tire noob question..what's the widest tire size can run on stock 15"s?

[detroiter]

I am a completely noob when it comes to tires, sizes, etc. It really all makes no sense to me. I tried reading the ultimate guide sticky but I really couldn't grasp it at all!

I'm looking to replace my tires but with something a bit wider then the 185/60/15's. I'd like something a little wider instead of having pizza cutter tires. I'd just like to know what is a good replacement size for the stock 15" rims. I'm at stock height right now as well but I may be putting on TRD lowering springs with Tokico blues, just to take into consideration. So I'll need something that will be good for stock height and also if I decide to throw those suspension parts on. Thanks in advance!


One other question while I'm on the topic of replacing my tires is it seems all of my tires are wearing fine but the outter edges on my rear tires are balding, none of the other tires have that problem. I had an alignment done not too long ago and the rears were within spec, so not really sure what's going on. Anyone have a clue?

[supmet]

One other question while I'm on the topic of replacing my tires is it seems all of my tires are wearing fine but the outter edges on my rear tires are balding, none of the other tires have that problem. I had an alignment done not too long ago and the rears were within spec, so not really sure what's going on. Anyone have a clue?

Do you rotate your tires????

And you should be able to fit 195/55/15 or 205/55/15 without much of a problem

[WeeYari]

If your stock wheels are 15x5.5, then anything over 195 might look too fat for the wheel.

[detroiter]

I do rotate my tires, but why on earth would the rear tires outer edges wear but not the front tires outer edges?


I was thinking about the 195 width, how much wider is that then the 185's, like inch wise?

[SailDesign]

I do rotate my tires, but why on earth would the rear tires outer edges wear but not the front tires outer edges?


I was thinking about the 195 width, how much wider is that then the 185's, like inch wise?

Um, usually the edges of the tire wear faster when the pressure is too low. To get only the outsdie to wear, with correct alignment, you may be just having too much fun in the corners, on slightly underinflated tires. :iono:185 and 195 are the tread widths in millimetres, so it is 10mm wider (0.4")

[detroiter]

It's quite possible I've been having much too fun with the corners :( Would that be a cause to have only the rear tires edges to wear?

I'm curious as well about size 205, is that much to big for stock rims? And if not, would it cause a problem when I put the TRD springs and Tokicos on?


Appreciate everyones help, I'm learning as I go and I'm definately learning stuff from you guys!

[supmet]

It's quite possible I've been having much too fun with the corners :( Would that be a cause to have only the rear tires edges to wear?

Yes. Your front tires turn, your rear tires drag. And on a hard turn, your dragging the outside of the rear tire the most. That's why I asked if you rotated too. If I wait too long, I notice the rears starting to get worn on the edges, but if I rotate and balance every 5k I don't notice any uneven wear at all.

[detroiter]

Ok so I'm deciding on 195's because for some reason, the tires are much cheaper then the 185's. What I need to know is besides the 195, what size of tirewall should I run. should I go 60, 55? And will this tire size throw off the spedometer at all?

[TitaniumBarbell]

Take an Before and after pics when you change the setup.

[detroiter]

Bump for my question up above ^^

[TheYaris05]

I have found a sw for tire calculations (TyreComp1.3) it looks nice to me the good thing is that it is downloadable and can be used offline here is the download link

http://rapidshare.com/files/220842933/TyreComp1.3.zip.html

[thebarber]

http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

[anonymous user]

Rim Width Range

Because tires have flexible sidewalls, a single tire size will fit on a variety of rim widths. A tire's rim width range identifies the narrowest to the widest rim widths that the tire is designed to fit. The width of the rim will influence the width of the tire. A tire mounted on a narrow rim would be "narrower" than if the same size tire was mounted on a wide rim. NOTE: Because the overall diameter of a steel belted radial is determined by the steel belts, there is little, if any, change to the overall diameter of the tire due to differences in rim width.

The industry rule of thumb is that for every 1/2" change in rim width, the tire's section width will correspondingly change by approximately 2/10".

