lower profile front tyres than rear?

The Running Man

The Running Man

The Running Man

Caporegime
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so after 48k miles i reckon my tyres are due for a change:)

im wondering though would i get away with say a 205/16/45 on the front and a 205/16/50 on the rear?

is this legal? would it have any positive or adverse effects on the car or its handling?

im thinking khumos U41 or whatever the cheapies are or some Eagle F1 or Falken 452 or vredesteins.

car is FWD btw.
 
It's legal, although there's not much in the way of tyre legislation other than they have to be black and round. What price difference are we talking here?
 
You'll reduce the grip slightly at the front with the smaller tyre so may make it understeer. If it is FWD you probably do not want to do this.

There are no legal problems. I have much smaller tyres at the front.
 
price doesnt bother me to within £10 a tyre or whatever. anything has to be better than my existing roundels.

i want a strong sidewall grippy tyre as currently i get wheel spin in 1/2/ gear on a slight uphill in the damp. and thats with TC a non lead right foot and also only approx 120lb/torqx
 
You'll reduce the grip slightly at the front with the smaller tyre so may make it understeer. If it is FWD you probably do not want to do this.
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i was under the impression that i would be altering the weight at the front so more weight on front wheel and therefore more grip? (simplistic i know:)) but because the width was the same front and back just a smaller side profile it would be same surface contact area just with more weight distribution to the nose/
 
You need to try and keep the rolling radius the same, what about 215/45/16?

Not sure its worth changing though, your problems might be simply down to a poor tyre, what do you have at the moment?
 
My old e38 & Series was RWD but had lower profile on the rears rather than the front as the OP's asking, don't honestly know if it makes a great difference or not....
 
R420LA6X2/4MNA said:
My old e38 & Series was RWD but had lower profile on the rears rather than the front as the OP's asking, don't honestly know if it makes a great difference or not....
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But it didn't though, as it had WIDER rears than fronts.

a 35 profile 255 wide tyre is similar to that of a 40 profile 225 width tyre (less than 1mm diameter difference).
 
profile is a %age of tyre width so 205/45 and 205/50 tyres will be the same width. (tyre width can also be affected by the width of the rim they are fitted to)

a 205/40/16 will have a 1cm smaller sidewall than a 205/50/16 and will reduce your speedo reading by 3% (by 2mph when now reading 60)

a 225/45/16 will be an exact match in terms of sidewall thinkness and overall tyre circumference, but you will need to consider if your wheel is able to accept the wider tyre and if there will any interference with the outer/inner arch and suspension.

have a play on here with the calulator to see the effects of different tyre sizes:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

in terms of the effect of a smaller sidewall:

should be stiffer so less flex
will actually make the car lower
will increase the amount of shock transferred to the suspension / car from the road surface
will be pretty bad for any mechanical 4wd car as the centre diff will be constantly working to overcome the speed difference between the f/r axles

some of these are positive or negative depending on the car and what you use / want it for.
 
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okay been outside to check my car:

currently it has 195/55/16 on it... they are the OE tyres the Bridgestone Turanza

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews8670.html

i am thinkin Khumo U31 for £54 quid from camskill: 205/50/16

or Vreds Sport thingy 3 for £68

or Falken 452FK 205/50/16 for about £50odd quid.

edit: my car is -30mm due to springs has a stiffened rear anti roll bar and i am recieving a decent front strut brace on tuesday/wed this week.
 
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paradigm said:
But it didn't though, as it had WIDER rears than fronts.

a 35 profile 255 wide tyre is similar to that of a 40 profile 225 width tyre (less than 1mm diameter difference).
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Hmm, good point. one was 50 and the other (rear) 45.... Doh! :o :D
 
Nickg said:
okay been outside to check my car:

currently it has 195/55/16 on it... they are the OE tyres the Bridgestone Turanza

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews8670.html

i am thinkin Khumo U31 for £54 quid from camskill: 205/50/16

or Vreds Sport thingy 3 for £68

or Falken 452FK 205/50/16 for about £50odd quid.

edit: my car is -30mm due to springs has a stiffened rear anti roll bar and i am recieving a decent front strut brace on tuesday/wed this week.
Click to expand...

to keep the same rolling radius you'd need 215/50/16 or 235/45/16, your wheels may not be wide enough to cope with these widths though.....
what width are the wheels?
 
Legalities aside, youll confuse the TC/ABS/ESP and it might have some unwanted side effects
Would also affect a tyre pressure warning indicator system if installed
 
because the question you ask isnt the right one...

there is no "right" tyre or size...just that some are more optimal than others...

just because the manufacturer fits this part or that part does not make it the ONLY part that should be fitted...unless you ask them of course.
 
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