Hi y'all,
In the tire size thread, I've seen very few comments that actually
mention wheel width. Folks, the width of your wheel is imperative to
picking the correct tire section width! If you put too narrow a tire on,
like the lowriders do purposely, it not only looks stupid but it can be
dangerous since the tire can pull away from the wheel lip and depressurize.
And it sucks for performance. Now, the flip side, which most of us are on,
is picking the widest tire for our wheels. But if you go too wide, the
"ballooning" effect will hurt performance 'cause the tire will "swim" on
the too-narrow wheel. (And it looks stupid.)
Here's a rule of thumb: Try to stick with a tire that a section width
roughly equal to 110-115% of your wheel width, and 120-125% max. The wider
the wheel (7, 8, 9 inch) the closer you need to stay to 110-115%, or even
lower (100-105%). For narrower wheels (5, 6) the 120% side is still
tolerable. For example, based on two common stock VW wheels:
14x6 wheel - 110%=168, 115%=176, 120%=184, 125%=191
15x6.5 wheel - 110%=182, 115%=190, 120%=198, 125%=206
Unfortunately most tires come in 10mm width increments which limits our
choices. For a 6" wheel, the 185 is probably the best since a 195 will
balloon slightly and be a bit "swimmy". 205 would be way too wide. On a
6.5" wheel, 185 or 195 if fine with 205 being max, assuming you don't have
clearance problems.
Also, tire manufacturers specify recommended rim widths for a give tire
model/size. Check it out. If you can find a 205 section width tire designed
for a 6" wheel, great. But most all 205 tires are NOT designed for a wheel
that narrow. Also, you can **approximate** a tire's diameter and
circumference by using the TireRack formula, but each manufacturer will
differ slightly. If you compare, say, 5 different brands (Pirelli,
Michelin, etc) all of the exact same size tire, you will find significant
differences in actual measurements. Some companies will give you exact
specs for all their tires. I still have some old Dunlop literature with
charts of rolling radius, circumference, section width, approved wheel
widths, weight, etc for all sizes in a given line of tires (i.e., D40 M2).
That's the only truly accurate way to get your tire's info.
BTW, my last 300E had 16x7.5 wheels with 205/55 P-Zeros.
(16x7.5 wheel - 105%=200, 110%=210, 115%=219, 120%=229, 125%=238)
It was an awesome package. When they wore out, I tried to go to 225/50 (D60
A2, terrible in the wet) and they "ballooned", looked stupid, and rubbed.
And that was only ~118%! This is what I meant about as wheels get wider you
need to stick with a tire that's 105-115%. And some of you are talking
about this same 205mm width on a wheel 1.5 inches narrower! Egads!
Remember, wider is better - but only to a point!! :-) Re-read Dave's
comment again here, it summarizes my long-winded rant:
>I've seen a 205/50-15 mounted on a 15x6.5 rim and sat there and pushed
>the car around and watched the sidewall jiggle. Yes you do feel it while
>driving. It's not as crisp as a 195/50-15 on the same rim.
OK, flame suit on...
Dave M.
1990.5 GLI (for sale)
1991 GLI (awaiting G-Tech Pro)
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