Anybody out there have opinions on a 185/70 X 15 tire? A little taller but the same width as the 185/65 x 15 that are commonly used on Speedsters.
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My next tire will be that size. With a little luck that will correct the 4 MPH overage I currently have with the 24.5 inch tires. For those of you who do not realize - for every hour driven I have 4 miles inaccurately added to my odometer. Keep that in mind if I ever sell my car! <insert cheesy grin>
Besides fixing Rusty's speedometer issue, approximately what kind of rpm difference would you see at 70mph between the 185/65 and the 185/70 tires? The 70s are a 9.25cm taller tire.
As far as I know there aren't a lot of choices in that size, Troy; Tirerack only shows the Pirelli P6000 and it's expensive ($197.30 a tire; that's what you get when it's oe on Porsches). 1010 Tire doesn't have anything. I believe Vredestein makes that size, but I don't think it's cheap either. You'll have to watch on the front, as a lower car could have clearance problems (why Cal Look bug owners went to 135's and 145's when dumping the front ends of their cars ).
You'll also find that after being used to lower profile rubber you may not like the sidewall movement (and poorer handling) of a taller tire. Al
PS- I dont' think you're going to see more than 150 or 200rpm difference at 70mph.
http://calc.teammfactory.com/i...26+2&trannytype=
As someone below said, it's not much more than 100rpm.
Approximately 200 rpm difference. Seems the only tires out there are the Perelli P6000 at $200+ a tire.
Here's a calculator Troy. Enter the fields that you know and click on the field you want the calculator to compute. You may have to Google what the tire diameter is on a certain tire. Disregard, here's a chart showing tire diameters: http://www.jekylhyderacing.com/HeightofTires.htm
The calculator will tell you the rpm.
http://www.advanced-ev.com/Calculators/TireSize/
So for a 185/65 15 tire with a 3.88 rear end the rpm at 75 miles per hour is 3996. The rpm for a 185/70 15 tire at 75 mph is 3880, or 116 rpm slower. The chart I included didn't list the 185/70 size (not a common size) but I found it somewhere else.
All very helpful. Thanks guys. As it turns out, like Al mentioned, Pirelli P4s don't come in a 185/70 size. Too bad.
Look at 195x65 if you have 5.5 rims. It's as close as you can get to stock height in a wider tire.
Those would be about 1/2" wider and 1/2" taller than the 185/65. Might just work.
I'll have to see if I have enough room in the fender wells for 195's. Doubtful.
185 x 60 x 15 tires on 15 x 5.5 inch wheels baby! I scoff at speedo and tach accuracy! 
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Troy, why Pirelli P4's. I tried them and one of my local road events I realized that that are supper hard and not suited for aggressive touring. Look at the Vredestein's mentioned earlier. If for your car look at either the Sprint Classic wide tread that come in 185/70 and 175/70. They are a Summer tire with soft tread and they look the part. Or if you want a modern tire look, run what I have- Vredestein Sport Trac 5 summer performance. Vreds are harder to find but they're out there. Shop around prices vary.
http://www.vredestein.com/car-...print-classic/sizes/
http://www.vredestein.com/car-...er/sportrac-5/sizes/
Just posting so I can stay linked to this interesting thread.
Cheep sticky tire.
https://www.onlinetires.com/pr...platinum+91v+bw.html
It's no Pirelli and when you get close to the wear mark the wear is a bit uneven, but at that point its time for new tires anyways. Had a set on a MK IV GTI with Cup Suspension and driven extremely hard in corners. Way better grip than Dunlop and BF. Bought them as cheep and round and found to be a pretty good performer. Just my 2 cents.
P.S. Link is not to a recommended or not recommended seller. Just a link for example.
What is your opinion on these? If they will fit then they are 25" diameter tires plus they give you the added security of run flats.
That looks like your Achilles Heal. Tires are like shoe's. Get the best you can afford.
Rusty, you drive an IM. You don't need an ALL season Tire in CA.
http://www.vulcantire.com/tire..._classic_t.htm_10828
Look how cool these things look on this Ghia.
Just a note, guys- run flats come with a bit of a weight penalty; they're typically 3 or 4 lbs. heavier than a regular tire of the same size.
ALB posted:Just a note, guys- run flats come with a bit of a weight penalty; they're typically 3 or 4 lbs. heavier than a regular tire of the same size.
I was wondering about that. I only have a 1/4 inch between my rear fender well and tire now so I'm pretty sure the 195's are out. I'll have to look at the Sprint Classics I suppose. Not an easy tire to find.
Marty Grzynkowicz posted:Rusty, you drive an IM. You don't need an ALL season Tire in CA.
http://www.vulcantire.com/tire..._classic_t.htm_10828
Look how cool these things look on this Ghia.
They do look nice Marty.
I had run-flats on my 2006 Mini Cooper S and they SUCK. 
I would avoid, like the plague, any tire that has the word 'run-flat' in its description.
The rear on that Ghia looks fine, but the front end looks weird. Way too high.
These seem like a more logical choice than the 185 65 if you are going from a 165 r 15 if you want some more tread. No real speedo issues. But no reduction in side wall height. Anyone running this?
Ron O posted:I had run-flats on my 2006 Mini Cooper S and they SUCK.
I would avoid, like the plague, any tire that has the word 'run-flat' in its description.
The rear on that Ghia looks fine, but the front end looks weird. Way too high.
Yeah, run-flats are not typically "performance" tires. As I mentioned earlier, they add unnecessary weight (further degrading your car's handling) as well. And I agree with you Ron, that Ghia needs an attitude adjustment.
Paul- The slight difference in speedometer (and odometer) readings is so small (2%?) that it's not really noticeable. But the 185/65's get your car a little closer to the ground, are cheaper and handle better.... Al