Technical Seicento 195/45's on 14x5.5j's?

[ronnieronson]

I know this has been discussed before - read several posts...

...however - what is the real deal? is this a dangerous size to go for?

the wheels in question are 14 x 5.5 and the car is on standard suspension (which is how it is staying for now).

195's seem to be sooooo much cheaper than 185/50's

been on rochford tyres and their calculator reports that 195's are no good for a 5.5j wheel... anyone running that combo?

 

[fingers99]

Everyone who deals in tyres will tell you the same: don't fit them. The recommended width for 195 (the ideal) is 6.5J, so 5.5J is pushing it and some.

 

[chaos]

It was Aaron (IIRC) who posted a link to Bridgestone's site saying 195 width tyres should not be fitted to 5.5J wheels.

 

[rallycinq]

If you think about it, 195mm is the width of the tread, which is over 7 and a half inches in old money.

If the rim is 5.5 inches wide, then the tyre is over 2 inches wider than the tread.

When you add this to a sidewall thats just over three inches high, then the tyre is not going to sit right and in a cornering situation, the wheel will flex the sidewall, possibly to the point of breaking the bead.

I think 175/50 is standard, 185 is pushing it a bit, but 195 is not on.

Cheers

D

 

[randomizered]

Yep, both one extreme and the other are no good.


A stretched tyre will have very little sidewall movement so grip will be affected and life reduced.


An overly wide tyre will have a lot of sidewall movement. This means the car can move far to much over the contact area of the tyre. These pulling forces heat and prematurely age the tyre, and I imagine could make it more likly for the beading to come off the rim if subjected to some very harsh turns.


These are extremes and you may be fine....others have done it and been ok, but steering/brakes/wheels are the most important of the lot. I'd rather not run that risk. Rapid deflation of a blowout on a sei will not be much fun at speed.

Kristian

 

[ronnieronson]

If you think about it, 195mm is the width of the tread, which is over 7 and a half inches in old money.

If the rim is 5.5 inches wide, then the tyre is over 2 inches wider than the tread.

When you add this to a sidewall thats just over three inches high, then the tyre is not going to sit right and in a cornering situation, the wheel will flex the sidewall, possibly to the point of breaking the bead.

I think 175/50 is standard, 185 is pushing it a bit, but 195 is not on.

Cheers

D

lol - I hadn't thought about it like that

:worship:

so 185/50's it is then

 

[balidey]

I have heard of 3 people on here running 195/45r14 on 5.5j rims.

I have them (Toyo Proxes) on my 6 inch rims, so the difference between the 5.5 rim and 6 rim is 1/2 inch, or 1/4 inch per side, which is a shade over 6mm. Doesn't look much and my tyres on my rims don't look to be at the limit of fitting. Especially when you compare it to the 'dub' cars where the tyres are massivly stretched to fit the rim.

I 'think' I might get some 195/45r14s to go on my spare set of alloys (5.5 wide) and see how they look and feel, if they are no good then they can be used on my 6" wheels eventually.

 

[ronnieronson]

I have heard of 3 people on here running 195/45r14 on 5.5j rims.

I have them (Toyo Proxes) on my 6 inch rims, so the difference between the 5.5 rim and 6 rim is 1/2 inch, or 1/4 inch per side, which is a shade over 6mm. Doesn't look much and my tyres on my rims don't look to be at the limit of fitting. Especially when you compare it to the 'dub' cars where the tyres are massivly stretched to fit the rim.

I 'think' I might get some 195/45r14s to go on my spare set of alloys (5.5 wide) and see how they look and feel, if they are no good then they can be used on my 6" wheels eventually.

wouldn't it be 1/2 and inch per corner difference

 

[balidey]

one wheel is 5.5 inches wide, one wheel is 6 inches wide. the difference between the wheels is half an inch in total. So if you put the two wheels in line along their centreline then the 6 inch wheel would be a quarter of an inch further out on each side of the wheel. See attached sketch.

I'm not saying 6mm is acceptable, just that its not much.

 

[ronnieronson]

one wheel is 5.5 inches wide, one wheel is 6 inches wide. the difference between the wheels is half an inch in total. So if you put the two wheels in line along their centreline then the 6 inch wheel would be a quarter of an inch further out on each side of the wheel. See attached sketch.

I'm not saying 6mm is acceptable, just that its not much.

ah sorry - thought you meant per side of the car, as opposed to per side of the wheel...

 

[paulbfd]

FWIW, I ran them on my Sei with no problems.

 

[fingers99]

It's worth considering what the insurance would say were you involved in a serious accident.

 

[ycming]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....Track=true&ssPageName=VIP:Watchlink:middle:uk


these rims on are 13 inch 5.5j, and running 185/60, are those tyres recommended ??

And r they cheaper options compared to the 165/55 ??

thanks
Ming

 

[ycming]

and with 13inch and 5j wheel , will i be really restricted on tyre size?

Thanks
Ming

 

[fingers99]

and with 13inch and 5j wheel , will i be really restricted on tyre size?

Thanks
Ming

It depends what you want, but essentially, yes. Looking through the Bridgestone catalogue I can find 175/50 and 185/50 (no doubt there are more higher profile ones). But for a quality tyre in those sizes you'll pay through the nose.