Tire upgrade 165Rx15 to 195/60x15

I'm thinking about changing the stock tires on my Vintage Speedster from 165rx15 to 195/60x15. Has anyone done this, or upgraded to a different size? Are there any problems? The 195/60x15 tire is basically the same diameter as the stock tire but it's approximately 1" to 1-1/2" wider depending on which tire manufacture you choose and will fit on a 5-1/2" rim.
Thank's for any advice.

Eddie (aka Hogbody)

I understand 195's are used on flared Speedsters, you might have problems with those fitting under the fenderwells of a regular Speedster body.

I have them on a CMC. Check your rear fender to tire clearance, this is a problem w/CMC's. I used Spyder rear wheels and have more clearance than I had w/165's. Other than the potential rear clearance they fit - on both ends

I am pretty sure the 185s are your best bet. The 195s will either rub or not fit into the well on a classic Speedster. Dunlop A2s are a good buy.

I have 195s on my non-flared Vintage no problems.

Paul
What brand of 195's do you have? Looking at the different tire specs, some are a little wider than others.
Thanks, Eddie

Paul, I bow to the fastest Speedster in the SOC. Your baby needs 195s.

Dbl Post

Remember that 205-5 (wide-5) rims give you less clearance to the arches than 130-4 rims due to their lower offset.

(Unless you specifically buy a set of wide-5 rims with additional offset. CSP in europe sell them and it sounds like these 'spyder' wheels a US vendor sells are similarly spec'd)

I'm running 195/60 R15 tyres on my standard bodied IRS chesil with CSP high-offset wide-5 wheels.

I have a CMC wide body and run 235 60 on the rear and 215 60 on the front on slightly wider rims.
I have no clearance problems and it looks as if I can still drop the suspension a good bit without rub.

Tony

Dunlop. Not expensive either. I have one set on my chromies and one set on my eight-spoke mags.

I believe John leader had 195?60/15's Pirelli 400 tourings on his previous black car and man did they look great but he had 5-1/2x15 wide 5's. Check out his car in files.

Another option in the 195s are the Bridgestone RE950s, a High Performance All Season tire. I have them and they give a good ride, have a good grip, feel good in the rain, have very little wear after 8,000 miles, and are highly rated in a Tire Rack comparison.

Thank's guy's.
I just ordered the tires.....Bridgestone Potenza Goo9... 195/60HR15
from Costco $70.00 each mounted and balanced. They'll be here next Wednesday.
But now I'm a little bit nervous whether they will fit the Vintage Speedster. Ive measured and measured and I know the rear tires are going to be close. Is there a diference in the offset for 5-1/2x15 four lug (which I have) vs 5-1/2x15 five lug?

I guess I could grind off a little of the inside of the rear fenders
if it's to close.

Eddie

Eddie,

repost of information from an old thread:

5.5" 5-205 ET 15
5.5" 4-130 ET 25

4.5" 5-205 ET 25
4.5" 4-130 ET 34


I run a special order 5.5" 5-205 ET 25 wheel.

Get out the grinder.

They fit.......I put the tires on today. What a difference, not only in the looks but the ride and handleing.I have about 3/8" clearance on the passenger side and about 1/2" clearance on the drivers side rear fenders. Took it through a few curves and dips, NO TIRE RUB.
Thanks everyone for the info.
Eddie

John Steele (JPS) told me that he could easily fit 195's on Speedsters with swing-axles, but only 185's on IRS cars.

Glad they fit!

Greg
It sounds like you like them as much as I like them.
The look is unbelievable and the ride and handleing are so much better than the 165's.
I ended up getting the Bridgestone Potenza 195x60/15 RE950's instead of the G009's only because they delivered the RE950's instead of the G009's and I talked Costco into selling them to me for the same price as the G009's. They're basically the same tire just a little bit different tread design.
I haven't had mine up that fast............yet. but right now I am
running 28 pounds in the rear and 24 pounds in the front.Right now that feels good but I might experiment a little. Again I haven't had mine over 70mph with new tires. I wish I could say the only thing that felt unstable was my hair but I dont have any hair left (he he).
Eddie

You're a funny guy Eddie! I think running 24 front and 28 rear will give you a much more comfortable ride on the street.The tire shop had it at 38 front and 40 rear when I picked up the car and I felt every bump hitting every bone in my body on the road...(Not a very good feeling.) And so when I took it down to 28 front and 30 rear the ride was like day and night! However it seems almost everyone I talked to feel 24/28 would work the best all the way around. I will test it and let you know.BTW,like you I don't have lots of hair so I was quite surprised when the little hair I had left started flying around at 100 mph...I guess if the windshield was a bit higher or if I wore a motorcycle helmet I probably wouldn't have that problem right? But then that will take all the fun out of driving this Vintage right? Cheers!

Just added the final touch to my Speedster today by putting on a set of new Bridgestone Potenza G009 195/60HR15. (Replaced the skimpy 165R15's that came with the car...I will sell these very cheap to anyone interested.Only 600 miles new.E-mail me if interested.) and took it up to 100 mph on the freeway and the only unstable thing that I felt was my hair flying all over the place.Hee-Haw!LOL! Even with these wider tires the Vintage look was still preserved.

Thanks Eddie for posting this awesome upgrade idea on the Forum!It was worth every cent of the $ 275 I spent for these 4 tires! By the way Eddie what tire pressure are you running? I experimented and found 28 lbs in the front and 30 lbs. in the rear to work best all around for the ride and handling...Do you or does anyone on this great Forum have better numbers that I can try? Let me know.Thanks again! Highway 1 here I come this weekend! (Weather permits of course...)