Hi there,

I have a 2017 Panda that came with steel wheels of size 14. They're wrapped in Good year's 175/65.

The tires are due for a change and I'm thinking of bumping up the size to 185/65 for more side wall (I drive on bad roads and I'm looking for a more comfortable ride).

According to this the tyre size calculator, the differences doesn't seem to be that massive, see attached screenshot.



Would this be a wise decision to make? Should I be worried about suspension components due to such a change?

Cheers,

I don't imagine that the suspension components will be stressed much more. I think the biggest difference you'll find is the speedometer under-reading due to the larger rolling radius of the 185 tyres.

I guess it would also affect gearing to some extent - but probably not enough to notice

DigitalFlu said:

Hi there,

I have a 2017 Panda that came with steel wheels of size 14. They're wrapped in Good year's 175/65.

The tires are due for a change and I'm thinking of bumping up the size to 185/65 for more side wall (I drive on bad roads and I'm looking for a more comfortable ride).

According to this the tyre size calculator, the differences doesn't seem to be that massive, see attached screenshot.

View attachment 218374

Would this be a wise decision to make? Should I be worried about suspension components due to such a change?

Cheers,

Click to expand...

That size should no be a problem, the speedo will show a more real speed compare to standaard.
With standaard tire size, 100 Km on Speedo is something like 94-96 Km real GPS speed.
Drove with oversized 195/55R15" compare to standard 185/55R15" tires, 50 on speedo was real 50, 100 on speedo was real 98.

Curved ball thoughts for comfort. We have a 2013 1.2 easy running firestone fronts and threeA on the back.
Good years are a strong structure like continentals.
My curved ball is, how about sticking with standard size but using a cross climate tyre with softer side wall and more flexible tread area to help with comfort.

Tim

timmycm850 said:

Curved ball thoughts for comfort. We have a 2013 1.2 easy running firestone fronts and threeA on the back.
Good years are a strong structure like continentals.
My curved ball is, how about sticking with standard size but using a cross climate tyre with softer side wall and more flexible tread area to help with comfort.

Tim

Click to expand...

In addition to having a relatively more comfortable ride, the small side wall of the 175/65 is a bit worrying with the roads I drive on (pot holes, speed bumps, etc), but I appreciate the advise regarding softer rubber, I'll definitely put that into consideration. Thank you.

Everyone is different, with different preferences.
I choose most of the time 1 size over standard width.
For example, a 195/55R15" H or V speed tire, just drive better compare to 185/55R15" tire.
I don't have experience with 14 inch on a Panda, only 15", 16" and 17".
The smallest tire size i have used on the Panda 319 is the 195/55R15" and then 205/50R15", both on a 6.5Jx15" Barchetta steel wheel.
FIAT 2020-2021 use this new steel wheel in 6.5J on the Panda models, with different wheel covers, looking like LM wheels, most on Cross Models.

Alternatively.

Look into demontweets.com and see what tyres are available size wise in road legal rally based use.

Maybe even consider vredestiens as a good consideration. So they would be suitable for the terrain even before considering any size change you may also want.

Tim

We recently picked up a new panda but not sure it would suit your terrain. 195 45 16 continentals

Tim

timmycm850 said:

We recently picked up a new panda but not sure it would suit your terrain. 195 45 16 continentals

Tim

Click to expand...

Yep, first time Panda with 16 inch factory wheels.
B.t.w. i would put 205/45R16" tires on them.

The new Panda Hybrid is not Speedy Gonzales, with a top speed of 155 Km/h.
Even the 1.2 FIRE was quicker, ± 167 Km/h

Changing from a 175 to a 185 tyre will make no difference whatsoever because this measurement is the width of the tyre and not the sidewall measurement.
Example - 185 (Width) 55 (profile/sidewall height) 14 (Wheel diameter).
Hence going from a 175 to a 185 wont give you more sidewall, just a wider tyre.
I hope this helps.

dan291 said:

Changing from a 175 to a 185 tyre will make no difference whatsoever because this measurement is the width of the tyre and not the sidewall measurement.
Example - 185 (Width) 55 (profile/sidewall height) 14 (Wheel diameter).
Hence going from a 175 to a 185 wont give you more sidewall, just a wider tyre.
I hope this helps.

