Wheel & Tyre info. needed

[jay16v]

I need some info on wheel and trye fitments for clio 16vs. At present im running 17" TSW evo Rs with 205/40/17 tyres on my valver which came with the car when i bought it a few months ago. Ive since had it lowered 35mm @the front and about 50mm @the back and the only rubbing i get is on full lock to the right which i can deal with. Im now in the process of buying some 17" Compomotive MOs in white (always wanted these wheels) and i was wondering if i should put 195/40/17 tyres on them rather than 205/40/17s, because according to the wheel & tyre guide on this and other websites it would give an overall diameter closer to the original spec:

Standard tyres: 185/50/15 = 584.5 mm dia.

17" Tyres: 205/40/17 = 595.8 mm

195/40/17 = 587.8 mm

which means the tyres im running at the moment are 11.3 mm larger than standard, and 195s would only be 3.3 mm.

Which leads me to the questions, is it possible to fit 195/40/17s? does it make any difference to accelleration or handling? and do any of you guys run 195/40/17s on your valver?

The main point i was curious about is the acceleration factor, i know this is all thoeretical but in order to keep the acceleration as good as possible should i be looking at the 195s? The reason i thought of this was that when i went to Santapod recently (with my old 205xs) i noticed people run their cars with the original wheels on up front which i assumed would be because bigger wheels give slower accelleration. So is there a difference, and if so would it be noticable?

I realise that this subject does get a bit complicated, but i thought someone may be able to clear this up for me.

Cheers

Jay

 

[cse]

i think its more to do eith the weight of the alloy itself, changing the rubber around the wheel could save u a tiny amount, but i dont think it would be worth it myself, more grip with 205 aswell

195s would make ure speedo report your actual speed closer that then 205 tyres, but again, depends if thats important to u i suppse

 

[SteveJJH]

weight does make the biggest difference to overall performance, but remember that decreasing the diameter of you wheels (including tyres) is effectivly shortening your gearing which tends to give better acceleration imho.

 

[16v_er]

I have the same question as jay. My 17" tryes are worn and I was wondering whether to change to 16" 195s. To increase acceleration and to save money in the long-term as 17" tryes are expensive.

 

[gord r]

You want to be as close to the stanard dia as possible to give you the best acceleration performance

 

[jay16v]

Yep, thats what i thought would be the case. Im gona give 195/40/17s a go and see what happens, i cant see it making a great deal of difference but id like to stick as near to the standard dia as poss.

Still, I wouldve thought there were other 16v owners whos tried this size tyre

 

[gord r]

I can supply tyres if you are interested what makes are you thinking of

 

[SoLow]

check out:

http://www.powerdog.com/tiresize.cgihttp://www.powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi



input what you want and all will be revealed. kinda helps with making decisions, until you go to the shop and the obscure tyre size you want is 3 times the price and you change your mind