Technical Upgrading Tyre Sizes

[MadMan0]

Looking to upgrade the tyres on my mk1 punto 55 s.
Currently 155/70 R13 75T

Been looking at:
185/60 R13
165/65 R13
175/60 R13

Will the 185's fit the punto? or will they rub the arches / liners?

I'm after wider tyres as the 155's lost grip on a roundabout doing less pace then everyone else, The tyres currently fitted almost 11 months old, 8.6mm tread on them. They had been fine up to this point.


Any advice on tyres? I'm after grip and low road noise

 

[blu73]

what size are your wheels? as in what width are they?

 

[fostertom]

Can you get 14" wheels from scrapyard, as on ELX models?

 

[MadMan0]

what size are your wheels? as in what width are they?

I have no idea sorry.
How would i find out? i suspect it's close to 155 as the tyres don't stick our form the rim except in the middle of the tyre wall. +5mm either side?

 

[blu73]

stock steelies??

 

[MadMan0]

stock steelies??

No, they are 13" ATP alloys? standard looking alloys
Sold as fiat Lancia Alloys,

 

[blu73]

well it will say somewhere on them but i'm gonna hazard a guess they a 5.5". 185's should be perfect

 

[fostertom]

185 but you gotta say what aspect ratio - 65? 60?

 

[Caravadossi]

No, they are 13" ATP alloys? standard looking alloys
Sold as fiat Lancia Alloys,
View attachment 106299

Looks like Debica (Passio 2?) tyres – a bit too `yellow’ label …

http://www.bettertyres.org.uk/_uploads/buying-better-tyres/summer tyre list.pdf

120807

 

[blu73]

185 but you gotta say what aspect ratio - 65? 60?

mmm, i'm be tempted to go with 55 tbh, but I never really bought many 13" tyres so i don't know what the common and cheaper sizes are. defo 60 over 65.

this is a handy tool though for such decisions.. http://www.etyres.co.uk/tyre-size-calculator.htm

 

[fostertom]

It's not a free choice, 55, 60, 65 ... you have to calc it otherwise your gearing (and speedo reading) will be affected.

 

[blu73]

did you click the link??

Tbh i've never been bothered about that anyway, car speedo's aren't that accurate anyway. My old cinq had a much bigger rolling radius than a normal one and it actually ended up making the speedo more accurate as they always under-read anyway. But yes, technically your right.. 55 would make it closest to what it is now but we don't know that the tyres on it are the original size (well some of you that have had one on 13" wheels might do but i have no clue at this point what the original tyre would have been)

 

[Ryholl]

I have 195/50 R15
they don't rub or anything i have normal suspension

 

[blu73]

i wouldn't worry about rubbing, it won't rub on any of the sizes that will fit your wheels..

 

[MadMan0]

It's not a free choice, 55, 60, 65 ... you have to calc it otherwise your gearing (and speedo reading) will be affected.

Looking to upgrade the tyres on my mk1 punto 55 s.
Currently 155/70 R13 75T

Been looking at:
185/60 R13
165/65 R13
175/60 R13

185/60 gives the smallest difference in size so is the choice i've been looking at

 

[MadMan0]

Looks like Debica (Passio 2?) tyres – a bit too `yellow’ label …

http://www.bettertyres.org.uk/_uploads/buying-better-tyres/summer tyre list.pdf

120807

Yup, the tyres were Passio 2 tyres, which have lasted for ever (still on the rear)
I refurbished all the alloys in met Black last year, Only just finished the 4th as i run out of summer holidays last year

Tyres were swapped to General Altimax RT 155/70 R13


These were great, i was unable to spin the wheels due to the grip forwards or back, sadly though going around corners they did slip quite a bit. I've been trying different psi to try to get some more out of them, 31psi seems to work best.

But more recently in the wet they have lost there performance ~ 3,000 miles

 

[MadMan0]

I have 195/50 R15
they don't rub or anything i have normal suspension

Thanks for your post, sums everything up Do they stick out of the wheel arches? My car gets heavily loaded every now and again meaning the tyres sit under the rear arches on mine.

 

[Caravadossi]

Yup, the tyres were Passio 2 tyres, which have lasted for ever (still on the rear) ... swapped to General Altimax RT 155/70 R13

I find Punto rear tyres are more likely to perish with old age before wearing out. The Passio 2 is a summer tyre – the Altimax RT an all-season tyre. Although you may argue that your disadvantage in the roundabout was due to the size – what other elements are there?

I’d look at the performance envelope of the tyre rather than the size. A poor quality 185/60R13 may have a negative effect in contrast to a good quality 155/70R13 … & there’s no need to go premium tier over it.

I’d look thro your `possibles’ list & check-out the cost & availability. Somewhere in there they’ll be a common size that 50+ manufacturers offer – in contrast to the handful that do 185/60R13!

I had a Punto with 165/70R14 as OE fit. I changed to 175/65R14 – one of the most common sizes available. The OE size would have cost more & 185/60R14 were 12% more.

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54 Punto 1.2/8v (175/65R14 Fulda EcoControl)