NANCYSMART Posted April 28, 2008 Posted April 28, 2008 (edited) Hi,I read some topics about a few of you putting wider tires on your Smart. I have a 2008 Fortwo Passion(see below) and after 1300 miles in one month, I want to modify a few things already. Since I am a Mustang person, and know zip about the Fortwo, can any of you give me advice on putting wider front tires on it?I had seen a car on Ebay a few weeks ago, that someone had put the rear rims also on the front of the car, which is fine, it will also help when I rotate the tires. It seems the cheapest solution but I dont' know if it will work.Why? I drive alot on the expressway and i've been caught on very windy days drifting more than I would like. It's not a comfortable feeling when a wind gust pushed me around a bit. I want to have the car handle the corners a little better too, and the skinny fronts seem to be the problem. I would also like splash guards for it, I drive on a long dirt driveway and I kick up alot of stones, I can't find a set made for the car...suggestions?Thanks,nancy Edited April 28, 2008 by NANCYSMART Quote
lebikerboy Posted April 28, 2008 Posted April 28, 2008 If the 451 is like the 450 (I'm sure it is) no, you can't move the rears to the front because of the difference in the offsets. Quote
David_18 Posted April 29, 2008 Posted April 29, 2008 If the 451 is like the 450 (I'm sure it is) no, you can't move the rears to the front because of the difference in the offsets.Yeah, but we can have larger tire.I have the coreline for the 450, and at the front i have the 175 and /195 at the back. Quote
NANCYSMART Posted April 29, 2008 Author Posted April 29, 2008 Yeah, but we can have larger tire.I have the coreline for the 450, and at the front i have the 175 and /195 at the back.By adding the larger tires, did you notice any improvements in handling? Do they rub the fenders? Thanks,Nancy Quote
David_18 Posted April 29, 2008 Posted April 29, 2008 By adding the larger tires, did you notice any improvements in handling? Do they rub the fenders? Thanks,NancyMaybe a little better handling, but I not racing with my car !The tire don't touch to the fender, this is smart wheel, in option in europ ! Quote
lebikerboy Posted April 30, 2008 Posted April 30, 2008 We also have Corelines with 175/55/15 front and 195/50/15 rear with Continental tires. The stock tires were Bridgestone with steel wheels and I can't tell you how bad they sucked. At 100 kph (60 mph) the car shimmied real bad. Now with the new wheels/tires the car will as fast as it's allowed which is 135kph. There is no comparison. Quote
NANCYSMART Posted May 2, 2008 Author Posted May 2, 2008 (edited) Yeah, I've noticed that too...Any recommendations on brands? I assume I can use the stock rims that came with the Car? I have the passion 2008 alloys..This is what came with the car:155/60R15 on 4.5Jx15 (front),175/55R15 on 5.5Jx15 (rear) Edited May 2, 2008 by NANCYSMART Quote
Duck Posted May 2, 2008 Posted May 2, 2008 Keep in mind guys there are HUGE differences in handling between the 450 and 451. For some reason the 451 floats around like a Caddiliac. Even if you're not racing or whatever, it really needs better tires or suspension (SOMETHING) to improve the handling. It's outright frightening, stock!-Iain Quote
Snow_Dogs Posted May 3, 2008 Posted May 3, 2008 (edited) That's right add a bit of wind and you are all over your lane, it can get quite unnerving. The new smarts are a bit wider, bit longer and a bit higher and they seem to handle very differently than the older smarts. Edited May 3, 2008 by Snow_Dogs Quote
Tom P. Posted May 3, 2008 Posted May 3, 2008 Interesting hearing 450 vs 451 handling characteristics. Having not driven a 450, I was unaware that my 451 was that different in this regard. I do feel it "floating" on the highway and fighting crosswinds is prevalent. I will be interested to find out what the definitive fix is for this.... suspension, tires or both. Geez, I just bought winter Hankooks this winter in stock size. Now I find out that may be a problem. I hope my 451 does not become a money pit. Quote
Snow_Dogs Posted May 3, 2008 Posted May 3, 2008 I've noticed a difference in the car's handling between just me in the car and when I my husband and I go on a road trip in it together. That extra weight makes a big difference in how the car handles. Since it's my commuter car, I drive it alone a lot and some days the trip home is quite interesting to say the least. We are thinking of adding some weight under the passenger seat to see if it makes a difference for me. If that doesn't help, then we are going to look at other options, tires, springs... Quote
josef_333 Posted May 3, 2008 Posted May 3, 2008 The offset on the front and rear rims of the smart 451 are almost identical. Look at the "Tuning rims" tab on GOODYEAR TireManager for examples of the 450 and 451 rims' offset. But I don't know if the wider rear rim and tire mounted in the front would fit without rubbing on the fender. Cheers, Josef Quote
Fowvay Posted May 4, 2008 Posted May 4, 2008 The offset on the front and rear rims of the smart 451 are almost identical.Look at the "Tuning rims" tab on GOODYEAR TireManager for examples of the 450 and 451 rims' offset.But I don't know if the wider rear rim and tire mounted in the front would fit without rubbing on the fender.Cheers,JosefCan you list the numbers? Quote
josef_333 Posted May 6, 2008 Posted May 6, 2008 All the offsets are in mm:Modell; Front 450; Rear 450; Front 451; Rear 451Brock B7; 37; 5; 30; 26Rial Le Mans; 27; 0; 24; 25Rondell 0077; 25; -5; 25; 25Steel rims 27; -1; 23.5; 22Alutec CULT; 20; -5; 20; 25Sorry, the Table doesn't work well with the tabs here, see the Tab separated Text file attached for the import in your spread sheet application.Cheers,Josef Smart_450___451_wheel_offset.txt Quote
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