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195 55 15 Tyres


Justin99

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I am up for new Tyres (sorry, Aussie spelling!)

 

I currently have195/50/15 with standard height, but higher rate (stiffer) springs.  I am considering purchasing some 195/55/15 tyres to better fill the guards and to gain a little more compliance in the ride on the less than smooth Sydney Roads.

 

I have done several searches but not found much actual feedback.

 

Has anyone run 195/55/15 tyres with a standard height set up without experiencing excessive rubbing? 

 

My left tyre currently scuff the inner guard on a full lock left turn, but I think I can live was this. I also have scuff marks on the rear of the front guards, but I am not sure if that is from a previous owner, when the car had lowered springs. I am concerned that the taller profile 195/55 might rub.

 

I am pretty sure the rears will be ok as previously with the lowered springs the tyres sat inside the guards comfortably without rubbing so at standard height it should be ok.

 

The rims have the standard backspace of 4.5 inch (24mm offset). Guards are standard, unrolled.

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you will probably see some rubbing at full lock on the back of the front wheel wells, but you can add some clearance with a BFH on the spot they hit.

 

as someone pointed out to me before, the 195/55 size is actually closer to the stock wheel diameter than 195/50.  there are several folks running that size. go for it.

2xM3

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Justin, 195/55s are slightly larger than stock so you will get more rubbing on full lock - more than you currently get with the 195/50s.

Your car will also have less acceleration, but a higher top speed (because of the larger diameter). And the speedo will read slower than actual speed e.g. when the speedo reads 100kmh you will be doing 105kmh approx.

 

Ask a real tyre guy (not Bob Janes or Goodyear etc) if another brand has softer sidewalls, they will give a softer ride. 

Also what tyre pressure are you running? Should be no more than 28-30 psi (hot) for city driving.

HTH Beaner7102

Edited by Beaner7102

1971 - 2002 RHD VIN 1653940. Agave (stock with Pertronix & 32/36 Weber) - "Cactus"

1972 - 1602 RHD VIN 1554408. Fjord (with 2L motor, 5spd & LSD - Weber 40/40 to come) - "Bluey"

1984 - E30 318i VIN WBAAK320208722176 - stock daily driver

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Justin, 195/55s are slightly larger than stock so you will get more rubbing on full lock - more than you currently get with the 195/50s.

 

i thought that too until a learned other member pointed me to the actual sizes.  195/55 is closer to stock diameter than 195/50s.  both tires are of course wider than stock. 

 

 

 

Also what tyre pressure are you running? Should be no more than 28-30 psi (hot) for city driving.

 

that is too low unless you are just looking for cushy ride.  

Edited by mlytle

2xM3

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Beaner, you are right the speedo will read different, but I would have thought it would read more accurate to the original spec, as the diameter with 195/55 is closer to the original spec - not that it matters much as I doubt the speedo is that accurate in the first place.

 

I tend to run my tyre pressures around the 28psi (cold) and I suspect when I get the new tyres I will run the pressures a little lower unless I am going on a fast drive - 2002s are very light cars and 195 is a very wide tyre for a car of this vintage/weight Most modern cars run similar pressures with twice the weight on the wheels. Of course I would check the amount of deflection in the tyre before going lower than 28psi

 

The other size I was considering is a 185/60/15, which has about a 10mm larger aspect than the original size, and while the tyre will fit fine on the rim, I suspect it is not the done thing to put a 185 tyre on a 6inch wide 15 inch rim ( I am not into that 'stretch' look I have seen on the Stance thread. It would make the steering a little lighter and might(??) reduce the rubbing of the wheel at full lock.   Would love to know if anyone else has done this, and if it looks ok!

 

Getting a tyre with a softer sidewall is something that has already been suggested by a tyre shop. At the moment I am considering the Bridgestone RE002 which will have a very stiff sidewall, but still trying to work out what I want. I am leaning towards grip over comfort, but don't want to compromise too far on comfort. Car only gets driven a few 1000ks each year so tyre wear is not an issue.

Edited by Justin99
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Should be no problem - michellin xas 185s were actually quite a bit bigger back in the day (Tii fitment) at 625mm in diameter

Nick,

I suspect we are talking about different things but the only '02s that came from the factory with 185s were the turbos, and they were, of course 185/70s. Tii's, like non-tii's, came with 165/80s. Many tii's (and a huge portion of U.S. models of every sort) do appear to have been issued with 165HR13 XAs's. Following are references from the Owner's handbook and a sales brochure.

Regards,

Steve

post-41123-0-45420700-1395870644_thumb.j

post-41123-0-77314300-1395870660_thumb.j

Edited by Conserv

1976 2002 Polaris, 2742541 (original owner)

1973 2002tii Inka, 2762757 (not-the-original owner)

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I thought that too until a learned other member pointed me to the actual sizes.  195/55 is closer to stock diameter than 195/50s.  both tires are of course wider than stock.

 

I will stand corrected thanks to Gliding Serpent's - tire bible page 4.

Stock 165/82/13 tire has a circumference of 1792.06mm **

**Note the 82 profile - that is correct for old tires where no profile size is given, most tire calculators only have 80 profile showing (causing errors in my previous calculations).

195/55/15 has a circumference of 1795.98mm

- a difference of 3.92mm (or gauge says 70mph you are traveling at 70.15)

195/50/15 has a circumference of 1737.17mm

- a difference of 54.89mm (or gauge says 70mph you are traveling at 67.86)

185/60/15 has a circumference of 1818.6mm 

- a difference of 26.54mm (or gauge says 70mph you are traveling at 71.04)

 

Justin, I think 185/60s would be a good choice.

HTH Beaner7102

Edited by Beaner7102

1971 - 2002 RHD VIN 1653940. Agave (stock with Pertronix & 32/36 Weber) - "Cactus"

1972 - 1602 RHD VIN 1554408. Fjord (with 2L motor, 5spd & LSD - Weber 40/40 to come) - "Bluey"

1984 - E30 318i VIN WBAAK320208722176 - stock daily driver

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post-46004-13960911387541_thumb.jpgpost-46004-13960911556508_thumb.jpg

I ended up buying the 185 60 15, with Bridgestone Potenza R080. They fill the guards nicely and are comfy and quiet. They seem pretty grippy too but difficult tell on surburban roads. The steering is much lighter which is nice. I am getting some wheel rub on a full lock left turn, but it did this before with the 195 55 15 tyres so I am not too worried. I suspect it is a worn suspension bushing and or alignment issue.

If only the the tyre shop didn't use the air gun to do the wheel nuts. I needed a 1.5 food breaker just to crack the nuts and loosen them to a more reasonable torque.

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