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205 Front, 195 Rear



  Ph2 Clio 172
Has anyone run wider front tyres than rear on track? I was talking about it at work with a mate and he suggested it might reduce under steer and free up the rear end a bit. For me it would be 205/50/15 on the front and 195/50/15 on the back. Would it make enough of a difference to be worth it, or are suspension mods and proper geometry setup going to offer more?
 
  182
The simple question of if the 205 is grippier than the 195 is a topic being posted a lot - so lots to serach for.

My thoughts are that 205 should offer a higher lateral grip when fully loaded. However, fitting it just to the fronts as a way to balance the car is questionable - the effect your after might not happen if you're expecting the rear to move around alot on dry tarmac. In fact, it might also be made worse at turn-in by running (slightly) different sizes as lower profile/narrower tyres (on the same rim) settle to lesser slip angles to overcome a given lateral load.

Worth the experiment for sure, just be open to what you find.
 
Last edited:
  172 + 1.2
I ran 225 fronts and 215 rears on my Civic, didn't really notice any difference to 215s all round. Was more to get power down than for handling though!
 
  182
The simple question of if the 205 is grippier than the 195 is a topic being posted a lot - so lots to serach for.

My thoughts are that 205 should offer a higher lateral grip but fitting it just to the fronts as a way to balance the car is questionable - the effect your after might not happen if you're expecting the rear to slide accross dry tarmac. In fact, it might also be made worse at turn-in by running (slightly) different sizes as lower profile/narrower tyres (on the same rim) settle to lesser slip angles to overcome a given lateral load.

Worth the experiment for sure, just be open to what you find.
 
  182/RS2/ Turbo/Mk1
Given that the weight is at the front it makes sense in terms of equalising tyre temps etc, I tried it on a mini years ago and it worked quite well. Looked silly though. Lol
195 and 205 are so similar I doubt you'd feel any difference with it tbh.
 
  Ph2 Clio 172
Yeah that was my thinking, the difference in size isn't enough to offer any significant difference.

It also prevents you being able to swap the tyres around to even out wear.

Hmm... at only a few quid difference in price I might just get a full set of 4 205's next time round anyway.
 


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