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Hi all
The models in this range with 15" wheels all had 205/60 tyres fitted as standard, however I have seen a lot of people have gone away from this size and have gone to the more common 205/65. I'm not sure if this is due to lack of knowledge by them or the tyre fitter or because there are advantages.
Has anyone here done this and noticed any improvements? Obviously the speedo driven gear can be easily changed to make the speedo accurate, but does the larger overall diameter mean the tyres are going to scrape where the 60s don't?
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205/60/15 would be almost impossible to find these days - they have been pretty much scarce for 15-20 years.
I think the only reason, is that it all comes down to scale of economy - from VN, all standard 15" tyres were 205/65/15, and once they dropped the 14" wheel in 1992, the 205/65/15 became even more common (based on the ratio of base models sold, plus km they tend to rack up - hence tyre replacement being needed more often for that model & tyre size).
Even back in the mid 90s (1995) when I was running 15" wheels on a VH, I was running 205/65 on them (or the slightly harder to find 215/60/15). For a while there I actually used to buy the "stockers" from my local holden dealer - the ones left over when they fitted larger alloys to basic VR & VS models at the time - until the local trailer builder cottoned onto the same idea & stitched up a deal to take them all.
There's no advantages or disadvantages really - you'd notice a bigger difference by switching brands than you would by changing sizes.
There's so little difference in the overall size, that the speedo is close enough anyway - mathematically, a 205/60/15 tyre has a theoretical diameter of 627mm vs 647.5mm for a 205/65.
This equates to just 20mm over 600+mm = around 3%.
Considering the average passenger car tyre has around 8mm of usable tread depth (some low profile tyres have shallower grooves & hence less depth - but 205/65 are hardly low profile) - this 8mm works out to 16mm across the circumference. The size change is really no worse than the life of the tyre from new to worn out.
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Cheers,
Mick
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Thanks Mick, the fact they are scarce explains why the price is a lot more than the 65s and why most people went away from them. I have a receipt with the car from 1989 for Bridgestone SF2 205/60 tyres @ $140ea fitted!
All good points about wear/overall diameter etc, and good to know the 205/65s will do the job. I'll get a decent set of these when the time comes.
Cheers
Rhys
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When you think about it, lower profile tyres should be cheaper, they have less rubber in them..........
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quote:
Originally posted by wbute
When you think about it, lower profile tyres should be cheaper, they have less rubber in them..........
Same with clothes - a $99 Bikini has far less fabric than a $20 T-shirt! |
Cheers,
Mick
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quote:
Originally posted by commodorenut
quote:
Originally posted by wbute
When you think about it, lower profile tyres should be cheaper, they have less rubber in them..........
Same with clothes - a $99 Bikini has far less fabric than a $20 T-shirt!
But much more valuable contents!! |
Cheers
Phil |
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Tyres are getting cheaper for the larger sizes as more late models run them as standard equipment, about 6 years ago 18 inch tyre were over $100 for retreads and $180 for a cheap brand name, now you can buy 18`s in a cheap brand for $125-140 brands like Mayrun,Kinforest,sariun etc cheap imports but most seem okay for normal driving.
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