[Podracer22]

Hi Everyone,

I’m installing all stock rear steel wheels on my smart 08. I believe the rims are 6.5” wide. I plan on widening the ones I will use in the back to 8” which would add an extra inch of lip and half an inch in the inside. My question is, would 205 60 15 in the back pose any fender rubbing or bottoming out? And would 195 55 15 in the front on the 6.5” wide rims rub?

Thank you for your input!

 

[Miss Mercedes]

195/55/15 should work fine up front, but your rear size will not.

I'm not sure if it will rub or not, but the problem that I see is that your tire diameter will have a more than 1-inch or 5% difference between front and rear. If your car's traction control/ESP system is still working then you can expect errors and unexpected traction control engagements.

The system expects tires of equal diameter, with a tiny margin of error. 205/55/15 might work as it's less than an inch taller, but my advice is to get the same size all around. I run 185/60/15 on all four for that cushy sidewall.

 

[Laughing Crow]

I found this webpage to be helpful. I am planning to change my '13 BRABUS' 15" front wheels to 17" and run 205/40/17 all around and pray they don't rub the inner wheel wells at full lock.

Tire Size Comparison

Tire size comparison the easy way. Use our tire size comparison calculator to compare diameter, width, sidewall, circumference and revolutions per mile.

tiresize.com

 

[1983JZR3W]

I found this webpage to be helpful. I am planning to change my '13 BRABUS' 15" front wheels to 17" and run 205/40/17 all around and pray they don't rub the inner wheel wells at full lock.

Tire Size Comparison

Tire size comparison the easy way. Use our tire size comparison calculator to compare diameter, width, sidewall, circumference and revolutions per mile.

tiresize.com

They should not rub at full lock. I have 215/35-17 Hankooks on 7.5x17 Brabus wheels on all four corners. No issues. I did add Eibach wheels spacers just for a more flush look. 20mm in front and 30mm in rear.

 

[Podracer22]

They should not rub at full lock. I have 215/35-17 Hankooks on 7.5x17 Brabus wheels on all four corners. No issues. I did add Eibach wheels spacers just for a more flush look. 20mm in front and 30mm in rear.

You guys gotta post your set up. It sounds like they are nice!

 

[1983JZR3W]

You guys gotta post your set up. It sounds like they are nice!

I just did post my tire/wheel set up just above your last post. There is even a little photo of my car you can click on to see a larger version showing how the wheel spacers changed the stance.

 

[Laughing Crow]

They should not rub at full lock. I have 215/35-17 Hankooks on 7.5x17 Brabus wheels on all four corners. No issues. I did add Eibach wheels spacers just for a more flush look. 20mm in front and 30mm in rear.

Thanks for commenting on your experience. Your car's setup looks great and I imagine handles even better.

 

[1983JZR3W]

Thanks for commenting on your experience. Your car's setup looks great and I imagine handles even better.

Thanks. It does handle fairly well in my opinion. I have had my car 13 years and 17" wheels all around for about 12 years. No issues. I think the factory should have made the 17's stock from new.

 

[mattwithcats]

Rear wheels are 15 X 6.
Front are 4.5, I think...

I have 185/55R15 on all four, with two rear steel wheels on the front.

Rides really nice.

Try "H" speed rated General Altimax RT-43's or AltiMAX™ 365 AW...

AltiMAX™ RT43

The AltiMAX™ RT43 is a long-lasting, all-season touring tire for passenger cars and crossovers. Developed for year-round driving with confident handling in all conditions, this tire comes complete with the Replacement Tire Monitor and Visual Alignment Indicators, which aid in detecting tire wear.

generaltire.com

AltiMAX™ 365AW

The AltiMAX™ 365 AW is a versatile all-weather touring tire for passenger cars and crossovers. Allowing drivers the freedom to drive on one set of tires year-round, this tire carries the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol for severe winter conditions.

generaltire.com

 

[twcom]

My current tire/wheel set up is 185/55 on 15x5 inch wheel front 205/50 on 15x6 inch wheel in rear. I am 215 lbs and have no rub.

So I see no issue with your tire selection. You intent to add a one inch inside lip extension I ask why so wide a wheel for a 205 tire. I have had a 195/60 15 on the rear of my Smart with out issue at that time 195/50 15's were in the front. As for rub of your intended 8 inch wheel, you may create contact inside with this lower piece around the lower shock bolt.

I am very close but since it's a stationary piece if it clears it stays clear.
Just be aware of that piece clearance.

 

[Podracer22]

My current tire/wheel set up is 185/55 on 15x5 inch wheel front 205/50 on 15x6 inch wheel in rear. I am 215 lbs and have no rub. View attachment 70273
So I see no issue with your tire selection. You intent to add a one inch inside lip extension I ask why so wide a wheel for a 205 tire. I have had a 195/60 15 on the rear of my Smart with out issue at that time 195/50 15's were in the front. As for rub of your intended 8 inch wheel, you may create contact inside with this lower piece around the lower shock bolt. View attachment 70274
I am very close but since it's a stationary piece if it clears it stays clear.
Just be aware of that piece clearance.

Very good to know. Thank you for taking the time to post pics. That is indeed very helpful. I should only be adding 1" to the outer lip and .5" to the inside on the stock steelies so it should be far from making contact right?

 

[twcom]

By being aware of it you just have to check the fit. That piece may even be plastic that sort of just covers the shock bolt and itself could be altered for fitment. Just locate it and go from there.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

I have had a 195/60 15 on the rear of my Smart with out issue at that time 195/50 15's were in the front.

Interesting, was your traction control functional at the time that you ran those very different diameters?

