Tire profile and ride quality

[Grover]

I'm currently running 195/55/15's but they are causing some rubbing in the inner fender wells during sharp corners due to my lowered ride height. I'm thinking that 195/50's could work but 195/45's would be even better from a clearance standpoint. However, is the ride quality going to be significantly harsher with the 45's than with 50's? I know this is a subjective question, but figured it was worth asking. PS: I'll be selling the 195/55's with only about 2,000 miles of use on them in the near future if anyone is interested.

[Beaner7102]

195/50 is closest diameter to stock. you could go 195/45 for a smaller diameter, but the width is the same, so it may still rub. Often different brands of the same width will rub less due to different designs. Beaner7102

[c.d.iesel]

install 185/60x14" and be done with it

no worries mate.

iF YOU INSIST on driving with 55, 50, 45 series tires

- buy a 'new' car -

[Guest Anonymous]

Used to have 15" Panasports with 195/55/15's. Went straight to that setup from stock 13" wheels. The 15's made me feel glued to the road - I never had any hesitation about dumping it into corners a 2x recommended speed limit. Problem was it POUNDED the sh*t out of the car and myself. Doors became difficult to close, everything felt like it was being rattled loose. Also should state I have Bilstien HD's, Sway bars, strut brace, H&R springs, so it was tight all around. Went down to 14" inch wheels and noticed a definite ride improvement with 185/65/14's (wanted accuracy in speedo). Switched to 195/60/14's a year ago and while I appreciate the bigger footprint for cornering, I'll probably go back to 185/65/14's on the next set. The acceleration was a bit improved, handling more nimble with and the ride was a bit cushier.

Good Luck

[Senna27]

I've got 195/50/15's Bridgestone S03's, Koni shocks (fronts are adjustable), Eibach springs, Turbo front bar, Dinan adjustable rear bar and yes, it's not the cushiest ride but that's not what I'm after.

I did roll the fender lips when I did the restoration so there's no rubbing issues. My speedo is 100% accurate with the stock 4 speed and diff. We'll see what happens when I put the 5 speed and LSD in this spring.

[NickVyse]

I'm currently running 195/55/15's but they are causing some rubbing in the inner fender wells during sharp corners due to my lowered ride height. I'm thinking that 195/50's could work but 195/45's would be even better from a clearance standpoint. However, is the ride quality going to be significantly harsher with the 45's than with 50's? I know this is a subjective question, but figured it was worth asking. PS: I'll be selling the 195/55's with only about 2,000 miles of use on them in the near future if anyone is interested.

Hi Grover,

I had 195x45 15's and moved up to 195x50's. Ironically I'd really like to try 195x55's to see if it's a better compromise between the added grip and ride quality. The 45's were definetly more 'crashy' and actually looked a bit crap too, IMO. Get your car over to the south of France and we'll swap wheels for a few days!

Where are they rubbing? I didn't roll my arches and have et24 e30 alloys - not even a hint of rubbing, but you can feel it's close.

If I still had relatively stock Tii power I'd agree with CD and go no larger than 185x60 14's - much better compromise for road work, but of course that also depends on what your roads are like.

Nick