Turing effort with 225/60/15's

Va914 · 12-19-2002, 04:15 AM

I am getting my tires for Xmas

and am curious to hear from the guys who have driven a 914 with 225's on all 4 corners. Is the steering effort high for a street car?

I have FG flares and 21mm spacers out back. I am getting one tire mounted this week and doing some test fitting. The car is up on stands currently, can I get a good test fit with the car up on stands?

My other choice is to go with 215/60/15's up front??

Thanks

Jim Smolka · 12-19-2002, 04:46 AM

If you are installing flares, could you not go wider thatn 225.? I had a set of 225 on my narrow body car.

Anyway, to answer your question, the steering effort was not too bad even with a Momo wheel. Of course the steering is not as light as a set of 165.

Va914 · 12-19-2002, 05:25 AM

I guess I could go wider in the rear. It seems most cars I have seen or heard have 225's on 15x7's.

Does the usable HP decrease as the tire gets larger/wider? I would like to have larger tires but I don't want to hurt the performance of my stock 2.0L.

There are two guys at work with Mustang GT and Cobra SVT and the tires on them are FAT!!! Something like 275/45/17 WOW!!!

Thanks
Kerry

porsche914gt · 12-19-2002, 06:18 AM

225/60/15 is to high profile of a tire to get good handling, in the front.
You can use them on the rear, as they fill out the flares better.
225/50/15 in the front - 245/60/15 in the rear, will work well.
Problem is.....they dont make those sizes anymore.
Yokohama AVS, Goodyear Eagle and Nitto. Were the only ones I could find. I went with the Yoko's, they are great.

Doug

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Va914
Does the usable HP decrease as the tire gets larger/wider?

No. It takes more power to get them rolling, but that depends more on the weight of the bigger tires. They also have a bit more rolling resistance and air friction, so they'll cut down on your fuel mileage. And maybe a couple of MPH off of your top speed. (Big deal.)

--DD

Va914 · 09:45 AM

I founf the 225's and the 245's at Tirerack.. Problem is I am not sure if the sizes will fit? I have the standard FG flares and am installing the tire on 15x7's on all 4's.

Anyone running 245's with FG flares and spacers??
Has anyone delt with returns through Tirerack?

Will these match up okay?
245/60TR15 Yokohama Avid S/T
225/50TR15 Yokohama Avid T4

Cheers

Va914 · 12-19-2002, 11:57 AM

Nope the above tires don't match tread patterns and the 245's are 3+ inches taller then the front.

Are the 225/60's bad on a street car? I will not be AutoX'n this 914, just crusin with the wife and hitting local Porsche events.

Thanks

Zeke · 12-19-2002, 06:01 PM

Back to one of your original questions, va914. I would put the car down on the ground and roll or drive it a few feet to see the actual tire clearances at normal ride height.

mike mueller · 12-19-2002, 06:16 PM

What you need to take acount of is the diameter of the tire.

That tall of a tire and your acceleration might suffer a tad due to gearing change.

A 225/60/15 will fit fine front and rear, I know of a few 914 GT look*a*like cars running 225/50/16 and 245/45/16 which is the same diameter of the combo that you want to run.

For a real good deal, get these tires right here:
225/60/15 for only 44 bucks each.....great tires for the price.

Tire Rack AVS

Va914 · 12-20-2002, 03:43 AM

Thanks..

Mike, will the 225/60/15 have too much sidewall for my 914's front? Will the handling be bad?

This is the first car (time) I have payed this much attention to tires. I guess I have never owned a car that deserved this much time before

Thanks again for your help guys

Kerry

Paul_Heery · Paul_Heery's Garage

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mike mueller · 12-20-2002, 07:41 AM

Kerry,

I wouldn't worry too much about the taller sidewall right now.
If this is just a driver, the ride will be much more pleasant with those tires than going to some low profile tire that'll cause you to feel every little bump in the road.

Look how well these cars did brand new with skinny and tall tires way back in the day. You'll be putting on rubber that is far better than anything they had, you'll be fine and you'll still enjoy your car.

Mike