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Tyres for a 15 inch, 5 inch wide wheel
t_tuffnut - November 13th, 2012 at 06:49 PM

Hi all,

I'm getting some Radars for the bug and the local tyre place are going to try a few different tyres on the rims.

Will a 195 fit under standard guards on a stock ride height? I'd prefer the taller tyres for a better ratio on the freeway.

They reckon that Federals are the only brand for that width.

What have you all got on yours? any ideas what else I could be looking at?

Cheers

waveman1500 - November 13th, 2012 at 08:09 PM

5" rims are a bit narrow for 195s in my opinion. They would probably fit though. What profile are you looking at?

I used to run 195/75R14s on 14x6" rims with no issues.

sander288 - November 13th, 2012 at 08:20 PM

http://www.rimsntires.com/specs.jsp 

Try this calculator it should help.

I think 196/65r15 should fit under the guards though if stock height

oldtub356 - November 13th, 2012 at 10:16 PM

Here is a bit of info which may help:
http://www.porsche356registry.org/resources/tech-articles/research-and-identi...

195x65x15 Tyres are starting get a bit balloonish on 5" wheels - but, not too bad on a 'road' car, especially expressway driving.
They wallow a bit on tight cornering but a bit extra pressure helps - say, 30psi, at the back.
I have been using 185x65 on the front and 195x65 on the back - on both 5.5" and 5.0' wheels all around.

Have a look on eBay for Continental EcoContact3 tyres 195x65x15. They come standard on Euro hatches (Golfs and the like) and are often
replaced when new or newish so that they can wear large diameter aftermarket wheels.

psimitar - November 13th, 2012 at 11:36 PM

all tyre manufacturers are meant to supply a listing of rim widths a trye width and ratio will fit on properly.

If Oz tyre companies don't do this then look at UK and European tyre sites.

From Memory for a 5J you can safely fit a 185/60 or 65 at the most. 195 of any ratio is not recommended. A teller ratio will go on the rim but it is likely to easily dislodge under hard cornering.

65standard - November 14th, 2012 at 07:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by t_tuffnut
Hi all,

I'm getting some Radars for the bug and the local tyre place are going to try a few different tyres on the rims.

Will a 195 fit under standard guards on a stock ride height? I'd prefer the taller tyres for a better ratio on the freeway.

They reckon that Federals are the only brand for that width.

What have you all got on yours? any ideas what else I could be looking at?

Cheers


Nankang 165/80R15. Perfect replacement for the old tyres. These fit the old 5.60" x 15" rims. Not many manufacturers out there for the old "bicycle wheels" for the VW.

I have these fitted on my '65 Beetle, and they handle well. Done quite a few thousand miles on them so far without a problem.

sander288 - November 14th, 2012 at 08:33 AM

There are actually a few options for you in the 165/80r15 size now,

Hankook Optimo K715
Maxxis MA-701
Nankang
Michelin Classic range - gets $$$
Vredestein
Continental CT22

BiX - November 14th, 2012 at 11:32 AM

I run 195 and 205 60's on 5.5 inch rims with no problem.
I probably wouldn't go any narower on the rim with a 195 though.

Ian Bugden - December 14th, 2012 at 04:01 PM

I run 5.5" rims (empi 5 spokes) on a couple of my cars, I run a 205/65/15 on the rear of both (as wide as you can go) and is has the same rolling diameter of a 165R15. On the front I use a couple of different sizes, on a stock hieght bug I run 185/60/15 and have no clearance issues front or rear. on my lowered car (115mm of ground clearance with narrowed beam drop spindles etc, I run 165/50/15, I could go a little higher in the side wall and still have no clearance issues. The rear is dropped 2 splines and have no clearance issues. Yokohama have a good website and you can see what tyres fit what rim.

Bugs