About my new tires (incorrect tire size)

[Jon_P]

Just bought some new 195/55/15 Goodyear Eagle Authority tires for the rears.
Car drives OK as long as I do not make any sudden turns.

On my way home I was driving on the right hand side of the freeway and was on a two lane overpass that has a mild sharp left turn to it. The car started to act really strange as if the rear wheels locked. I was only doing about 45MPH when this happened then slowed down to gain control of the vehicle which nearly caused me to run into the concrete barrier.

I slowly drove the Smart back to where the tires where mounted and they ensured me there is no rubbing. They refused to mount the old tires back as one was very worn out on the sidewall. They also had no other tires for this car so I can get home.


So what is causing this feeling like the rear wheels are locking up on turns with this size tires on the rear? It also does it when I quickly turn hard to the left and right (zig zag). Never did this with old 175/55/15" tires.

Also I noticed the car drives like the tires are made of Jello, I can really feel the car moving around like it wants to fishtail on me. It really is an uncomfortable ride when the wind picks up or a tractor trailer passes by.

[BARNEY O]

You have to much tire diameter difference from front to back now... The ESP system becomes unhappy and tries to even up the 4 corners...
You will need to put some larger tires on front now...

[a2jack]

Barney's right, and remember you are right on the edge as max tire size goes.

Here is a post from the Wheels and Tires forum this list.

175 55 = 22.6
195 55 = 23.4
A2Jack

[BARNEY O]

Originally Posted by a2jack

Barney's right, and remember you are right on the edge as max tire size goes.

Here is a post from the Wheels and Tires forum this list.

175 55 = 22.6
195 55 = 23.4
A2Jack

And, he probably has the 155's on the front...... makes for one unhappy car...

[Padawan]

As others have mentioned, the tire shop sold you the wrong tires for your application.

If no one stocks 175/55-15 sizes locally, you can order some:

Our selection of 175/55 R15 - tires-easy.com

Tire Search Results

Tire Products - Discount Tire Direct

[jwight]

I'm surprised with that setup you can get more than a couple of blocks before the car goes into "limp home" mode. The tire shop sold you the wrong size tires - their job to get you the correct size or start answering letters from your lawyer, IMHO.

[Brabus007]

You would have been good to go if the tires were 195\50\15's on the stock 5 1/2" wide rear rims... As been stated so many times on this website...

Note: I'm currently running 195\50\15's on my new 7" wide rims with no rubbing anywhere on all 4 corners... Also I would add that is the MAX rated rim width for 195\50\15's...

[deepblueQ]

To get around until it's fixed, pull fuse 11. Beware, though, when you do that you lose all the electronic nanny-ware... ABS, TCS, ESC, creep, hill-hold, brake boost, the works...

[BB Benz]

Originally Posted by deepblueQ

To get around until it's fixed, pull fuse 11. Beware, though, when you do that you lose all the electronic nanny-ware... ABS, TCS, ESC, creep, hill-hold, brake boost, the works...

In other words it is a manually induced Creep Home Mode. Not recommended for most of us. Perform at your own risk.

[jwight]

Originally Posted by jwight

I'm surprised with that setup you can get more than a couple of blocks before the car goes into "limp home" mode. The tire shop sold you the wrong size tires - their job to get you the correct size or start answering letters from your lawyer, IMHO.

PS: your link goes to Walmart; if that's where you got the tires, the Walmart site "tire finder" shows 175/55R15 77T as the size for the rear of a smart. Either they didn't bother checking or just wanted to make a sale at any cost.