Yet another tire question, 195-55-15 Options

[Robnxious]

Yes, I know they will fit on a narrow body, that's not my question. My question is, if you have gone to the lower profile tire, how did you like it? How much does this lower the car as well, since I already scrap coming out the driveway, and just now went and bought one of those Bridjit curb ramps. I plan on also adding Mark's fiberglass airdam on it too. So basically my questions are

1) I know you get better handling due to less tire sway, but how is the ride compared to a higher profile tire? I have never driven on low profiles, and think they would look and perform nicely, but haven't heard (or remember reading) about people who have the lower profile tires. I think the 195s are the biggest I can fit in there from what I have seen, and I sort of like the narrow body look.

2) Will they make the car so low that clearance is a major issue? Does no good to lower the go kart down further if I can't get over one of Sacramento's MANY speed bumps

Thanks

[ThreeV8s]

I picked up a set of Firestone Firehawk AS tires today. These are one of a small group of "high performance all season" tires in 195/65 R15 and the reviews are pretty good. Most in this size are touring, grand touring, etc.

I'm bringing this up because they are already inexpensive at $68/tire at the local firestone, but there is a $60 rebate right now on a set of 4 and a $100 rebate if you use a firestone credit card by Nov 12th. Normally I get tires from tire rack, but it made more sense in this case to pick them up locally. I will post a review once they're on the car. I can't imagine that just about anything in this size (with a speed rating of h or better) wouldn't be a huge improvement over the 165/80 tires that came with the car.

[GregAmy]

I picked up a set of Firestone Firehawk AS tires today. These are one of a small group of "high performance all season" tires in 195/65 R15 and the reviews are pretty good. Most in this size are touring, grand touring, etc.

Exactly what I did end of September, except I went with 195/60-15. Local Firestone dealer matched Tire Rack's price and had me in and out quickly for around $330. Posted the following review on Tire Rack:

"Softer-sidewall tires than the BFGs I replaced; I could immediately feel the increased flex and slower transition during steering input. However, once they take a set there's not a lot of squirm, they're pretty stable. On the plus side, the ride is noticeably smoother and less harsh, so for a spirited street car this is a good compromise. Let's see how well they work out after some serious miles!"

[ThreeV8s]

I picked up a set of Firestone Firehawk AS tires today. These are one of a small group of "high performance all season" tires in 195/65 R15 and the reviews are pretty good. Most in this size are touring, grand touring, etc.

Exactly what I did end of September, except I went with 195/60-15. Local Firestone dealer matched Tire Rack's price and had me in and out quickly for around $330. Posted the following review on Tire Rack:

"Softer-sidewall tires than the BFGs I replaced; I could immediately feel the increased flex and slower transition during steering input. However, once they take a set there's not a lot of squirm, they're pretty stable. On the plus side, the ride is noticeably smoother and less harsh, so for a spirited street car this is a good compromise. Let's see how well they work out after some serious miles!"

So that was you...I was hoping it was someone on the forum that might chime in.

Are you still happy with them?

I was truly hesitant to let them do the mounting and balancing for fear of them lifting the car incorrectly or screwing it up while behind the wheel, so I am taking them to a different shop. Glad it worked out for you.

[GregAmy]

So that was you...I was hoping it was someone on the forum that might chime in.

Are you still happy with them?

I was hesitant to let them do the mounting and balancing for fear of them lifting the car incorrectly or screwing it up while behind the wheel, so I am taking them to a different shop. Glad it worked out for you.

I am still happy with the tires after 1500 miles or so. I tend to like a really "tight" car with quick response - I'm used to racing FWD cars with 1800#/in rear springs and big bars - and these Firestones are markedly less responsive than the BFGs. But I still think the compromise in ride quality is worth it.They ride better on the highway, are quieter, and even my wife noticed the improved smoothness, so it's all a plus.

I'll tell ya, I was worried about leaving a 43-yr-old car with Fuchs and walking away to go to work, mostly because I thought they might tear them or the center caps up. But I've gotten stuff from this Firestone shop in the past (couple sets of tires for the Excursion) and they did a good job. I did re-check the torque and it was slightly over-tight, but otherwise no marks on the wheels or caps. Underside looks fine.