Smart with 175's all around

[jonnysan]

Here's some pictures I've taken of my car with the 5.5" wheels with Continental 175-55R-15 tires mounted all around. I think they fit perfectly and I'm happy with the way they feel on the car, having tried both sizes now.

[Smartdavis]

They look great! Do you notice any effect on mpg yet?

[RussBarnes]

Thanks for the pix. Now does anyone want to sell me a pair of rears? Except I am leaning toward some 2.05's.

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by Smartdavis

They look great! Do you notice any effect on mpg yet?

Too soon to tell but once I see the trend, I'll report it here. I personally don't think it is going to make too much difference. I feel if I lose alittle in mileage, I'll regain that in tire mileage.....a win-win, really.

John

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by RussBarnes

Thanks for the pix. Now does anyone want to sell me a pair of rears? Except I am leaning toward some 2.05's.

That 195's were the limit insofar as tire clearance in the front was concerned and they definitely will stick out beyond fender flares and spray the side of the car with road debris. Maybe something Fred posted...not sure.
175's, IMHO, are enough tire for this car and they look like they belong on there.

[SmartDigger]

will the 175 fit on the stock front rims?

[RussBarnes]

John,

Didn't say I wasn't going to use flares. And checking clearance, at least inside, looks like a lot of room. I want the 205's for the bigger balloon and therefore even a better ride. And on the stock width rear rims the section width doesn't grow proportionately as much. Same O.D. so I have a pretty good feel that this should work. I never planned on OE tires they are always a poor choice......

[Old smart]

Originally Posted by SmartDigger

will the 175 fit on the stock front rims?

The Tire Rack calls for a nominal rim width of 5.5", with a range of 5" to 6". The front rims are 4.5" and the rears are 5.5".

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by SmartDigger

will the 175 fit on the stock front rims?

But I've not tried it. The wheel seems too narrow for them...may not get proper bead embedding as they could be at an angle to the bead on the wheel. I chose to use the 5.5" wheel as that is the same as the one on the rear and offered the best way to enable rotating the tires and not getting involved with any quirky disimilarities other than the very slight offset difference. (.060"=1.5mm)

Russ...you're going to go whole hog then, huh, with the fender flares and all. I had to do that on my Sunbeam Tiger to get adequate tire for the power of the car...but that was an almost 300hp V-8 engine there.....certainly alot more power being transferred to the wheels than the smart. BTW, Russ, the OD of both the stock 175's and the stock 155's was 22.5". That 2+ inches of side wall sure is nice insurance to have around here with these damned pot holes everywhere....

John

[Old smart]

Originally Posted by RussBarnes

... I want the 205's for the bigger balloon and therefore even a better ride. ...

I don't think you will get a better ride out of 205s - wider balloons maybe, but much stiffer sidewall balloons.

Some time ago my Caterham Seven came with 195/50s on optional 15" Lotus "Prisoner" rims. The 1200# car just didn't feel right; its handling at the limit was ponderous and unpredictable; and, it hydroplaned readily. I quickly changed to 185/60s on on 14" Minilite roadsport wheels and things improved immeasurably. The car would "telegraph" what it was going to do and when, and the hydroplaning was much diminished. When I finally went racing with it we went down again to 13" x 6" mag Minilites.

I wouldn't give up proper handling for heroic looks.