I'm looking to order some Rota Group Ns for my 93 Del Sol SI. It came with 17s (don't ask, haha) and is currently unlowered. I know the stock wheel size for the Sol are 14s, and with the Rotas being 15s I wasn't sure what size tire to get. I don't wanna roll around like a monster truck anymore sitting higher up but I also want a good ride quality. A factory-esque ride height would be optimum until I get my Eibach pro kit springs on. Please help a "Sol-man" out.(I know that was cheesy, haha.)

 

195/55/15

You can go with 205/50/15 which are a little wider but your speedo will be about 5mph off.

 

Cool man. I actually kinda like the look of a wider tire but not a higher ride. How "low-pro" are those 195s? Any pics for reference. Thanks again.

 

BUMP

 

depending on brand the profile difference between 195/55 or 205/50 is almost unnoticeable. 195x.55=107.25mm, 205x.5=102.5mm

 

*not a honda, but...*


Edit: that is a 195/50/15 sidewall height example. i was too lazy to put a description at the time

Edit again: either way I screwed up because thats 195/50 not 195/55.

Modified by Voyage34 at 4:14 PM 3/7/2006


Modified by Voyage34 at 4:15 PM 3/7/2006

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Voyage34 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">*not a honda, but...*

</TD></TR></TABLE>

no offense but what help is this? you didn't even say what size these are or anything

 

Can I assume those are 15s with the lower profile tire of the two you mentioned? Ride height (assuming its unlowered) looks about stock. That is what I'm going for. I'm only gonna have like a 1.2" drop when all is said and done so I didn't want skinny little tires on there. Thanks. And I know this is off topic but is that a Corolla? Haha, I used to own one.

 

i'm going with 195/55/15 on my rims

 

what does the "55" represent? Sorry, I'm an idiot with this stuff at the moment, haha.

 

Anyone know if you can take tires and rims into a local "Wal-Mart" tire service and have them mount em'? I've gotten tire service there before but I bought their tires. I would just call but they are closed at the moment. Just throwing that out there for anyone who might know.

 

195-55-15

195 = width in mm
55 = is the % of width that is the sidewall height. so sidewall is 55% of 195mm which is 107.25mm
15 = rim in inches

total diameter = 2(sidewall) + rim
total diameter = 2(107.25mm) + ((15")(25.4mm))
total diameter = 214.5mm + 381mm
total diameter = 595.5mm or 23.44488 inches

 

Why would anyone would narrower tires. I would think a 200 would handle better than a 195. And I think the 55 would probably make for the smoothest ride(factory-esque), right? Thanks a ton for your patience with me guys.

 

As far as why would anyone want narrower tires, there are many reasons. First off they are better in the snow. As far as in the dry there is a thread going on right now with a "debate" as to which is better wider or narrower. The contact patch is the same on a wider and narrower tire as long as the car has the same weight and tire pressure the only difference is the shape of the contact patch. (thats what the thread is about)

a higher aspect ratio ( the 55 in 195-55-15) does not necesarily mean more sidewall. for an extreme example a 255-45-15 tire ( i just made that number up for an example i dont even know if they make that). the sidewall is 114.75 compared to 107.25 on a 195-55-15. It has more sidewall even though the 45&lt;55. It has to do with the width and the ratio to sidewall.

for some relevant info on tire sizes. Your choices are pretty much 195-55-15 or 205-50-15. The 195-55-15 has a higher sidewall so it will be smoother but it mostly has to do with the tire too. The 205 is 10mm wider but thats not going to be noticable.


go to the wheel/tire forum for more advice.

 

yeah I just saw on http://www.jaydm.com/rota-group-n.htm
that their tire package comes with 205-50-15s. With the car not being lowered much I think this might be my best bet. I sure wish someone just had pics of both tire sizes side by side, haha. I guess beggers can't be choosers though. Thanks again for all the help.

 

some rims aren't wide enough to accomodate certain tire sizes. and also some times price and availability can vary drastically between sizes. and some tire sizes just don't exist.
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
this link will show you the difference in tire sizes and let you know how far off your speedo will be.

 

Hey thanks for that link. I looks like the the 205-50-15s the tire/rim combo puts the wheel at about the same size as stock. I should finally be able to ditch that whole monster truck thing I have going on with the 17s, blech. I won't feel as hell bent on getting that suspension ordered after the new wheels either. Thanks a ton!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by erasable180 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">some rims aren't wide enough to accomodate certain tire sizes.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I dont think most people will ever run into that problem even with 225 tires.

 

well if you put a 225 on 6" wheel the side wall will at a bad angle to provide support, plus i dont know if it will even physically fit. i just used 6" as an example because my steelies are 6" i believe, and my 205's were a little difficult to put on.

 

205/50/15 are the best size, dunlop has a new V rated tire on the market, Direzza, they are nice and sticky when you heat them up and they last for a long time, i have 205/50 on my fat fives and my si wheels they look great on my dropped 94 ex coupe and they looked great on my slammed 4 door that had 2 inches of ground clearance

 

Got any pics of those rides, man? And yeah, I'm thinking about getting the 205-50-15s. Anyone ever use Kuhmo Ectstas? I found some for like 40 bucks a piece online. I'm trying to build a fun little weekend auto cross car. No big mods, just looking to have fun with it. Thanks again to everyone for all the help.

 

[QUOTE=ianae86]. Anyone ever use Kuhmo Ectstas? I found some for like 40 bucks a piece online. QUOTE]

The price is nice on these, but when I had them, they found every nail on the road, i think i had 2 plugs in each tire b4 i trashed them....and they have absolutely no traction in the snow, if you live in that kind of area. On a positive side tho, they grip real good in dry conditions

 

Good to know, thank you. Yeah, like I said I really only intend this car for summer/fair weather. I'm really intersted in trying a little auto cross. One of my brother's friend does the stock class and has a blast with it. Thanks for the input.

 

i have 195-55-15 on a del sol 0n si rims. stock height. i dont know how to post pics.

 

not to be somewhat of a dick but arent you the guy that always defended people who were rollin on 17's even if everyone else said it was gay?