Ok, since I've bought a full set of 195/50/15 Pirelli 700Z, and mounted on 7'' wide rims, all i can say- its perfect fit. Tyre wall is horizontal- this way its is _designed_ to work. And, sure noone can mount these Pirellis on 5,5'' rims anyway- these tyres are not made from rag... The lower the tyre, more closer rim and tyre widths are necessery, its just simply obvious. I agree that its possible to fit softer 205/55 on most rims but its wrong for 195/50.
Yeah, what I wanted to say, Pirelli 700Z is very solid tyre. Wheel size is perfect, I think 205/50 are looking bit too high. I could go with 205/50, but I think its better to have correctly mounted 195/50 - *more width* not always means *more performance*, and I love light and precise steering response. -Nils 86 Golf GTI 16V, new tyres! 89 Rallye, next candidate... ----- Original Message ----- > Just another data point: > Back when I was running 914s, the hot setup for autox is > 205/50/15 on stock Fuchs. Those rims are only 5.5" wide. > I never ran 205/50/15 but have tried both 195/50/15 > and 205/55/15. Yes, the 205s were pinched some but > I've never seen/heard any problems... > > Son > 90 GLI > > >>Also, tire manufacturers specify recommended rim widths for a give tire > >>model/size. Check it out. > > > >This is the best way to decide; Who knows better than the tire manufacturer? > > > >>If you can find a 205 section width tire designed > >>for a 6" wheel, great. > > > >Pirelli PZero; I love these tires. the 205/50ZR15 have an 'acceptable' rim > >width of 6'-8", with the design being 6.5". That being said, hower, I > >think that 6.5-7.5" is more realistic. I have mine mounted on 15x7" rims. > >I've seen 205's on 8" rims and they look a bit silly: the 'lowrider' look, > >stretched way out. 6" is a bit narrow for 205s, but 6.5" should be fine. > > > >>But most all 205 tires are NOT designed for a wheel > >>that narrow. > > > > 6 or 6.5" inches? There are certainly LOTS of 205-section tires > > designed for 6.5 inch rims. Performance tires with an OD to fit a VW, > > maybe not, but most higher profile all-season tires will mount up just > > fine. Most mid-sized family sedans (without a 'sport' package) have > > something like 205/60-15 on 15x6.5" rims. > > > >>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. > > > > Exactly! The differences between two different 195 may be nearly > > as great as the differnce between a 205 vs. a 195 in the same tire! The > > whole tire sizing system is such a kludge anyway: a mix of alphanumeric > > sysbols, unitless ratios, British and Metric units. . . > > > > > > > >W. Lee Hendrick _____________ List Sponsor: http://www.netsville.com To remove yourself from this list, send mail to [email protected] with 'unsubscribe a2_16v' in the body of your message See us on the web at http://www.a2-16v.com Visit the 16V Homepage at http://www.gti16v.org
