Wheels / tire replace ?
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
Joined
·
11,310 Posts
you could go with 15" rear rims and make all 4 corners matching, that would give you the best choice to match your driving and local conditions. rear rims are 5 inches wide
or go with the rear rims that are 16" and get an additional pair of rear rims, again go with same size tires all the way around. Much more of a choice
or go with the rear rims that are 16" and get an additional pair of rear rims, again go with same size tires all the way around. Much more of a choice
JimVW57; Thanks for your input. "HAPPY TURKEY DAY!
Joined
·
296 Posts
Looking at your profile Ray, it appears your car is a 453 as lava orange is a 453 color and Big is posting 451 '3 lug' sizes...
*I have a 2016 453, Lava Orange and Crystal White, Edition #1, which came with the 10mm lowered 'urban' springs and the 'Sport 8Y' 16" rims.
If it is the same car as yours, the stock rims are 4 lug - 4x100, and the stock rims are 16" - 6" wide Front and 6.5" wide Rear.
The stock tires that come with the car are Continental All seasons, 185/50/16 Front and 205/45/16 Rear.
If you can confirm this, I can offer some real street tested advice, rather than be directed to vredstein quadrac 5s for the wrong car by Big...
Mailman; We both have the same 453. Orange & white.
Joined
·
296 Posts
Alright, I'll share some of my experiences then.
The stock Contis are Loud. The loudness varies on the type of pavement you are driving on but generally when you are above 40-45mph you hear the tires and not the engine
I took them off and found replacement tires and wheels.
The 453 changed from the original Smart 3 lug (3x112) used on the 450, 451, and 452 to a 4 lug (4x100) wheel.
Most 'smart car' wheels you see are are 3 lug, and most 453s are rolling on OEM 15 or 16" wheels (ie. you don't see many for sale).
When you posted "It has low profile tires and want to replace with regular tires."
Well, what's a 'regular' tire to you - I guess NOT low profile.
You would need to go to a smaller rim - 15" to not be low profile.
The other thing I ran into with the stock 16" rims is that front tire size (185/50/16) sucks.
Only the noisy stock Conti and the squishy sidewall Vredesteins exist.
You have to go to a different tire size to get a good selection of decent tires.
So when you say you want to replace the stock 'low profile' tires 'with regular tires', is this what you are after (ie. a 'regular' size tire)?
If so, look at the 195/45/16 size.
If 'regular tires', to you means NOT 'low profile' tires, you have to get a set of 15" rims.
Mailman;
I have low profile now and want to replace with Fatter and not Low Profile. Re; rough ride.
You say I then need to get 4ea.15" rims and 4ea.195/45/16 tires..
If I understand you correctly.
The wife ask me why at my age 79, she say the wheels that are now on the little car are going to outlast me .
I have low profile now and want to replace with Fatter and not Low Profile. Re; rough ride.
You say I then need to get 4ea.15" rims and 4ea.195/45/16 tires..
If I understand you correctly.
The wife ask me why at my age 79, she say the wheels that are now on the little car are going to outlast me .
Note - your rim needs to match the tire, 15” rims & 16” tires would be a mismatch!
Joined
·
296 Posts
The four 195/45/16 tires would be for the 16" rims you have on now.Mailman;
I have low profile now and want to replace with Fatter and not Low Profile. Re; rough ride.
You say I then need to get 4ea.15" rims and 4ea.195/45/16 tires..
If I understand you correctly.
The wife ask me why at my age 79, she say the wheels that are now on the little car are going to outlast me .
The rough ride you have now can be a lot of things, and may not be entirely blamed on the fact that the OEM setup is 'low profile'.
I certainly had a rough ride with the contis that come with the car.
They are a 'hard' rubber (UTQG 500), which is a treadwear rating (higher number is supposed to last longer), but you can feel it with your fingernail as well as 'hard rubber.
The hard rubber transmits every vibration as you roll down the road - much like those roller skates that had metal wheels.
You probably remember when 'rollerblading' became popular - the manufacturer's switched from the metal roller skate wheels and put SOFT urathane wheels, inline.
Now you can skate like ice skates on ice, smooth and quiet and you didn't feel those metal wheels in your teeth
Well I did the same on my 2016 Smart; I replaced the hard rubber with softer rubber (UTQG 300) and the ride is smooth and quiet, but they are still 'low profile' on the same rims.
It was the hard rubber tires, not the low profile.
That being said, if you have to drive your Smart in the wintertime in WA, these 'softer' Summer tire rubber is not going to get you anywhere with ice/snow on the ground.
If that's the case, I would go get another set of 15" rims and a set of 'fatter' (more sidewall) tires to combat the rough ride.
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
Join the discussion