Click to expand...

Not true - try putting 175/65R14 and 185/65R14 in the calculator at https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/
It shows 23" diameter for the 175/65R14 and 23.5" diameter for the 185/65R14, so an extra 0.25" on the sidewall height.

175/65R14 tyre diameter (in mm) = 175 x 0.65 x 2 + (14 x 25.4) = 583.1mm = 23"
185/65R14 tyre diameter (in mm) = 185 x 0.65 x 2 + (14 x 25.4) = 596.1mm = 23.5"

The profile number is not a direct measurement of the sidewall, but the ratio between the sidewall height and the tyre width.

chr1s said:

Not true - try putting 175/65R14 and 185/65R14 in the calculator at https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/
It shows 23" diameter for the 175/65R14 and 23.5" diameter for the 185/65R14, so an extra 0.25" on the sidewall height.

175/65R14 tyre diameter (in mm) = 175 x 0.65 x 2 + (14 x 25.4) = 583.1mm = 23"
185/65R14 tyre diameter (in mm) = 185 x 0.65 x 2 + (14 x 25.4) = 596.1mm = 23.5"

The profile number is not a direct measurement of the sidewall, but the ratio between the sidewall height and the tyre width.

Click to expand...

Correct.
This is also why the Cross 4x4 used to be shown with a slight increase in ground clearance compared to the (non Cross) 4x4... all down to the tyres. (The 4x4 uses 175/65 R15 and the Cross used to use 185/65 R15 until the recent change to summer tyres of narrower width)

By the way, having recently fitted Michelin Cross Climates to my 4x4 (in the default size of 175/65 R15 for that car -- its ET35 wheel offset won't allow 185s – the Cross has ET32 to allow the extra tyre to fit in the arches).... the Cross Climate tyres in that size only come as 'XL' (extra load) rating, which means that they have reinforced sidewalls. This usefully (I hope) makes them more robust on off road use...

Apology's for the mistake, I guess you do learn something new every day..

Herts Hillhopper said:

the default size of 175/65 R15 for that car -- its ET35 wheel offset won't allow 185s – the Cross has ET32 to allow the extra tyre to fit in the arches).... the Cross Climate tyres in that size only come as 'XL' (extra load) rating, which

Click to expand...

Oh! I just checked the manual and the R14s do seem to have an ET35 offset (check attached image).

Did I get that right that the arches won't fit a 14/185/65 tire?

I'll do my best to check if they have tires with XL rating. Thanks for the tip!

DigitalFlu said:

Oh! I just checked the manual and the R14s do seem to have an ET35 offset (check attached image).

Did I get that right that the arches won't fit a 14/185/65 tire?

I'll do my best to check if they have tires with XL rating. Thanks for the tip!

Click to expand...

I don't know about with the 14" tyres... But pretty sure the 185 width at 15" size fouls (just) on the subframe unless the ET32 wheels are used. As it is, there is a factory 'cut out' in the subframe on the various 4x4 models I've had to ensure the 175/65's don't foul it (looks rather like an afterthought - and first time i saw it i thought it was someone's DIY job with an angle grinder!)

At 14" size I think they are only 'standard load' (82 or 84 rating). But again, at 15" and 175 width, only XL are available.

Hope this helps...

Herts Hillhopper said:

I don't know about with the 14" tyres... But pretty sure the 185 width at 15" size fouls (just) on the subframe unless the ET32 wheels are used. As it is, there is a factory 'cut out' in the subframe on the various 4x4 models I've had to ensure the 175/65's don't foul it (looks rather like an afterthought - and first time i saw it i thought it was someone's DIY job with an angle grinder!)

At 14" size I think they are only 'standard load' (82 or 84 rating). But again, at 15" and 175 width, only XL are available.

Hope this helps...

Click to expand...

It definitely did help, thank you so much for the insightful info.

Managed to finally put on Michelin energy savers of size 14/185/65. There is a slight bump in hight and the ride is way way more comfortable (could be that the old set of Good year's were just getting old). They're also quieter than the old set. Nothing seems odd, they fit without issues.

Thanks a ton Fiat Forum! One can always come here for advice and rest assured that he'll find a helping hand.