Confused about 15" wheels

[DanPaul7]

I have always liked smaller wheels and i'm thinking of putting some 15" ones on and getting shot of the 17" cup ones but i'm confused about a few things. Can I just go straight ahead and change wheel size without any ramifications?
I know that the speedo will read slow so will that be easy to correct and is there any disadvantage to having smaller wheels?

 

[JE_GT]

I changed up to 16" from 15" with no problems other than speedo reading but that doesnt bother me

 

[DanPaul7]

Glad I wasn't wrong about that, worried I was going to look a little stupid then lol
It's not really something I would want to leave wrong as it would annoy me to know end just knowing it's not reading properly... Is there any way to fix it?

 

[JE_GT]

I'd imagine a garage could recalibrate it?

 

[DanPaul7]

Yeah I guess they probably could, was hoping for something I could do myself though :lol:

 

[waitey]

Will be fine but a 50 profile should level out the speed difference maybe?

 

[singlespeed]

195/55/15 or 195/50/15 will both be simillar to the original sized 195/40/17 tyres. The 55's are slightly taller so will under read a bit -1.29%, whilst the 50's are 6mm smaller sidewalls and will over read by 2%*

*So a fully worn 195/40/17 will be verrrry similar size to a new 195/50/15

 

[JE_GT]

Neil you are such a geek lol.

 

[Chicken]

For working out speedo differences between old new tyre just use this site. It works out Neil's mumbo jumbo for you and tells you what speed you'll actually be doing compared to what the speedo reads.

https://www.csgnetwork.com/speedocalibcalc.html

 

[DanPaul7]

Haha so confusing... thanks guys

 

[Oliver]

Why not 205/50R15? You get some nice rubber in this size, too....


https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/texas-toasted-tires-part-1/

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/texas-toasted-tires-part-2/

 

[madmatt]

I believe the price difference between 205/50R15 and 195/50R15 is VERY considerable...
Enough to make me go for the latter.

As people have said, slight speedo variance and potential for a larger side wall (in a 195/55) to flex more under hard driving.

Benefits however - cheaper tyres, lighter wheels

 

[Araf]

On my Wind, I changed from 205/40-17 to 205/50-15. Wheels and tyres are fine, and the speedo calibration is as good as it was before (they are never exact).

I don't remember that I paid a lot for my Uniroyals....

 

[user 980]

On my Wind, I changed from 205/40-17 to 205/50-15. Wheels and tyres are fine, and the speedo calibration is as good as it was before (they are never exact.

No rubbing at all? Or do they fit perfectly

 

[DanPaul7]

I believe the price difference between 205/50R15 and 195/50R15 is VERY considerable...
Enough to make me go for the latter.

This is exactly my thinking, I would like to have cheaper tyres and slightly worse handling since this car will see a fair few miles.
When I change to 15", which I will probably do once my current tyres need replacement, I will be using 195/50R15. Can anybody suggest some tyres in this size? Would like to know a good compromise between price and performance.

 

[Araf]

On my Wind, I changed from 205/40-17 to 205/50-15. Wheels and tyres are fine, and the speedo calibration is as good as it was before (they are never exact.

No rubbing at all? Or do they fit perfectly

I think the Wind has a bit more room in the arches than a Twingo. Certainly looks like the car was designed for bigger wheels with a bigger rolling radius.

The wheels I got were Renault F1 by Oz for the Mk2 Clio, so they have a 50mm offset, and fit perfectly.

 

[Araf]

I believe the price difference between 205/50R15 and 195/50R15 is considerable...
Enough to make me go for the latter.

This is exactly my thinking, I would like to have cheaper tyres and slightly worse handling since this car will see a fair few miles.
When I change to 15", which I will probably do once my current tyres need replacement, I will be using 195/50R15. Can anybody suggest some tyres in this size? Would like to know a good compromise between price and performance.

I'm a great fan of the Uniroyal Rainsport 2. Brilliant grip, wet or dry, and pretty durable.

195/50-15 is £33.25 each. 205/50-15 is £56.70

 

[MovingShadow]

On my Wind, I changed from 205/40-17 to 205/50-15. Wheels and tyres are fine, and the speedo calibration is as good as it was before (they are never exact.

No rubbing at all? Or do they fit perfectly

I think the Wind has a bit more room in the arches than a Twingo. Certainly looks like the car was designed for bigger wheels with a bigger rolling radius.

The wheels I got were Renault F1 by Oz for the Mk2 Clio, so they have a 50mm offset, and fit perfectly.

Twingo RS might look smaller because of the fenders overhanging the wheelarch.
If you'd take the fenders away, I think they're equally as big.

Hmm makes me thinking, instead of breaking your head over too wide wheels or too deep dished.. stick some fenders on the Wind, RWB style and your options become.. larger?? :mrgreen:

 

[DanPaul7]

So now I got 195 50 15 wheels what should my tyre pressures be?
Gone for 35psi front and 31 psi rear for now but does anyone know any better?

 

[singlespeed]

That would depend on the load rating as well as the size.

On the side wall, there will be a number (around 80-85) as part of the size and speed rating- something like 195/50/15 82V