Tire sizes, Buying new tires Options

[pek771]

Hi all:: I am going to the tire store tomorrow to get my wheels back from having the beater tires removed. The 185/60R15 were good enough to transport the car here from Arizona. These are EMPI 8 spoke, 5.5 W x 15 diameter. Wheels are 4 X 130, I suppose. The car is a 70, no flares, just plain old 4 cylinder config. I am putting a Hyper9 motor in it, and I expect it to come out of corners like a rocket.

What size tires can I fit in the stock wheel wells? The selection is very limited in 195/60R15. But, I can get Hoosiers in 205/50R15. Do the 205 fit? I live in Florida, and will drive the car very infrequently, so I don't care if it has DOT-R tires on it.Nor do I care of speedometer inaccuracies.

Thanks!
Pat

[BillJ]

I had proxies advans in 205 and they were great.

[Jamie]

I had proxies advans in 205 and they were great.

I've been running 205x65 Michelins on original 15x 5,5 steel rims for several years,no clearance problems after adding 1/2" spacers to the front to eliminate a minor interior rub. Diameter is almost exact match to give accurate speedometer readings.

[mate914]

Sure they will fit. I don't think they can take the weight. How much weight are you adding to car? I fell Hydrogen powered is forward thinking.
Matt (IMG:style_emoticons/default/flag.gif)

[Front yard mechanic]

205 s won't fit in Florida you will ave to move up the coast to a colder climate

[Cairo94507]

A 50 series sidewall might be a bit short in appearance. I would go with the 195x60x15 for the better look and no worries at all re rubbing.

[mmascari]

What do people run with 16" wheels? Is the 205/55/16 the correct diameter sizing for a stock configuration?

[rhodyguy]

You need to measure the back spacing on the Empis before you leap in to new tires. 205s can buldge/ballon on 5 1/2" rims. My 195s actually have 'do not mount on 5 1/2" wheels' on the side walls. What do you intend to use for axles and CV joints? How does the trans get altered?

[horizontally-opposed]

195/65R15 is a really nice size on period wheels, and has always seemed ok on 15x5.5 or 15x6 wheels (but do check tire maker's wheel recommendations).

205/60R15 felt a bit ridiculous on my 15.5s years ago, but just fine on 15x6s.

205/55R15 worked well on 15x6s. Really well. Ran them for many years, and they were "just taller enough" than 205/50R15—but I prefer taller sidewalls on these cars now.

Still trying to work up the gumption to try and sneak 215/60s in on 15x7 rears with 195/65R15s up front—which seems like an ideal setup for my car. Been done, but I wonder how much body bending and $ is gonna be involved and it just isn't a priority…

If you don't want to do bodywork or wheels, I'd stick with 185/70 or 195/65.

YMMV!

[brant]

Hoosier tires run wider than most other brands
Their attempt to cheat racing rules that specify a specific tire size

You’ll find they can be as much as an inch wider that a street tire
So the 205 in a Hoosier is not a guarantee fit and would really require a test mount before knowing if it will fit

You may need a smaller size or a pulled fender

also those wheels are not going to help with a bigger tire.
there are 2 different offsets available in those wheels as Kevin mentioned above.

one offset is really to fit the VW, and doesn't work well on a 914
you may have the better offset since you had 185's on there...

but a stock offset wheel... (similar to the stock rims) will still fit a wider tire than the empi 8 spoke wheel allows....

[pek771]

Thanks. I had Hoosiers on the old 914 racer. They worked well. But, they are indeed a bit wider than a comparative street car size tire. Hoosier only has them in 205/50R15 in the A7R7 compounds. I would ideally like some sort of tires like my old Kuhmo Victoracers.

The EMPI wheels are 5.5". I have sone old American Racing wheels which are 7" wide. I have to test the fits. I forgot the name of the American Racing wheels, but they are supposed to use some sort of funky lug bolts. I bought a 60 degree countersink to machine these wheels to accept 14 mm 60 degree lug bolts, which are readily available (the funky lug bolts, with the washers, are like hens teeth).

In this instance, I care only about grip. I want enough grip to twist my axles off. The Hyper 9 electric motor should be a torque monster. BTW, 914 box, open differential, been rebuilt. Was A-F-M-S-X. I removed the X 5th gear, and put in a stock ZD 5th, so maybe I can squeeze more range out.

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

you will have trouble fitting anything larger than 165x15 on empi wheels since they have the vw outset. You could TRY 195/60x15 but one side may rub on the outer fender lip

Hi all:: I am going to the tire store tomorrow to get my wheels back from having the beater tires removed. The 185/60R15 were good enough to transport the car here from Arizona. These are EMPI 8 spoke, 5.5 W x 15 diameter. Wheels are 4 X 130, I suppose. The car is a 70, no flares, just plain old 4 cylinder config. I am putting a Hyper9 motor in it, and I expect it to come out of corners like a rocket.

What size tires can I fit in the stock wheel wells? The selection is very limited in 195/60R15. But, I can get Hoosiers in 205/50R15. Do the 205 fit? I live in Florida, and will drive the car very infrequently, so I don't care if it has DOT-R tires on it.Nor do I care of speedometer inaccuracies.

Thanks!
Pat

[pek771]

I have both sets of wheels glass beaded and getting ready for paint. The "EMPI" wheels do not say EMPI on them anywhere. What they do say is "MAX WHEEL" The American Racing wheels say nothing of value on them. The EMPI wheels are 5.5, and the American Racing wheels are around 6" wide. The American Racing wheels are a skosh bigger. Backspace on the EMPI wheels is 3-7/8" and on the AR wheels it is 4". I'm thinking I can fit the AR wheels in the stock wells (the fenders have been rolled), and I should have a wider tire selection open to me.

[pek771]

Another picture:

[pek771]

Looks like the Kuhmo Victoracer style tires are not available in 195. I can get these Toyo's in 195/50R15. All of the good tires are in a 50 aspect ratio.
Toyo Tires Proxes R888R D.O.T. Competition Tire 195/50R15 82V PXR8R TL

[BENBRO02]

205-50s made the ride too harsh and it’s difficult to find a sticky performance tire in 205-60, so I went with 205-55s and love them. They are smaller than stock so they help acceleration and they’re sticky on dry pavement.

[pek771]

Evidently, a lot of manufacturers have zero stock on really sticky tires. I can get autocross or track tires, but my experience is that they have to run a few laps before they're warmed up. I went with some Nitto Neo Gens, in 205/50R15, which were highly recommended. They should be OK for now.I will have to wait for Toyo or Kuhmo to ramp up production again.