OEM rears on OEM front wheels?

kannonvaggon · 10-27-2009, 03:01 PM

I've seen all kinds of combos are done these days. Not so much whimpering as a year ago... ;-)

So, I would like to run all OEM REAR tires if possible without changing the front WHEELS out.... mostly to save money and maybe get a slightly better ride quality?

Are folks doing this successfully or do ya have to swap out the front wheels to the larger wheel size?
Does this eat fuel in a major way or not?

If ya go to the larger wheel size on the front , are there softer riding tires available in a better size than the OEM rears??

We have 15,000 on the Cabrio and another 3,000 with it being towed without issue. I would just like to have ONE size tire and maybe carry a spare just fer grins. I wish the factory would give an option for tires with a higher sidewall profile that would give a bit of ground clearance and ride a bit better maybe. I dunno ....

We did get one flat tire due to puncture. I plugged it with a motorcycle type mushroom plug and it's gone almost a year now without any further leakage or problems. I wouldn't mind carrying a spare whelel and tire in the motor coach though, cuz I don't want to be caught out in the middle of nowhere with a shredded tire or broken rim on the toad and nowhere to get one...

I'm startin to turn into a geezer.... I can FEEL it ....

WhiteNBlack08 · 10-27-2009, 03:40 PM

Several people have done it, but be warned, the rim width is just below what's recommended for that tire size. May or may not cause an issue. But yes, it has been done.

Old smart · 10-27-2009, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kannonvaggon

... So, I would like to run all OEM REAR tires if possible without changing the front WHEELS out.... ...

Bum thought. The OEM 175mm rears are not specified to be mounted on 4.5J rims (Continental Tire actually knows what they are doing). The 175s, if used on the front (ala Euro smart pulse), should be run at 26 psi on 5.0J+s, but with a too-narrow rim, it may lead to breaking a bead seal or rolling a tire in a fast, tight turn - a most inoppurtune time.

**rfernatt** · 10-27-2009, 04:28 PM

Others have done it, but as Old smart and WhiteNBlack08 say, it's not recommended. I went with 15x6 Rials and 195/50 tires all the way around. IMHO, they provide better ride, handling, looks, the ability to rotate, and an easy to find tire size when traveling.

klock55 · 10-27-2009, 04:33 PM

I have had no issues and don't expect any. I put the same size on front as on rear with oem front wheels. The car handles better and rides better. Your mileage may vary.

kannonvaggon · 10-27-2009, 09:01 PM

I was wondering if the wheel size would be factor with the larger tire .... apparently that is so. Oh well. Don't need no troubles, and I have been known to put a bit of G on now and then in the mountains...

I guess I'll look at using all larger wheels.
Is it less expensive to go with a set of 4 aftermarket rims rather than buy a pair of OEM rims? Any other advantage to a particular aftermarket wheel other than "style" ?

Thanks doods.

sato7 · 10-27-2009, 10:07 PM

Kannon, you can sell one of your front tires and the wheel minus the tpms sensor to offset the price of the new rim and tires. you can also buy used OEM rear tire,wheel,tpms combo off of someone that is wanting to trade up into the custom wheels. Or you could sell your 4 and buy 4 aftermarket rims with nice wide 195s all around... remember that lots of new smart owners may want your old rims to have a winter "set". PM me if you need more info, I've done the whole OEM rears up front, then sold of the whole lot and now run Genius 6.5x15s all around..

Brabus007 · 10-28-2009, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old smart

Bum thought. The OEM 175mm rears are not specified to be mounted on 4.5J rims (Continental Tire actually knows what they are doing). The 175s, if used on the front (ala Euro smart pulse), should be run at 26 psi on 5.0J+s, but with a too-narrow rim, it may lead to breaking a bead seal or rolling a tire in a fast, tight turn - a most inoppurtune time.

4 1/2" OEM front is below the narrowest width rim rated for a 175 size tire...

**rfernatt** · 10-28-2009, 06:16 AM

I agree with sato7. You can likely sell all four old rims or just the front ones to offset a large portion of the upgrade cost. I sold all four of my OEM rims/tires with TPMS and ended up paying a little over $300 for the set of new 15x6 Rials, 195/50 Yokohama AVID all season tires, and new TPMS sensors. That included, mounting, balancing, TPMS installation and shipping. All I had to do was slap them on the car.

SmartDigger · 10-28-2009, 05:53 PM

The rears sell fast. the fronts seem to last a bit longer. I have a set of fronts for sale if anyone is looking