View Single Post
Old 11-27-2014, 04:46 PM   #13 (permalink)
freebeard
Master EcoModder
 
freebeard's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: northwest of normal
Posts: 28,524
Thanks: 8,076
Thanked 8,871 Times in 7,323 Posts
BMW themselves are going that way with the i3. It has a tall narrow tire.

Quote:
currently the tires are 195/60r14
and Ι am thinking about 175/70R14
What are the actual rolling diameters? The aspect ratio and width are working against each other.

When I put tires on the front of my car I chose Federal Formosa FD-1 (now FD-2) because they are available in 30/35/40/45/50/55/60/65 aspect ratio and 10mm increments in width. For years I ran 145R-15 front and 165R-15 rear. The narrow tire on the steering end resists hydroplaning and catches fewer potholes and has great 'turn-in', but downhill in the mountains the brakes overpower the tires. So now I have 165/50R-15 in front. I could have gone to 45 series, but the weight-bearing capacity was less.
  Reply With Quote