Tire size and fitting

[Jake Seidel]

I have another question about tires would a 195/65/15 fit a stock 914 1.7 and wwould that be the best performance size tire that I could fit on my car.?
Jake

[ws91420]

If you have the 5 1/2 inch rim width the 195/65/15 is the best size. I have the Fuchs alloy wheels and I put on Michelin Pilot XGTH4 on in this size. They seem to ride and hold great. In doing tire sales this size is the recommended replacement for the 165HR15 found on our cars. Supposley you can go with a 205 60 15 but you have a greater chance of the tires rubbing the wheelwells.

[green71]

I agree with ws91420, but it's also going to depend upon what kind of rims you have. (I don't assume a "stock" 914 has factory rims.)

Different rims provide different amounts of clearance. With my Empi 8-spoke, 185/65/15 is about as wide as I can go and still have fender clearance. (My fenders haven't been rolled.) But a lot of guys on this board are able to go wider with different rims, including stock ones.

[lapuwali]

It's not just tire size and rims. The fenders are NOT all the same. Measure the difference side-to-side on your car and I'll bet there's significantly more clearance on one side than the other. Karmann didn't exactly have sterling quality control on this point. Some cars with "stock" fenders can manage to cram 225 tires on the back with stock offset wheels. Most are limited to 195-205 sized tires.

I also have 195/65-15 Pirelli P6000s on Fuch four-bolt alloys, and have no trouble with clearance.

[yousaidpoo]

i actually have 195/60 Good Year Eagle GT-HRs on "western" wheels on mine. and they are VERY tight (<1/2" at the closest point) but they dont rub. the roadholding (when i had it running...) was really good. and they are relatively inexpensive (about $78 a piece, but i also mount and balance them myself so that cuts my cost, a lot)

TOYO probably makes some good tires for that size. but i think they have bigger shoulder blocks, so clearance may be tighter.

Bridgestone Potenza G009's are pretty good too on these lighter cars. The tread is actually fairly skinny for the rating of the tire, so the tolerance would be as big of an issue there. I would not reccomend them for anything heavier than about 2500lbs or with a lot of power though, because wear will be a problem. If you look at tire rack, and look at the reviews, the cars that are lighter and dont have as much power give better reviews for this tire.

dunlop sport a2's are junk. don't buy them for many reasons, the worst being wear.

[Rouser]

dunlop sport a2's are junk. don't buy them for many reasons, the worst being wear.

How you figure?

I've been running A2's (205/60-15) for the past 10K miles and they handle and wear better than the previous Yoko's.

Mind you, I don't pull 4-grand holeshots or 0.9g cloverleafs just-for-funzies, but they've been more predictable and responsive than some Michelins I had way-back-when.

Guess it's just a matter of taste, or what you plan on doing to them.

[yousaidpoo]

well the main thing with the dunlops is that people dont rotate them. you absolutely HAVE to stay on top of rotating these tires, especially on heavier cars. I have some on my accord, and they're an ok tire, i just feel there are other options for better prices, such as the good year eagle gt-hr's and bfg traction t/a's. m

i admit "dont buy them for many reasons" is a little harsh. i guess "do your homework and get the best tire for the best price" would have been better.

we do tires where i work and the majority of cars with the dunlop sport a2's that come in will have wear problems (uneven/quick wear). But that probably means that the general population doesnt take as good care of there car as i do . Its actually kind of sad and hard to understand to see what some people will do to their cars

[scotty914]

i love my yoko avs intermeate 195 65 15 they hold great in all weather but i do drive em hard and wear the fronts out in 12k and the backs in 24 k and i dont rotate em, do to it is cheaper to replace just 2 every 12 k than all 4 in 18

[BigKenSteele]

I have 205/50R15 Pirelli P700s on my stock Mahle alloys, and they don't even come close to rubbing - every car is different, but I believe that I got lucky with this one. My last 914 was tight with the stock 165s. Might be something to look at before you buy......

[Jim Chambers]

If you have factory stock 5.5" wheels go with the 195/65's. You will have many tire options from budget to high end. Also you won't mess up your speed or gear ratios.