2007 Kia Optima Larger tires on same rim

Hi there,

My car came with P215/50/17 tires on alloy rims. This is a low profile tire, looks sexy but a bad idea. I live in the Northeast and in the last couple of winters the potholes are terrible and because the aspect ratio is 50, the tire does not have sufficient cushioning to absorb the impact and the rims get damaged which is very expensive to repair. I went to a tire place to ask to mount P215/65/17 tires on these rims and they refused. The only argument they had was that the larger front wheels may rub against the body during turns but there is at least 3-4 inch clearance right now, so why would this be a problem? I personally wonder if the car handling may be compromised. What do you think?

Thanks.