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TR4/4A Tires on the TR4

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KVH

KVH

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Sorry, here we go again:

After much research, I've concluded that there simply are not that many great options for new tires on the 5.5 inch wheels I'm contemplating. If I want to stay with the stock tire, or virtually that same size, Vredesteins are great, and Nexens look fine, too. However, I like the look of a slightly wider tire.

That means I'm looking at 185s and 195s. Other than Vredestein which will cost over $700 after mounting and balancing, I would turn to the major brands (which I kind of prefer) like Pirelli, Sumitumo, Michelin, Kumho, Goodyear, Dunlop, Bridgestone, etc.

So, here's my question. All of those tires in the 195 width, which is fairly well recommended, including by Moss, are only 25 inches in diameter, which is .6 inches less than stock. That means higher RPMs and an inaccurate speedometer. Also, I imagine the appearance might suffer (maybe wide and squatty looking).

Opinions? I hate to just toss in the towel and spend more money). Thanks, all.
 
Kentvillehound said:
are only 25 inches in diameter, which is .6 inches less than stock.
Click to expand...
Which is only about 2%. That means at 70 mph indicated, you will only be doing 68.4 mph.

Somehow, I doubt your speedometer is that accurate to begin with.
 
Hi Mark, I use 195/65/15 H rated directional tires on my TR-3. Seems to be the same diameter as 165/15 and have noticed no difference in driving except that it corners alot better. No more screeching when I corner, more rubber on the ground, safer. I have them mounted on 5.5 inch wide wheels. Bill C. Mesa, Az.
 
Yes, that's the way I'm headed. I like Bridgestones and Sumitomos in that size. Bridgestone Potenza weighs 25 pounds, adn Sumitomo about 18 pounds. I'd think the lighter tire might be better for any LBC, but as always I'm open to the real experts here.
 
Are those weights from the mfg's specs or are you looking at shipping weight used by retailers? Just wondered because 7 lbs per tire sounds like a big difference.
 
I have Potenzas (in fact I need to go get a pair of them mounted for the project TR3), and they are kind of heavy. OTOH, they grip the road better than anything else I've found, and the roads around here are smooth enough that I don't think a little extra weight will make that much difference.

According to the TireRack web site, a 195/65-15 Potenza weighs 21 pounds, while a Sumitomo HTR200 in that size weighs 20 pounds.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?m...romCompare1=yes
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?m...romCompare1=yes
 
Actually, I was looking at the Potenza G019 Grid tire that shows 25 pounds. On the Sumitomos, I was looking at the HTR H4 which is for less of a load, being an 89 instead of a 91. It weighs 19 pounds, so there's quite a difference. Maybe I'm not looking at the appropriate tires for either, but I was assuming that an H Speed and 89 load is a decent way to go.

In looking at the Potenza "Pole Position," it does look like a better tire.
 
the General tire altimax hp is 18lbs. FYI
 
Hi Mark, I bought the General tires, HR 195/65/15, directional, put them on my white TR-3 for the BEAT Rally, went back the next weel and bought another set for another car. Bill C. Mesa,Az.
 
I just put Fuzion's HRI's on my TR4,195/60/15.It was like I added power steering after taking off the old Potenza's.About $240 delivered to my door.
 
I recently bought a used Saab 9-5 Aero that had Fuzion HRIs on it with good tread. Trouble was all 4 were badly splitting (3 inch plus length) and flaking on the inside sidewall and had to be replaced; I had spotted this and factored it into the price. One - possibly curbed, two - careless driver, but all 4 - no way. Obviously, a more powerful car, but I will never have those dangerous pieces of junk on any of my cars again. Also, the HRIs were very noisy with the Saab setup.

Just one observers opinion, FWIW.
 
TRDejaVu said:
I recently bought a used Saab 9-5 Aero that had Fuzion HRIs on it with good tread. Trouble was all 4 were badly splitting
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How old were they? I've seen exactly the same thing with my old BS Potenzas (probably over 10 years by now); but to my mind it is a safety feature. Far better to have the tread look awful to tell you the tire is too old to be used, than to have it look fine until it fails.
 
The car is an 04 and had 58K when I bought it in June. They had reasonable tread left so I doubt if they were original.
 
the recommended life of a tire, regardless of wear, is 5 years. The reason being is that the rubber ages and is no longer considered optimal. Tire companys will all say this because of liability. If you push your tires hard all the time then i wouldn't keep them for more than 5 years but they probably won't last that long anyways if you push them (depending on mileage).
R
 
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