Will 185/75-R14 tires fit my Ford ZX2 Escort?

[bkalina]

Hello--

My ZX2's present 185/65-R14 tires need to be replaced, and I'm wondering what options I might consider when replacing them. How large of aspect ratio could I go with for a 185-wide tire before I would have clearance issues? The idea here would be to max-out the aspect ratio since the ZX2 could really use taller gearing for highway driving.

Another thought would be to go with skinnier tires for some aerodynamic gain. How skinny can a person go when using the stock 14" rim?

Thanks!
BK

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by bkalina

How skinny can a person go when using the stock 14" rim?

Depends on the rim width - probably 5 to 6 " .

If you get that width number off the rim, you can check wether a certain tire size will go onto that rim using one of the online tools like
Tire Size Calculator - tire & wheel plus sizing .

This will also give you some good ideas about tire size availability and difference in diameter, so you get an idea of how much extra space they need in the wheel arcs.

If you want to go narrower, the 175/80R14 is an option but its circumference is over 6% bigger, and that's a lot.
Quite a few people on the forum have reported losing mpg when installing oversized tires.

175/75R14 wouldn't be as agressive an increase, but tire choice seems rather limited (van tires).