For example: a tire in the P205/60R15 size is measured on a 6.0" wide wheel and this size tire has an approved rim width range from 5.5" to 7.5" wide. The tire has a section width of 8.23" (209mm) when mounted on a 6.0" wide wheel. If that tire were mounted on all of the rims within its range, the tire's approximate section width would change as follows:
Difference from
Measuring Rim Rim
Width Approximate Tire
section width
0.5" narrower 5.5" 8.03"
Measuring Rim 6.0" 8.23"
0.5" wider 6.5" 8.43"
1.0" wider 7.0" 8.63"
1.5" wider 7.5" 8.83"


Because of the different wheel widths used in the above example, there is a 8/10" projected difference in tire section width when comparing a tire mounted on the narrowest rim to the widest rim within its range. This may affect fenderwell and frame clearances when selecting optional aftermarket wheel and tire packages

Additionally, some vehicle manufacturers and tire companies have permitted rim widths that are not within the tire's original approved rim width range. For example: BMW has combined 235/40R17 sized tires on 17x7.5" rims (which are 0.5" less than the narrowest 8.0" wide rim listed for the size) on certain M3 models; and Chevrolet has combined P255/50R16 sized tires on optional 16x9.5" rims (which are 0.5" wider than the 9.0" wide rim now listed for the size) on certain Corvette models. While these applications have received the approval of the vehicle and tire manufacturers, staying within the approved rim width range helps assure that the tire's internal stresses are within its design parameters.

Measuring Rim Width

The measuring rim width is the industry standardized rim width upon which the tire must be mounted in order to confirm it meets its dimensional targets. Because the width of the rim will influence the width of the tire, a standard rim width for every tire size is assigned and must be used. This standardized measuring rim width allows all of the tires produced around the world to meet the same dimensional standards and therefore, be equivalent with regards to their physical size. The measuring rim width is sometimes referred to as the tire's "design rim width".

The assigned measuring rim width changes with the tire size's section width and with the tire size's aspect ratio. As tire section width increases, the measuring rim width increases proportionately in 1/2" increments. Therefore, relatively narrow wheel widths are assigned for smaller tires while wider wheel widths are assigned for larger tires.
Tire Size

Measuring
Rim Width
P175/75R14 5.0"
P195/75R15 5.5"
P215/75R15 6.0"
P235/75R15 6.5"


Additionally, relatively "narrow" measuring wheel widths are assigned for taller profile tires (75-series sizes) which graduate in 1/2" increments to the wider wheel widths assigned for lower profile tires (40-series sizes)

Tire Size

Measuring
Rim Width
P225/75R15 6.0"
P225/70R15 6.5"
P225/65R16 6.5"
P225/60R15 6.5"
P225/55R15 7.0"
P225/50R15 7.0"
P225/45R17 7.5"
P225/40R18 8.0"


Section Width

A tire's section width (also called "cross section width") is the measurement of the tire's width from its inner sidewall to its outer sidewall (excluding any protective ribs, decorations or raised letters) at the widest point. This measurement is made without any load placed upon the tire and after the tire has been properly mounted on its industry assigned measuring rim and has been inflated and reset to its test pressure after 24 hours.

Because a tire's section width is influenced by the width of the rim upon which the tire is mounted, the correct industry assigned measuring rim width for the tire size being measured must be used.

The width of a tire mounted on a narrow rim would be "narrower" than if the same tire was mounted on a wide rim. NOTE: because the overall diameter of a steel belted radial is determined by the steel belts, there is little, if any, change to the overall diameter of the tire due to differences in rim width.

The industry rule of thumb is that for every 1/2" change in rim width, the tire's section width will correspondingly change by approximately 2/10".

For example: a tire in the P205/60R15 size is measured on a 6.0" wide wheel and this size tire has an approved rim width range from 5.5" to 7.5" wide. The tire has a section width of 8.23" (209mm) when mounted on a 6.0" wide wheel. If that tire were mounted on all of the rims within its approved range, the tire's approximate section width would change as follows:
Difference from
Measuring Rim Rim
Width Approximate Tire
section width
0.5" narrower 5.5" 8.03"
Measuring Rim 6.0" 8.23"
0.5" wider 6.5" 8.43"
1.0" wider 7.0" 8.63"
1.5" wider 7.5" 8.93"


Because of the different wheel widths used in the above example, there is a 9/10" projected difference in tire section width when comparing a tire mounted on the narrowest rim to the widest rim within its range. This may affect fenderwell and frame clearances when selecting optional aftermarket wheel and tire packages

Tread Width

The tread width is the distance between the outer edge and the inner edge of the tread of a new tire. However today's radial tires often feature tread designs that incorporate rounded shoulders and there is no industry standard pertaining to "how much" of the rounded shoulders should be included in the tread width measurement. Because of this, it is difficult to accurately compare the tread width differences of one tire brand to another. Tread width measurements are best used when comparing the various tire sizes or lines manufactured by a single tire manufacturer. Several tire manufacturers have chosen not to publish tread width dimensions.

