225/50 tires on 16x7 A4 rims?

[ejfluhr@austin.ibm.com (Fluhr)]

Recently, my father noticed some vibration with his '97 A4.  He checked
the tires, expecting to have thrown a wheel weight.  As it turns out,
three out of four of his tires have unnatural bulges in them.  So, it
looks like he will be replacing the tires fairly soon.  

He doesn't like the fact that the 205/55-16 stock tires do not stick
out beyond the rim...feels it leaves the rim susceptible to damage
from curbs and such.  He wanted to go to a 215 size, but the next
closest diameter would be 225/50.  Can a 225/50 fit on a 16x7" rim,
or does it need a 7.5" width?

As for performance (based on sidewall flex vs. extra tire width),
is a 225/50 significantly better than a 205/55 on a 7" rim?

Thanks,
Eric
'85 CGT, '82 urq
---
Eric J. Fluhr                                Email:  ejfluhr@austin.ibm.com
630FP Logic/Circuit Design                   Phone:  (512) 838-7589
IBM Server Group                             Austin, TX