General 185/55 vs 195/50 15” tyres

[percymon]

I know there are some old threads from 7+ years ago, but thought I’d ask again what people’s experiences are with alternative tyre sizes.

The slightly wide tyre will give a smidge more kerb protection, due to the tyre wall bulge, albeit the sidewall will be 4mm lower. Tyres seems to be cheaper in the wider size too - uniroyal rainspirt 5 for instance £39 vs £49 each

I’m not too worried about fuel economy, the car won’t be doing mega miles, and a lot of short shopping trips where a cold engine will kill economy anyway. I’m more interested in whether people found the steering or road holding to change for the better or worse.

We have the same 195/50/15 on son’s fiesta and the Yokohama BluEarth ES32 we fitted to that have been fantastic, for wet and dry grip , comfort and very low noise

 

[Ralf S.]

I can't see there's any issues. The difference is about 2%. The 185/55 has a slightly higher tyre wall but if your wheel is skinny and that gives the tyre a bit more bulge, then you're right, that it will protect the rims more.

I would use an H-rated 195/50 rather than a T-rated one. It'll have firmer tyre walls, so you'll get less flex, lower heat and less likely to wear out the steering, since a wider, bulgey tyre is going to need more power to steer it at low speeds.


Ralf S.

 

[John202020]

There are some tyres that have a protruding part specifically to help prevent rim damage

 

[percymon]

Having had a full set of Pirelli P1 Verde fitted a few days ago I can vouch for the tyres and the wider footprint, the tyres have a little more sidewall bulge so a tad more kerb protection. I think the look better too, very impressed with the road holding even though they’ve yet to cover enough heat cycles and miles to scrub them in.

 

[Rocco Reviews]

Our 500 1 4 Pop came with 185 15s. Still has them. They're steel rims. The tries handle the road fine. If your car has 195s I wouldn't go to a slimmer tire (tyre), but if it has the 185s, no need to go wider. The 18s hold the road pretty well. It wouldn't affect fuel economy much at all. And around town, you might not even notice the difference.

 

[percymon]

I went from 185/55 to 195/50.

Very happy with the transformation in looks and road holding. The fact the wider tyres are 15-20% cheaper is an added bonus