Original Tyre Size Options

[Biggixer]

Hello All,
I have just resprayed my original/standard 5.5 x14 steel rims and now need tyres. I want to keep the tyre size standard or as near to standard as possible and I am personnally not keen on the white walled versions.
There appears to be limited options in the UK when searching LT or C tyres. What I've come up with so far is Conti Vanco2 195/75 R14C, Conti VanContact100 185 R14C or Hancook RA18 Vantra LT 185/80/R14.
Has anyone had experience of any of these tyres or can recommend a suitable alternative?
Thank you in advance.
Jim
'71 Westfalia, US Import, 1641 TP, pretty much stock throughout.

 

[ozziedog]

Hi Jim, welcome to the site. The standard of tyres nowdays to the standard of when these where built is lightyears apart. Anything with a commercial rating is more than good enough today. I`ve run with most of the above and its all cool.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,, AND!!!!! did I say welcome ???

 

[Biggixer]

Thanks Ozziedog. I figured they'd all be capable. Think I'll see if anyone has them in a local shop to see what they look like against the rim before committing.

And thanks for the welcome too. Great forum.
Cheers

 

[mike202]

Got the Hankook RA18 185R14 tyres, been fine.

 

[Biggixer]

Thanks Mike.

 

[fallingoffalot]

Regards tyre/wheel size, I've just realised that the smaller tyre wheel combination will mean that you are going slower than the speedo reads. This website https://www.tyresizecalculator.com/tyre-wheel-calculators/speedo-error-calculator shows that my wheel/tyre combination 195/55R15 means that I am only doing 55 when the speedo shows 60. I need 17" wheels for the speedo to be nearly accurate. Unless of course it has been re-calibrated, which is easy to check with a satnav unit.

 

[bigherb]

Regards tyre/wheel size, I've just realised that the smaller tyre wheel combination will mean that you are going slower than the speedo reads. This website https://www.tyresizecalculator.com/tyre-wheel-calculators/speedo-error-calculator shows that my wheel/tyre combination 195/55R15 means that I am only doing 55 when the speedo shows 60. I need 17" wheels for the speedo to be nearly accurate. Unless of course it has been re-calibrated, which is easy to check with a satnav unit.

Be using more petrol as well, the engine will be doing more bangs per mile. 195/70R15C gives you the same diameter as stock tyres.

 

[VeeDubMan]

What wheels/rims have you got and is it lowered too? Running taller tyres will increase the width so clearance could be an issue. Stock height, stock rims you'll be ok with the stock tyre height of course [emoji4]

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[ozziedog]

We seem to have gone off at about twenty five different tangents here. As far as wheel size goes, that is not relevant in one sense because it’s not really in the calculations. It’s all to do with the overall tyre surface area or circumference. If you have a twenty inch rim , that could be the same as long as the profile of the tyre is the same as an elastic band or at the other end you could have a twelve inch rim but it would need extremely high profile so that the overall circumference is the same.
The back tyres overall circumference will affect how fast the engine needs to go, so in fact it’s altering your gearing, a smaller overall circumference will mean you’re lower geared so great for acceleration and getting up hills whereas a larger overall circumference will mean less potent acceleration but a lot easier on your motor at cruising speeds unless you go crazy and the fan won’t be cooling for the amount of effort put out by the motor.
The front tyres overall circumference is totally irrelevant to speed etc apart from the fact that the speedo drive is connected to the nearside front hub grease cap. So smaller overall circumference means it looks like you’re whizzing along but it’s just an illusion (great song) and visa versa if it’s over size as in an off road type styleeee you’ll think you is going slower than you actually is.
A couple of variations are, these speedos wasn’t fabulously accurate when it was all brand new and the overall circumference is quite different from an old tyre about to get replaced because he’s down on his tread to a brand new one of exactly the same size. You can demonstrate this to yourself by getting your old tyre on a rim and putting a chalk mark on the side just where the side meets the tread , line it up with a chalk mark on the floor, roll the tyre one complete revolution and make another chalk mark on the floor. Now go and get your tyres changed and do the same with a brand spanking new tyre and you’ll see the difference, then multiply by how many thousand times it takes to do a mile and then you get the idea of it.
Now tyre sizes is a slightly different thing, the middle number is I believe a percentage of the tread width which is usually the last number.
Now I await correction cus I’m bound to have buggered summit up :lol: :lol:

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,, might be wrong :mrgreen:

 

[KateLovesPurple]

........
Now tyre sizes is a slightly different thing, the middle number is I believe a percentage of the tread width which is usually the last number.
Now I await correction cus I’m bound to have buggered summit up :lol: :lol:

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,, might be wrong :mrgreen:

Yep, buggered summit up. Middle number is indeed the percentage of the tread width, which is the first number in mm. The last number is the rim diameter in inches. Why the hell do they mix things up like that!

 

[fallingoffalot]

Today I got a 185/65 R14 fitted to my 14" rim spare as I realized that the 195R14 which was about 195/80R14 would have hit the wheel arches if I ever had to use it. Just need to make the wheel well in the boot accessible as I think the previous owner just assumed they'd never get a puncture.

 

[ozziedog]

........
Now tyre sizes is a slightly different thing, the middle number is I believe a percentage of the tread width which is usually the last number.
Now I await correction cus I’m bound to have buggered summit up :lol: :lol:

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,, might be wrong :mrgreen:

Yep, buggered summit up. Middle number is indeed the percentage of the tread width, which is the first number in mm. The last number is the rim diameter in inches. Why the hell do they mix things up like that!

Spot on, I was just checking that everyone was paying attention :lol: Not really, twas just way way way toooo many numbers to guarantee I didn`t make a boo boo.


Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I stand corrected again (sat down) :mrgreen: :lol: :mrgreen: