Notes On Upgrading Tyre/rim Size

[Hola]

Hi All,

Im sure there are some duplicate threads on this topic. But Just need to see your views in a more focused technical angle....

Lot of car owners upgrade their rim size from their original size to a bigger size using low profile tyres to mainly to gain looks. Today a tyre shop owner who is realy an expert told me that increasing the tyre size from from 13" to 15" may harm the shocks in the long run. He says even though the final diameter is matched with the help of low profile tyres there is lesser shock absorbence from the rubber are minimized to the rims which directly impacts the shocks. This worries me as the Vios we got uses a 17" and I thought of going for a 15" soon for my EK3 too.

And he says the information on maximum tyre size in terms of diameter and cubic is indicated on the side panel of the driver area (seen it, but some in Japanease). What are your expereinces guys? Will a increased tyre size damage your shocks? Is that why some expert owners upgrade their suspension system when they upgrade their tyre size? Does this mean we have to purchase good looking alloys which maintains the original rim size?

Whats your view?

Hola

[Devinda_Z]

  TurboSeavy said:

I got the car with 15" alloys and 185/55 falcon tire set. The low profiles had really hard side wall and the ride was a little bumpy. In the last tire change I swapped the front tires to 205/60/15R

I still have the old 55s in the rear and hoping to change them to 60s soon.

i'm sorry if i come off sounding offensive with this question but what on earth would posses you to put broader tires only in the front ,especially with a higher profile???

you do realiza that running those sizes means that there is a 20 mm height difference between the rear and front ?!

also by putting broader tires in the front of a front wheel drive car , wouldn't that make the understeer more pronouced ??

why would you run different sizes like that ???

[TurboSeavy]

  Hola said:

Im running n 55s and im quiet happy about it bro. But 60s would be more comfy but in terms of looks then its lost.

True. With the increased balloon size the manifestation of the rim size is less... Then again I guess Nissans are a bit bumpier than Toyotas and Hondas.. what to do bro...

  Devinda_Z said:

i'm sorry if i come off sounding offensive with this question but what on earth would posses you to put broader tires only in the front ,especially with a higher profile???

you do realiza that running those sizes means that there is a 20 mm height difference between the rear and front ?!

also by putting broader tires in the front of a front wheel drive car , wouldn't that make the understeer more pronouced ??

why would you run different sizes like that ???

I did not feel any understeer, got to swap the tires one last time and see

Why would I run different sizes like that ??? Well... bro, haven't got the bucks to buy all four at once man. The Damn Jap tires cost about 8k+ each. Hopefully if I get some 'Avurudu Bonus', I will be able to swap the rear tires with the same spec.

Edited March 26, 2007 by TurboSeavy

[dillongt]

  Hola said:

Hi All,

Im sure there are some duplicate threads on this topic. But Just need to see your views in a more focused technical angle....

Lot of car owners upgrade their rim size from their original size to a bigger size using low profile tyres to mainly to gain looks. Today a tyre shop owner who is realy an expert told me that increasing the tyre size from from 13" to 15" may harm the shocks in the long run. He says even though the final diameter is matched with the help of low profile tyres there is lesser shock absorbence from the rubber are minimized to the rims which directly impacts the shocks. This worries me as the Vios we got uses a 17" and I thought of going for a 15" soon for my EK3 too.

And he says the information on maximum tyre size in terms of diameter and cubic is indicated on the side panel of the driver area (seen it, but some in Japanease). What are your expereinces guys? Will a increased tyre size damage your shocks? Is that why some expert owners upgrade their suspension system when they upgrade their tyre size? Does this mean we have to purchase good looking alloys which maintains the original rim size?

Whats your view?

Hola

there is a big difference between pimping up rims and performance.... my personal opinion is if your rim size is 14" go for maximum 15" for a civic.... if you have a high performance car like GTR, Supra, 300Z, 350, WRX or RX7 you can go up to 18 and if you really want you can go up to 19 Ultra light wheels.....

[Pericles]

  TurboSeavy said:

I did not feel any understeer, got to swap the tires one last time and see

Well, u wouldn't unless u really push it. Make sure u have a lotta room when u do that, coz its freaking terrifying having the car go straight when u wanna take a turn.

[Devinda_Z]

Jap tires maybe good but if your on a budget then try a decent Malaysian compromise like "Silverstone"

original Jap tires run a soft rubber compound so your looking at slightly higher wear..but rides & performs well

i've been using a Silverstone FTZ Sport set for nearly 3yrs and easily 30,000+ km's and its been nothing short of fabulous!! deffa better than Bridgstone turanza's & possibly the GIII potenzas as well..

at the time of purchase they were around half the price of the Japanese equvivalent - but not sure if they are available still - check a place down Hill Street Dehiwala

[TurboSeavy]

  Devinda_Z said:

Jap tires maybe good but if your on a budget then try a decent Malaysian compromise like "Silverstone"

original Jap tires run a soft rubber compound so your looking at slightly higher wear..but rides & performs well

i've been using a Silverstone FTZ Sport set for nearly 3yrs and easily 30,000+ km's and its been nothing short of fabulous!! deffa better than Bridgstone turanza's & possibly the GIII potenzas as well..

at the time of purchase they were around half the price of the Japanese equvivalent - but not sure if they are available still - check a place down Hill Street Dehiwala

Thanks Devinda, I gotta check it out. If it's half the price for a same spec tire that's one hellwa' attractive deal.

  Pericles said:

Well, u wouldn't unless u really push it. Make sure u have a lotta room when u do that, coz its freaking terrifying having the car go straight when u wanna take a turn.

