Tire size question

[Henry 40]

Hi all

I bought a set of strike lines from Mike T and am going to put them on the Canada 1. I would like a slightly wider and taller tire. I have come across some Yokohama S drive tires in 175 55 15 front and 205 50 15 rear. I was wondering if any one else has run this set up and how they looked on your car. Can anyone foresee a problem with this setup.

Thanks in advance.

Alan

ps should add that the wheel widths are 5 in front and 6.5 rear.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Henry

[marchanna 115]

Those sizes sound like they might balloon out a little on the sides, you might get some rubbing. Someone else could probably add a little more input.

[MikeT 744]

The fronts will be fine, the rears probably won't rub either but the difference in rolling circumference should be checked to make sure they're within 2% of each other, to avoid ABS issues.

[Henry 40]

Hi Mike

Thanks for your reply. The 185/55 has a circumfrence of 1,836.26 mm and the 205/50 1,840.97mm, giving a difference of about 4.5 mm. Is this close enough to avoid abs issues?

Reviews seem to be quite good for a tire that retails around a hundred bucks. Wondering if anyone has some first hand knowledge.

Alan

[MikeT 744]

Oh, 185, above you mentioned 175.

I am not sure that those will clear the fenders. You might have to space out the front clip a bit...

The circumferences will be fine.

[marchanna 115]

Based on my calculations, the difference is 1.7%

[MikeT 744]

Theoretical calculation?

The above-noted figures are a lot closer than that! Tire dimensions are always nominal, with a wide variety of interpretations between manufacturers.

[marchanna 115]

Theoretical calculation?

The above-noted figures are a lot closer than that! Tire dimensions are always nominal, with a wide variety of interpretations between manufacturers.

Yes. Of course.

[houseofdiesel 9]

On the tires themselves, the S drive has been around a long time likely why they are reasonably priced. Yokohama does not have much in the way of customer service in this country, just be warned if you are not happy with the tires Yokohama is unlikely to respond so be careful! You will be leaning on the tire seller as the company (for me anyways) did nothing. Michelin on the other hand is top notch for service, but I don't think they offer sizes for the smart.

[Henry 40]

That pretty much sums it up. I hope they don't rub. Is there anybody out there running 185 55s on the front and 205 50s on the rear? And how close are they to hitting. I still have the stock suspension.

thx

Alan

[NelsonSmart 1]

Similar question: I have stock 145/65r15F & 175/55R15Rears on now which feels every crack in the pavement so I'd like taller tires to absorb some bumps.

Can I upsize to 165/65R15F and 175/65R15 rears ,which are 2.2% bigger rears than fronts? Will this engage ESP/ABS gremlins? Should I stay with 165s all around?

[marchanna 115]

I don't think that will make any improvement. The short wheel base and low weight of the vehicle is the cause of this. Some progressive springs might help though.

[usamedic 0]

On ‎4‎/‎12‎/‎2015 at 0:31 PM, Henry said:

Hi all

I bought a set of strike lines from Mike T and am going to put them on the Canada 1. I would like a slightly wider and taller tire. I have come across some Yokohama S drive tires in 175 55 15 front and 205 50 15 rear. I was wondering if any one else has run this set up and how they looked on your car. Can anyone foresee a problem with this setup.

Thanks in advance.

Alan

ps should add that the wheel widths are 5 in front and 6.5 rear.

Did you put the 50's or stick with the 55's on your Smart ??

Edited October 8, 2017 by usamedic

[Henry 40]

I still have the strike lines but have yet to decide on which tires to use.  Seems that a lot of the tires I could get in the sizes I wanted have been discontinued.  Will probably just get Fast Eddie to order some S drives next spring.  He has a knack for finding smart related stuff.  I decided to do a complete repaint on the Canada one as I had minor damage on every panel.  so it is still running the original tires from 06 with 52,000 kilometres on them.

Alan

[MikeT 744]

I don't know about you, but I found the quality of the BRABUS repaint to be quite mediocre.  I'm sure it will be better now!