That would completely depend on your vehicle, Garrett. If 215/40/R17 is your OEM size then going to 225/50/R17 is going to cause some issues for your. The taller and wider tire may minutely reduce road harshness but it will most definitely decrease your handling, cornering and turning responsiveness. Not a good trade off.

your best of running 215/50 17" front and 225/50 17" rear.

You forgot to list the year make and model of your car so we could look at what wheels actually will fit. If you jump to a 225 - 50 -17 your speedometer will read 4 -5 MPH slow.

On your wheels? Sure. On your car? Maybe not. The size you are referring to is the profile. A 50 is 50% as tall as the width of the tread. It might rub.

I have a set of Konig Illusion 17" wheels that need a set of new tires before I put them back on my car. The current tires, or the tires the wheels came with, measure 215/40/R17. Before I buy the exact same tires, I want to see if I can run a 225/50/R17 measurement to get more meat on the tire so going over bumps isn't such a nightmare. So my question is: Is it possible to run 225/50/R17 tires on my wheels without any problems?