195/55r15 vs 195/50r15

[goonie]

Has anyone ran 195/55r15’s? Just wondering if there are any noticeable differences compared to 195/50r15’s (current tyres) which seem to be on most 15’ rims.

Pros seem to be:

- Price (saw re003 for $130 with buy 3 get 4th free at Costco)
- A bit more comfort (car is not a daily, but most Sydney roads are rubbish)

Cons:

- Slight loss of handling?
- Looks (subjective)

Any input based on experience is appreciated.

Cheers

[Magpie]

Speedo will be out by -3% if you change to the 195/55/15.

[hks_kansei]

Total diameter will increase by 19.5mm
Up to you if it looks fine, the tyres will appear to fill the arches better.

Ground clearance will increase by about 10mm due to the larger radius.

as above, speedo will be out by 3%, so an actual 100kph will show as 97kph give or take on the speedo.


I had a pair that size on the rear of mine ages ago, the car felt slightly more sluggish, but to be honest it as no different to just a warm day. The difference was likely other factors as well.
I had to watch my speed too, since it left very little margin for movement to not get done by a camera (Victoria only gives a 2-3kph tolerance)

Handling felt worse, but that would have been more to do with the fact that I only had them on the back.

Comfort was about the same, but the roads here aren't too bad (last time I was in sydney the roads looked like they bought them cheap from Baghdad after the first desert storm)


If it were me, i'd not bother with them. 195/50 is usually about the same price anyway, and a lot more common.
I think Bridgestone often to a buy3 get 1 free offer as well.

[smy0003]

The Re003 comes in 195/50R15, so just go for that.
Great tyre, I got mine in the last 4 for 3 sale and paid a bit over $350 for four of them.

[manga_blue]

I run 205/50R15s on mine as road tyres, mainly because of the scarcity of 195/55s. 205/50 are effectively the same diameter as 195/55. I would prefer 195 over 205 because they tend to be lighter and they are slightly less prone to aquaplaning in heavy rain. Almost all my running is B and C grade country roads, a lot of it long distance and often in crap weather, and the extra height helps a little with comfort and keeps the revs down a touch. My speedo reads about 5% fast so the extra diameter amost brings the speedo back towards accurate.

[Luke]

Also to put the total rolling diameter into perspective.
205/40/17(595.8mm) as fitted on NB SE's is the same diameter as 195/55/15's(595.5mm).
NA rolling diameters are off course smaller with the 175/65/14 (583.1mm) and 185/60/14(577.6mm) standard size.
195/50/15(576.0mm)

I have run 2 tyres larger than this as well with no issues on +40 offset rims.
215/45/16(599.9mm) and 225/45/16(608.9mm). Plan to try the popular 225/50/15(606.0mm) track size next.

All this is on a NB SE.

I had 195/55/15's when RE001's first came out on another car.
Felt good back then, was on 205/50/15 before that on that car.
Did notice a slight increase in fuel which was actually measured over several months before and after the change.
Freeway driving was much improved though.
Comfort wise was much the same.

195/55/15 should fit an NA without issue but the acceleration will be more sluggish.


EDIT
Link to Tyre Size Calculator.
1010Tire Calc

[slomo]

I run 15/195/55 profile tyres on my na6 with bp engine replacement.
The reason is that I live in the country with rough roads but did not like the 14/185/60 profile standard tyres of the na6.
(Standard height suspension is essential, tyre pressure 28 psi)
As for speedo error, as it turns out my speedo over reads speed by about 2 to 3% thus I have found my speedo is so close to accurate as not to matter.