Well... In the late hours, on my way home I pass the Narahenpita Junction, and there is a little redlight pass towards the Nawala road (under the Bow Tree). I usually don't apply break there, and just take the turn around 45~55 kmph. Doing it just for fun. Never had a problem with it even after the tire swap.

Anyway... gotta do a swap and see.

[Devinda_Z]

  TurboSeavy said:

Thanks Devinda, I gotta check it out. If it's half the price for a same spec tire that's one hellwa' attractive deal.

they were 195 R15's and cost somewhere around 5k a pop - BUT this was a while back - so dunno if they still have em and if the prices are anywhere close to that - you know how lankan inflation is né

if your based closer to colombo - you can try their outer outlet on Malay stteet...

[TurboSeavy]

  Devinda_Z said:

they were 195 R15's and cost somewhere around 5k a pop - BUT this was a while back - so dunno if they still have em and if the prices are anywhere close to that - you know how lankan inflation is né

if your based closer to colombo - you can try their outer outlet on Malay stteet...

Talk about the inflation rate man, it is now 18%+ and usually every consumable price is increased by Rs. 2/- once in every 2 weeks

Thanks man, I'll check-out the place at Malay street...

[Hola]

  Devinda_Z said:

they were 195 R15's and cost somewhere around 5k a pop - BUT this was a while back - so dunno if they still have em and if the prices are anywhere close to that - you know how lankan inflation is né

if your based closer to colombo - you can try their outer outlet on Malay stteet...

i got my 55s for 7500. whats this for 5000? used?

[Devinda_Z]

  Hola said:

i got my 55s for 7500. whats this for 5000? used?

No NO brand new bung - around 5k so may have been a tad more with taxes etc - Malaysian brand SILVERSTONE - but the FTZ Sport series with a Performance tread pattern - "V" groove much like the Eagle F1's

[TurboSeavy]

  Devinda_Z said:

No NO brand new bung - around 5k so may have been a tad more with taxes etc - Malaysian brand SILVERSTONE - but the FTZ Sport series with a Performance tread pattern - "V" groove much like the Eagle F1's

Woweeee! This tire looks good. I wonder they have 205/60/15R. Last time I checked the tire shop had only Bridgestone and Yokohama and both costs 8k+. But this looks impressive... gotta check this one out...

Edited March 28, 2007 by TurboSeavy

[Gear_Head]

hey bro's,

I'm ridin on 17's and upgraded from 215/40 to 215/45 to get some more rubber, I must say that there was major change in ride cumfort for the better.

but had to raise the car by putting spacers on the shocks to stop the added rubber from touching the body..

Am*la tyres did a great job of it.. still handles great, and no problems with cumfort.

Dont know what it'll do on the long run...

Any ideas??

cheers..

[Elvis_Pil]

  TurboSeavy said:

I did not feel any understeer, got to swap the tires one last time and see

.

Actually new rubber & tread will help & be more positive that negative. You will have better grip entering a corner and less on exit. Understeer? ahhh yeah. maybe your not pushing enough on the loooong bends. You need to try your staff on more carpeted roads.. I've noticed that rough but not bumpy roads tend to reduce the chances of sliding lol and try pushing it to the right more than the left. then you'll see a bit of it. Understeer that is.

  Gear_Head said:

hey bro's,

I'm ridin on 17's and upgraded from 215/40 to 215/45 to get some more rubber, I must say that there was major change in ride cumfort for the better.

but had to raise the car by putting spacers on the shocks to stop the added rubber from touching the body..

Am*la tyres did a great job of it.. still handles great, and no problems with cumfort.

Dont know what it'll do on the long run...

Any ideas??

cheers..

Depending on your car I'd say you're on the fast track to fuc*ing up your suspension

[gunat]

Bringing this thread back guys. One year down and 20k kms later, i've used up the Yoko C-Drives. Thought i'd share the last year's experiences.

Tire: Yokohama C drive 205/45 R16 Asymetricals on on a CGT.

Total Mileage 23,000kms

Brilliant tire- grippy, consistent and lasted right throughout to the last of the tread.

Sidewalls are deceptively soft though- one run through Pannala left the front sidewalls tread faded.

Cornering- progressive at speed, gradually giving up grip without scaring the bejeezus out of the driver.

Comfort- surprisingly better than the Bridgestone Turanza 14"s they replaced. However, the ride did deteriorate during the last 2 months of use- Most likely due to the fact that there was barely any tread left and my suspension bits needed replacing. Tramlining was also prevalent in the last 2 months of use.

Wet weather performance- brilliant. Never had any 'oh crap' moments but never pushed to find the limits.

Braking- Again, progressive- did not lock up the ABS unnecessarily although braking through turns on uneven surfaces did occasionally make the car 'skip' over the surface.

Negatives: Tread wear. Despite the consistent performance of the tire, it gave up its tread very quickly. I had researched the tire and knew this, but it would have been good to get about 25-30k. I'm willing to excuse this due to the fact that i drive out of colombo daily on not-so-great roads.

Second negative: Cost- relatively highly priced, the C Drives are probably the most expensive performance tires apart from the absurd Pirellis (28k a piece). This is probably the biggest deterrent when i made my choice of replacement tires for the Yokos.

Conclusion- these tires are good for the occasional sporty drive and strike a great balance between comfort and performance. Probably a good choice for sport saloons/cars, but not for the high performance cars. Colombo running will probably give better lifetime. Asymetrical pattern means you don't have to think twice about how to rotate the tires. These tires are very sensitive and if your suspension is compromised by wear & tear, it'll directly affect the performance of the tire. The lower profile elevates this sensitivity exponentially. Yokohama has made a great tire, but i think they need to work on bringing up the tread wear to a more acceptable level.

The replacements i've chosen are Potenza GIIIs- will see how they perform and keep this post updated.

Edited July 19, 2007 by gunat