Khiladi

iTrader: (1)

Hi all. We have a '90 LS400 in the family and recently put some '93-94 16" oem wheels w/tires on the car to replace the 15's it came with. As you know, the tire size on these is 225/60/16, whereas the originals were 205/65/15, causing for some speedometer inaccuracies due to the larger overall diameter of the new setup. Question I have is, if I go down to a 215/60/16 size tire which will bring the overall diameter very close to the original setup and also help for a more accurate speedo reading, would I be compromising ANYTHING in terms of ride quality or handling, noticeably, for the car?

Thanks.

EXE.UCF10

iTrader: (3)

No, not enough to be of concern or be noticeable.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

quoted for truth.

edtbjon

The 16" tyres are 4.46% larger than the 15" ones. (I.e. it rolls 91mm longer on a revolution.) That should be nothing to worry about. The only thing to look out for is if you are already pushing the limits/tolerances of policemen with speedguns.

//Björn

Khiladi

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the responses. So a 215 tire isn't going to look stretched or anything on the oem 16" rim either, right?

edtbjon

No. The handling will possibly only be a fraction better, as narrower tyres are less sensitive to not so good roads. But be careful with the brand etc. There are threads on which tire various people recommend, so a simple search will help you in your choice.
(I have the opposite problem, where I bought the car with brand new tyres on 17" rims. But the tyres are 235/45 which is a bit small (in diameter), apart from having a very low profile. They are very good on handling, but probably not as comfortable as e.g. 225/55. So next time I have to buy new tires I will go for comfort and quietness before handling.)

//Björn

Christian

Hi,

I am running 225/55 R16 wintertires on the 93-94 OEM wheels on my 92.
In the summer I run 17" lexus equipment wheels with 235/45 R17.
The 17 are running much smoother than the 16", probably because of the LoadIndex 99 on the wintertires.
But V rated (240 km/h) wintertires are only available with the LI 99.
I guess it is the tribute to legal autobahn speeding.

Christian