Overall Diameter

A tire's overall diameter is the outer diameter of the tire measured in the center of the tread. This measurement is made without any load placed upon the tire and after the tire has been properly mounted on its industry assigned measuring rim and has been inflated and reset to its test pressure after 24 hours.

Revolutions Per Mile

The revolutions per mile indicates the number of times the tire revolves while it covers the distance of one mile. Depending on the tire manufacturer, revolutions per mile may be either measured in a laboratory or derived from a calculation based on previous test experience.

Country of Origin

Although regularly updated, the country of origin for any tire may vary from the country shown here. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate requests for tires with a specific country of origin.
Max Load

Max. Inflation Pressure

Tread Depth

Rim Width Range

Measuring Rim Width

Section Width

Tread Width

Overall Diameter

Revs Per Mile

[supmet]

^^ You could have just posted a link

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tirespecskey.jsp

[anonymous user]

^^ Yeah, but many people on here are lazy, and so i just went directly to the good stuff.

[matthewai]

hey does any one have pics with these sizes
195/55/15
205/55/15
185/60/15 (stock)

[Blue Beast]

Pictured here with original stock rubber and new, TRD lowering springs, TRD sport shocks and TRD sway bar, along with 15x6.5 motegi racing MR121 rims, the same size as stock steel wheels.
I just upgraded stock rubber to 205/55 15 and they are only 0.55% diameter difference to the stock 185/60 15 and it is said that as long as you stay within 3.0 percent all is well. These tires
as you can see using the tire calculator link “thebarber” was kind enough to have posted earlier are very close in circumference but wider and fit great with lowered suspension! The calculator
allows you to put in the stock size and then up to four additional sizes to compare different size spec’s, very helpful!

http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp?action=submit

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

^ yours look too good on the 6.5 rim you haz

OP wants to see what a 205 or 195 looks like on a 5.5 inch rim
to check how fat the sidewall will look (I am guessing?)

[matthewai]

i have stock steelies and just went from a 185/60 to 195/55 i dont think it throws off the speedo and its a subtle difference look wise but you can kinda tell its a little wider obvi. but feel wise it seems alot more stable and better grip when taking turns in my opinion, overall im happy. i also have 19mm rear sway bar and mi springs

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

i have stock steelies and just went from a 185/60 to 195/55 i dont think it throws off the speedo and its a subtle difference look wise but you can kinda tell its a little wider obvi. but feel wise it seems alot more stable and better grip when taking turns in my opinion, overall im happy. i also have 19mm rear sway bar and mi springs

your speedo will read 1.2 percent too fast on 195/55 vs 185/60

actual speed 59.3 speedo reads 60



http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tirecalc.php

[kimona]

(QUOTE=A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby;616875]your speedo will read 1.2 percent too fast on 195/55 vs 185/60

actual speed 59.3 speedo reads 60)






This would be true if the speedo were acurate out of the box with the 185/60/15's... but it isn't.

I went from 185/60/15's to 205/50/16's (1.5% taller) and now my speedo is dead on!

Anyway, if you don't plan to drop the car, I would recommend replacing the 185/60's with 195/60's (2% taller) or 205/55's (0.7% taller). They'll fit the stock steel wheels comfortably and safely.

[rufnnek]

195 will make your car look normal on the other hand 205 will make it look like it has more muscle.

[Blue Beast]

Thanks, I thought my steel wheels were 6.5 but you are absolutely correct. I do then have to agree A-Dingo the 205's might not look right on the stock wheels even though the tire calculator from the link above putting in 205/55 tire size it says it takes a Rim Width Range of: 5.5 - 7.5 in and Rim Width Range of: 5 - 6.5 for 185/60's. I guess my stock rubber when switched to the 6.5 Motegi rims performing so much better was a result of how they were seated on the wider rim, those GY tires were great for a while.