Tires

[Chad]

If stock tires are 185/60R14, can I go to a 185/65R14 without throwing off my speedo?

How far can you deviate from the stock tire sizes before you throw your speedo out of whack? I don't know a lot about tires and rims, but, I see on here that as rim sizes go up, tire profiles go down. Is this to keep the outside diameter of the wheel as close to stock as possible in order to avoid recalibrating your speedo or does that even come into play? I personally don't like low profile tires and would rather have a nice looking R14 or R15 rim with a 60 - 65 sidewall.

Comments please.

[Manorness7]

My dad went a little bit higher on his tires about the same as what you're saying and it threw his off by 2 miles. It creates a multiplier effect, the faster he goes the more off the speedometer is... it's pretty strange.

[Petrified.Rabbit]

use this to get an exact difference in size:

http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp


of if you need more of a visual (takes longer to load and can't compare as many at once)

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html



Can I ask why you feel you need more sidewall? The only reason sidewall does do is allow is more deflection to allow running a lower pressure in the tires. But if you are looking for more comfortable ride and you are comparing a stock tire to a 40 series 17 inch tire then yes you will notice the difference. but this has to do with more than just tire sidewall. it also has to do with the type of sidewall, weight of the rim, etc.

If you go from a reinforced performance tire to a touring tire the side wall of the tire becomes "softer" also to allow for a more comfortable ride. Only on an extreme sidewall size change will you notice a difference in ride, like that stock 60 series to a 40 series. But the side wall of a 205/40r17 is @ 3 1/4 inches and the side wall of a 185/60r14 is 4 3/8 inches. that is only an 1 1/8 inch difference for 3 more inches of rim.

[Chad]

Okay...the tire size calculator answered my question. Thanks.

It's not that I think I need more sidewall, I just don't like super low profile tires. When I was looking for replacement all seasons it seemed that 185/65R14 was way more common than the stock 185/60R14.

When you guys put aftermarket rims on your cars, do you you even think about what it does to the speedometer, or do you just not worry about it? Or, do you actually get it recalibrated?

[Petrified.Rabbit]

i do consider it, but mostly it is a point of reference. like if i know the speedo is 60mph and the car is actually goint 62mph. then i know i need to be going 53ish to pass a cop in a 55mph zone..

i usually try to pick tires that will be less than a .5% difference, but have no problem going to a 1-2% difference if it give me a look, handling or anything i want.

a 185/60r14 tire is stock size on 1984-1999 volswagen, there are a lot of tires and good snow tires in that size. don't be fooled if you are going to local tire shops. I know when i was "less informed" i would always hear things like "thats an odd size it will cost more" etc. ALWAYS do at least a google shopping search for the tire size you want and even add snow or brand names for cost comparison.

i have found 90% of the time you can get a better tire shipped and pay for mounting for less than the cheapest set of tires i can find at pepboys, firestone, ntb etc.

[AveoRob]

edited

[WOLFMAN AK907]

I run 205/40/R17's on mine and I'm between 2-3 over my speedo at 65mph. At 95-100 I'm about 5 over my speedo.

[Manorness7]

I just bought a set of BFG studded snows that are 195/60 14in. I also mounted them on junkyard volkswagon rims. I know...volkswagon, but they were aluminum and they looked practically brand new. The studded snows only ran me $230 for 4 on ebay. Seriously search ebay for brand new tires, you can always find the same tire that a local shop has for atleast $100 less. Not to mention you will most likely find the exact size you want. Another site to look at is discounttire.com, they are usually pretty good on prices too.

[Petrified.Rabbit]

I usually use:

tires-easy.com (also has a canadian site)

treadepot.com

and onlinetires.com

they are typically the three cheapest for tires and have all the "european" sizes.



ebay i always search too.

[Chad]

use this to get an exact difference in size:

http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

That's exactly what I needed. Thanks!