5.5" or 6" rim?

[John Carson]

I have read that you can put 185/60R15's on rear wheels and use them up front. I believe it was Russ Barnes that has done this successfully. My question is, has anyone done it using 6" Rial wheels? Would this have any ill effects on the overall tire width at the top of the tire where it meets the fender well? Russ has stated that the 185's have left a small mark on his fender wells. I just want to be sure that there would be no problems. Once you buy them there yours,rub or not. Thanks for any and all imput. John

[RussBarnes]

John, "the small mark" has spread, but still isn't real deep and blends in so it isn't as noticeable. Maybe it's the front suspension settling. Of course after 30k I might need new fenders, but since the price for them isn't bad to me it would be worth the tremendous improvement in ride and handling. Remember to all who try this, we are going against the original design and while no one has reported any bad handling, there was a reason MB did the small tire thing.

[John Carson]

Russ thanks for the quick responce. With the Rials being wider and some uncertainty about the offsets being different, I think I'll have to give up on the 185's. The next best option seems to be 195/50R15's. How does one know which tire has the softest sidewall?

[donnyonee]

basicly your selection is what offered, very little. im running 175/195 on 4 stock 5.5" wheels

[rfernatt]

My guess would be to stay away from performance oriented tires for softer sidewalls. I'm running 195/50 all-season Yokohamas and have been very pleased.

[John Carson]

rfernatt.....What size and make rims and which yokahma tire specifically . I can't afford mistakes here so I would really appreciate your input. Thanks

[rfernatt]

Originally Posted by John Carson

rfernatt.....What size and make rims and which yokahma tire specifically . I can't afford mistakes here so I would really appreciate your input. Thanks

You may want to get some other feedback for a more balanced perspective, but I'm running Rial 15x6 with Yokohama AVID T4 195/50 all-season tires. I need all-season and wouldn't even try summer performance tires, although there are many more choices in that category.

I bought the rims, tires, TPMS sensors, and had everything mounted, balanced, and ready to go once they arrived from Tire Rack. Total cost with shipping was about $975. I sold the stock rims for around $600, so I have about $375 invested in the new setup. Once they arrive, it's just a matter of removing the old rims/tires and bolting on the new ones. You don't even need to visit a shop if you can jack up the car.

[John Carson]

Was just passing a smart dealer so I decided to price out 2 stock rear Passion 9 spoke rims for my 2009 smart. Thought that this might be cheaper than getting a whole set from Tirerack. Well was I shocked. Canadian dollars $375.40 each. After I stopped laughing the guy asked what was wrong. I simply said that I wasn't buying shares in the dealership, I just wanted a stock rim for the smart. He said, with a little sarcasism, Well they come from Mercedes in Germany you know. I wasn't about to get into an argument with the jerk , so I just rolled my eyes and left the building. So two rims wouldn't be a bargain, when I can get a complete set from Tirerack for $200.00 less , duty , exchange on the dollar, all taxes and everything else including the brokerage fee and delivery. I like them even more now and I'll use the stock rims to mount a set of snows.

[GHammerly]

The OEM's are crazy with their wheel pricing, I know VW, Honda and Mazda have unreasonable prices for their aluminum wheels.
The smart steel wheel where a little more reasonable at 80 and 88 dollars ea.
The Rials at Tire Rack are a good deal, for a little more Genius has even nicer ones.

[smart fortimo]

Can you mount 195/50R15 on rear OE wheels on all four corners without any rubbing or other issues?