ride height change the drivability of the car completely changed! I've never used the skid plate again, even in the same spots that were an issue the previous year. I've done extensive back road driving as well with no problems.

Now we will go over some tire size options and my opinion on them. These aren't every possible size, just some good options in my view.

IMPORTANT: Keep in mind the K20 vs K24 height difference; the K24 hangs 20mm (~3/4") lower than the K20. So if you are running a K24 you should probably err on the side of the larger OD tires listed below. I would say aim for tires with ~24.5" or larger OD if you have a K24.

14" Wheels
The stock 3rd gen tire size is 195/60R14, this results in a 23.2" outer diameter:

There aren't really any other good options for 14" wheels that I could find, and I think putting any larger tire on 14" wheels would start to look pretty bad anyways.

195/65R14, with a 24" outer diameter:

If you really must stick to 14" wheels then this size will provide more ground clearance. The tire selection is extremely limited and visually there will be a lot of sidewall, I don't think it will look very good. Not a good idea for a K24 IMO, with all the sidewall flex I think you will be much more likely to bottom out.

15" Wheels

Generally, I'd recommend using 16" or 17" wheels with this swap, but here are some 15" options:

205/55R15, with a 23.9" outer diameter:

There are fewer tire selection options with this tire size however it does provide an bit of an increase in ground clearance with 15" wheels. Would probably be enough for a K20 at a reasonable ride height.

195/50R15, with a 24.2" outer diameter :

A little bit more ground clearance than the option above. I don't think I would go with any larger tire on 15" wheels, as it may start to look strange.

205/60R15, with a 24.7" outer diameter:

This would be the "K24 size" tire if you are using 15" wheels. Has a lot of sidewall though.

16" Wheels

205/50R16, with a 24.1" outer diameter:

This size has nearly 1" larger diameter compared to stock. K20 at reasonable ride height should be OK.

195/55R16, with a 24.4" outer diameter:

This is another good option for 16" wheels. It's a little smaller and narrower compared to the 205/55R16 below. I think it might look a bit better and be less likely to rub. I might try it for my next set of tires.

205/55R16, with a 24.9" outer diameter. This is what I am currently running:

This size provides a pretty good increase in diameter, it's about as large as you can go without getting into rubbing issues. Visually it's larger than I would prefer, but the gain in ground clearance is pretty nice. Definitely a good option for the K24.

17" Wheels

215/40R17, with a 23.8" outer diameter.

Provides a little bit more ground clearance compared to stock. Would only try it with a K20.

215/45R17, with an 24.6" outer diameter:

This is a good increase in ground clearance compared to stock. Should be good with a K20 and alright with K24.

205/50R17, with a 25.1" outer diameter:

This size would provide a good safety margin for a K24 but it's really pushing what will fit. My 205/55R16 tires with a 24.9" OD are already pretty much at the limit (it does depend on your ride height and offset). Visually it will look large for the car.

With this size you may need to to do clearancing inside the wheel wells, depending on your ride height.