Willie owners:Keeping you car original...

[007]

.......does this extend to the tyre sizes or have you all done like me and gone from 185/55 to 195/50?

Just wondering as my Toyos are starting to get near to the end of thier life. Has to be said a very very short life!

Just looking for opinions on the difference the size makes as some will have seen my opinions on it - I want your opinions too before deciding what to put on next*

*im not even going to start on which Tyres - feel free to reccomend any. My Toyos have been 1st class for performance but are a bit harsh with a lot of road noise - doesnt bother me tho.

 

[Dave Hester]

I dont really think it matters too much mate which tyre you have as the *total* diameter of the wheel and tyre together whether its the 185 or the 195 is the same, its just the 195 is obviously a little wider

its common sense to think as the 195 is wider you will have better road holding and a better bank balance as the 195 seems to be quite a bit cheaper than the 185

But at the end of the day its your choice but remember the williams was designed to run on 185/55 so maybe its best to stick with how it was made to be, but saying this when the williams came out did the 195/50 exist??? if it did it was maybe not as common as it is today

Jim

 

[007]

Hi - Jim - I found that the 195 gives me more grip but less give - although this could be the Toyos.

Basically on flat roads I now have better roadholding but on the more bumpy B roads the less give mean less speed.

There is a specific bit of road I drive on that is pretty demanding and I could go over 100mph on the straight at the end with the 185s quite easily. With the 195s this is reduced to a dodgy 90mph as the car is unstable on it and doesnt abosrb the bumps so well.

As I said this could be a tyre make thing but thats why im asking

 

[Dave Hester]

Think your right it could quite possibly be the toyos playing a big part, i had them on my gt turbo (although cant remember the model) and wasnt very impressed, they reminded me of yoko A539s which were fannytastic in the dry heat through the summer but utterly sh*te at this time of year when the roads are incredibly greasey and round every corner is seemed to understeer



give michalin exaltos a go partically the fronts, they are the dogs bollox

 

[Matbrown]

I can recommend either Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3s or Bridgestone RE720s in 195/50/15, both about £45 a corner.



Mat.

 

[Martin]

Im running 195/50s on my Williams now and I find that they are better than the 185/55s that were on the car when I got it. This may be down to the fact the 185s were a no-name brand though. Unless your obsessive about keeping your willy standard I would go for 195s if only for the cheaper price. Out of interest is anyone running 195/45s on a Willy?

 

[riplash]

I experienced the same thing as you 007, in switching from 185/55 to 195/50 tyres.. more grip with which to press on when driving A roads, but more scrabbling/skipping about on the uneven B-Roads, giving a skittish ride.

This is with Goodrich rubber.. the 185s were Michelins..

 

[CHR15G]

Quote: Originally posted by MartinS on 05 March 2004

Im running 195/50s on my Williams now and I find that they are better than the 185/55s that were on the car when I got it. This may be down to the fact the 185s were a no-name brand though. Unless your obsessive about keeping your willy standard I would go for 195s if only for the cheaper price. Out of interest is anyone running 195/45s on a Willy?

ive got 195/45/15 on my standard valver, and there isnt much give at all - i.e. skittish on bumpy roads. think im gonna go for 195/50/15 next time

 

[big hp]

Ive got 195/50 and find them to be better than the standard 185/55.

Ive got Avon zv1s and find them very good. It all comes down to individual interpretation on which tyre beats which.

195/50s were about when the willie/16v came about. There the standard tyre on a Escort Rs Turbo.

 

[u33db]

Quote: Originally posted by CHR15G on 06 March 2004

ive got 195/45/15 on my standard valver, and there isnt much give at all - i.e. skittish on bumpy roads. think im gonna go for 195/50/15 next time

Have you got any pics of what this looks like? I was thinking about going for a set but dont want the car to look noticably "un-standard"...

 

[woots]

Just gone from 195s to 185s and agree with everyones comments above. Noticably less grip but the car is a lot easier to slide, more progressive. Depends what you are after.

 

[Louise]

Ive kept with the 185/55/15 size on my Williams to keep it original lol. Goodyear Eagle F1s (front) same size as my Dynamique 1.2 actually lol.

 

[007]

Cheers for the replies - gives me something to think about!

 

[CHR15G]

Quote: Originally posted by u33db on 07 March 2004

Quote: Originally posted by CHR15G on 06 March 2004

ive got 195/45/15 on my standard valver, and there isnt much give at all - i.e. skittish on bumpy roads. think im gonna go for 195/50/15 next time

Have you got any pics of what this looks like? I was thinking about going for a set but dont want the car to look noticably "un-standard"...






here you go mate. ive just got some 30mm lowering springs so will post a pick after ive fitted them. i was going to keep my valver standard but want to lower it slightly to close the gap between tyre and arch. dont want a really hard ride so will tell you what its like

http://erc.qmuc.ac.uk/cliosport/gallery/full/1078754368__cleanclio002.jpg

 

[king.stromba]

195s??? Might as well fit valver springs, paint it black and run 17s. I cant beleive all this cr*p about changing tyre size. Right im going to track down some of the original Renault Sport testers and get this sorted for ever. 195s? Jesus.

 

[Matbrown]

Valver springs are exactly the same!



Mat.

 

[Martin]

Stromba not only have I changed the tyres but suspension, exhaust, filter and interior. Have I committed a henious crime against Williams law? Chill out, not everyone wants the same as you!

PS Do you think Ill get 18s on the Williams?

 

[king.stromba]

Although i dont personally agree that a modified Williams looks good, i am prepared to accept that its your car and if you want to change it who am i to argue? However, i am prepared to argue with people that say that 195s improve handling. Lots of people on here seem to like them, for whatever reason, it just doesnt make sense to take something as good as a Williams and mess with it. Fair play if you are a race engineer and have an idea what your doing, but pinch hitting that a tyre feels better because some guy down the pub / bloke off here / generally anyone said so is rediculous. The fact that some of you have mentioned that the tyres dont grip properly on bumpy ground indicates to me that you have upset the damping of the car by fitting the 195s. You can get away with that on an A road, and it may for whatever reason (probably that your never really going to get near to the limit of adhesion on a A road), but where it really counts it shows up. If the damping is upset on a B road, you can bet its still upset on the A road. The Williams is soooooo susceptable to even a few PSI change in the 185s that it feels like a different car with 30 verses 31 or 32 PSI in different tyres. If it is that delicate what do you think a 195 is going to do to it?

 

[007]

What about a compromise - not a 185/55 or a 195/50 but a 195/55

To be honest I stuck 195s on mine due to the finances I had (or didnt have) at the time.

They definatly improve general grip on flat roads but you also loose lots of B road speed.