[TRobinson6]

1. pictures of a 451 with stock wheels and 195/55s showing from the side and from the back and the front (at least one pic down the side


2. would like to talk to someone with a 451 running 195/55s

I am on EST and my number is 4078605237


thank you

 

[Huronlad]

Too lazy to use the website search feature here you go.

Smart Car Forums - Search Results for: 195/55

 

[ManchVegas]

stock set up -155/55/15 on 15"x4.5" on front, 175/55/15 on 15"x5.5" on rear

current set up -195/55/15 on 15"x5.5" on front, 195/55/15 on 15"x5.5" on rear

 

[ManchVegas]

I was PM'd a queston. I'll answer it here.

I was PM'd a question about running 195/55/15s on 15" by 5.5" wheels on the front of my 451:

any problems rubbing when hitting bumps/dips?

Short answer: No. 95% of the time I'm not braking hard enough to cause rubbing. Running 195s is really best for city driving.

Using an online tire size calculator:
155/55/15 has a diameter of 21.7", width of 6.1", sidewall height of 3.4"
195/55/15 has a diameter of 23.4", width of 7.7", sidewall height of 4.2"

Considerations:
- avoid braking hard during a turn (like onto a side street). Every control system in the car will freak out, rubbing will occur, and the ABS will kick in and likely force you to drift out of your lane (into the other lane or off the road). Do the hard braking in a straight line, then turn.
- If you live in the snow belt or where there is heavy rains then having a tire that fills the wheel well is not ideal. The tread needs to be able to shed water and snow. A tighter wheel well can increase hydroplaning.

Know your vehicle and how it performs and handles. Know the condition and speed of the roads that you drive on. Know what can happen when you make modifications outside of spec. Doing so may not be appropriate for everyone.

 

[Jo e Lefors]

Great answer and explanation. Having lived in the midwest, I remember the snow building up around the tires.
Not so much here in the desert. I love the look of the bigger tire filling the wheel well.
If I'm around long enough to have to replace my tires I'm going bigger.

Thank You

Jl

 

[Miss Mercedes]

I’m running 185/60/15. There’s definitely some rubbing, but you really have to look for it to find it. That said, you can hear it rub when leaving parking lots and on off ramps. :shrug:

I have Vredestein Quatrac 5 tyres. After buying the cheapest rubber money could buy for 100,000 miles, this is a welcome change. I think in the experiment with larger tyre sizes, a quality tyre is going to mean a whole lot, especially with filled wheel wells.

I haven’t experienced any issues with rain. Despite the filled wells water still evacuates just fine.

I don’t think snow build up will be an issue in my case either, one bump will send any ice out of the wells as the tyre will make contact. Similar happened when I had 195/50/15s, but it took a Chicago pothole to do it.

I’ve also had a couple emergency stop/maneuvers with my 185/60/15s twice already, the emergency systems in the car performed as designed.

So far as I can see, the only true detriment of my tyre upsizing is that high speed cornering definitely feels much more sketchy.

**But again, this all may be because my choice of tyre. Go cheap and things can get messy. I can’t imagine the old Senturys I had performing this well. I would have eaten a tree by now.**