I only ask because others have put on tires that were way closer to equal diameter and still got traction control errors. It makes me wonder if the sensitivity to tire size changes varies by individual car.

I may have to change my answer to "yes" if your car is up for some cool wheels and tires.

 

[twcom]

Interesting, was your traction control functional at the time that you ran those very different diameters?

I only ask because others have put on tires that were way closer to equal diameter and still got traction control errors. It makes me wonder if the sensitivity to tire size changes varies by individual car.

I may have to change my answer to "yes" if your car is up for some cool wheels and tires.

In all cases my traction control has been operational with each wheel tire combination. There were two times my traction control was disabled one requiered a brake light switch replacement the other time required a rear axle reluctor ring replacement. So I wolud say neither traction control issue had to do with wheel/tire combonation. So here are the wheel tire combinations that have been on my Smart .

Stock style package 195/50 15 rear on 15x6.5 wheel 165/ 60 15 front on 15x5 wheel

the odd ball experiment set up to get front and rear track closer inline.
195/60 15 rear on 15x5 stock wheel 195/50 15 front on 15x6.5 stock wheel. To date this combo was the most comfortable riding car on cracked pavement streets. This should have been the set up to cause an issue but did not give and traction control warnings it was on the car for almost a month befor the next combo.

195/40 17 on 17x6 wheels all around.

205/40 17 on 17x6 wheel rear 195/40 17 on 17x6 wheel front

205/50 15 on 15x6 wheel rear 185/55 on 15x5 wheel front

215/40 16 on 16x7.5 wheel rear 195/45 16 on 16x6 wheel front

I intend to have a 225/? in the rear at some point. But as we see I have only been drasticly out of the revs/mile range with the one odd ball set up.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

In all cases my traction control has been operational with each wheel tire combination. There were two times my traction control was disabled one requiered a brake light switch replacement the other time required a rear axle reluctor ring replacement. So I wolud say neither traction control issue had to do with wheel/tire combonation. So here are the wheel tire combinations that have been on my Smart .

Stock style package 195/50 15 rear on 15x6.5 wheel 165/ 60 15 front on 15x5 wheel
View attachment 70281

the odd ball experiment set up to get front and rear track closer inline.
195/60 15 rear on 15x5 stock wheel 195/50 15 front on 15x6.5 stock wheel. To date this combo was the most comfortable riding car on cracked pavement streets. This should have been the set up to cause an issue but did not give and traction control warnings it was on the car for almost a month befor the next combo.
View attachment 70282

195/40 17 on 17x6 wheels all around.
View attachment 70284

205/40 17 on 17x6 wheel rear 195/40 17 on 17x6 wheel front
View attachment 70285

205/50 15 on 15x6 wheel rear 185/55 on 15x5 wheel front
View attachment 70286

215/40 16 on 16x7.5 wheel rear 195/45 16 on 16x6 wheel front
View attachment 70287

I intend to have a 225/? in the rear at some point. But as we see I have only been drasticly out of the revs/mile range with the one odd ball set up.

I love the documentation that you do with your testing!

Hmmm, there are threads on here where people had similar setups and managed to make ESP mad. So it would seem then that some cars are a bit more relaxed than others. My off-road tire setup led to ESP just disabling itself. 185/60/15 up front and 195/65/15 out back.

To the OP, I suppose it's worth experimenting! Worst case, you end up with tires that you can resell on eBay or Facebook.

 

[twcom]

I love the documentation that you do with your testing!

Hmmm, there are threads on here where people had similar setups and managed to make ESP mad. So it would seem then that some cars are a bit more relaxed than others. My off-road tire setup led to ESP just disabling itself. 185/60/15 up front and 195/65/15 out back.

To the OP, I suppose it's worth experimenting! Worst case, you end up with tires that you can resell on eBay or Facebook.

So your 195/65 15 is taller than the 195/60 15 that I used. Here they are side by side.

although you 185/60 15 in the front put your front to rear tires closer in size that my 195/50 15 was and you had issues and i did not... hmmmmm

.
Do you know if the big tire lifted Smarts have any ESP issues? Although they usually have all four big tires the same size.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

So your 195/65 15 is taller than the 195/60 15 that I used. Here they are side by side.

View attachment 70288

although you 185/60 15 in the front put your front to rear tires closer in size that my 195/50 15 was and you had issues and i did not... hmmmmm
View attachment 70289
.
Do you know if the big tire lifted Smarts have any ESP issues? Although they usually have all four big tires the same size.

I've seen ones lifted with the Daystar kit with working ESP, but indeed, they're usually running the same size all around.

The builds using really big tires are sort of hurting themselves. You know that smart that got turned into an off-roader for a Netflix show?

Top speed is 65 mph and that's with the throttle buried. I've seen a Cabrio with even bigger tires with a top speed of 45. I guess the budget is spent all on the lift with none for the poor little engine. lol

 

[Laughing Crow]

I can say without a doubt that 17X7.5" BRABUS wheels and 205/40/17 tires will not work on the front of my 2013 BRABUS edition without using wheel spaces. Without tires, the rim is just microns from the strut and hits with tires mounted. I have ordered 5mm spacers and will follow up to let anyone interested to know if that clears everything

 

[Podracer22]

I can say without a doubt that 17X7.5" BRABUS wheels and 205/40/17 tires will not work on the front of my 2013 BRABUS edition without using wheel spaces. Without tires, the rim is just microns from the strut and hits with tires mounted. I have ordered 5mm spacers and will follow up to let anyone interested to know if that clears everything

But that set up clears the back with now problems for you?

 

[Laughing Crow]

But that set up clears the back with now problems for you?

Yes it does clear the back. I'm hoping a 5mm spacer is all I'll need in the front.