so I am considering the next steps of my upgrade to the envemo super 90. would like to change the old 165 R 15 for 185 65's. correct me if I am wrong, but this will gain about 3/4 of an inch or 20mm of thread width. Getting these under the front is not an issue...the back I am concerned about before I order a set. Currently I have aproximately 25mm from the side wall of the tire to the fender lip. what are the thoughts out there? does this size tire bulge out much?
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Here's what it looks like out back currently. 
Yes, they will add 3/4" width, and along with the slight height reduction (and lower aspect ratio) will give the car a more sure footed feel. A tire only bulges if it's on a narrow rim (for it's size). On a 5 1/2 or 6" rim it shouldn't bulge much (specs call for a 5-6 1/2" rim for that size). Also, a tire with a shorter aspect ratio doesn't generally bulge as much as a taller tire. You'll only be adding 3/8" to the fender lip side, so if you have 1" clearance now it should be alright.
thanks ALB. that's what I was thinking....I have about an inch currently so I was thinking I should be ok. any brand tires you can recommend or ones I should stay away from?
You're on your own there, Paul. And just call me Al (come on; you know the tune...
).
Oh- I do remember someone here saying that the Pirelli P3's were rather hard- great if you're looking for a million or so miles out of them, but not the best for handling. Al
What's the width of your rims? I wouldn't mount a 185/65 tire on anything less than a 5.0" wide rim. You can stuff a 185mm tire on a 4.5" rim, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Also, what's rim's offset? More offset is better, when looking for fender clearance.
When I wanted to upgrade from 165s to 195s on my IM I bought one used 195 for $20 and had my tire shop mount it on one of my rims. I then mounted the 195 on the front and then on the back, checking for fender clearance.
My mistake was not mounting the 195 on BOTH sides in the rear. The 195 cleared the rear driver's side and I thought the passenger rear would be the same, but it wasn't. I found out, after buying a set of 195mm tires than the tire rubbed slightly on the passenger side rear fender.
I ended up having to trade in the new 195s on a set of 185s.
Lesson learned. 
As for tires, I'd recommend these two from The Tire Rack:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...ter=17&zip-code=
I'd also recommend the Falken ZIEX ZE950 AS
http://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Falken/Ziex+ZE950+AS
they are 5.5 width factory 911 rims...the back spacing is 5" which is a 1/2 inch off from the original 4 lug mangles I had on it which were 4 1/2 back spaced. I added a 1/2 spacer up front to get the stance back the way it was ( it looked kind of funny initially) and a 1/4 inch spacer at the back so the hubcaps would clear the castle nuts.
what was that first recco Ron? the tire rack site dumps me to all the tire choices.
5 inches of backspacing on a 5.5 inch rim gives you an offset of 44mm, which is a nice fit on our cars.
Click on the Tire Rack link, then use the 'Filter by' on the left hand side. Click on Performance Category and then click on High Performance all season.
