185/60/15 Potenza RE92

[WMERCERECU77]

Is there a better 185/60/15 than the Potenza RE92? Mine are great but always open to a better tire. Secondly what tire size options will fit the stock rims with the same (or very close) tire diameter?

[aca72]

Not a lot of choices for the stock size...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...14&RunFlat=All

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/tires...th=false&year=

If you're okay with Costco's deal, Michelin Harmony would be a reasonable choice if you want high mileage tires.

http://www.costco.com/Tires/SearchRe...o=0&lang=en-US


Lots of tire and wheel info....

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbi...yre_bible.html

[kimona]

Replace your 185/60's with 205/55's. They will fit the stock rims nicely with close to the same diameter (23.9 vs. 23.7) You'll have 20mm more rubber on the road and you'll definitely notice a difference in handling. Plus, they'll look great!

Addition: At just 0.7% taller than OEM, the 205/55 is not an oversized application. It is a perfect fit for the original wheels... whether steel or alloy. The 185/60 has a recommended wheel width of 4.5-7", while the 205/55 has a recommended wheel width of 5.5-7.5".

[Pars]

My stock rims are 14 inches and the Potenza tires are 175/65/14. I recently replaced them for Toyo Spectrum 175/65/14 and the Toyo tires are quieter and have better stability on the highway (traction is about the same, but I think the Toyo might do better in heavy rain).

Putting oversized tires on the skinny rim sounds like a bad idea. I'd rather go the other way and put extra wide rims on skinny tires. My last car had 195/50/15 tires on 7 inche (wide) rims. That way, you get maximum use of the available rubber and there isn't any extra flab to soften up the handling.

[kimona]

Hey Pars,

You could have replaced your 175/65/14's with 195/60/14's.

The diameter of the 195/60 (23.2) is just 1% taller than the 175/65 (23.0).

The recommended wheel width for the 175/65 is 4.5-6.5", while the recommended wheel width for the 195/60 is 5-7". So, you would be absolutely fine with 195/60's on the original steel wheels.

And, the 195/60's would have improved handling significantly (and would have looked better on the car than the narrow 175/65).

The 195/60/14 is not an "oversized" tire for your application. The main reason your car came with 175/65's as OEM was mostly because of cost.

Furthermore, stretching a "skinny" tire onto an "extra wide" rim is never recommended; it is neither safe nor does it improve handling in any way. In fact, handling will be compromised with this kind of application.

[Pars]

yup, but as you said 195 on 7' rim is still within recommended extremes. I'm parading one end of the extreme while you've got the other end cover. True, 195 on the skinny stock rims would look good and have more grip around the turn, but it's not the most efficient setup. I bet you'd be surprised at how well the 175 would perform against a 195 on similar rims&diameter (assuming Toyo tires, since cost cutting could be a factor on stock stuff). And, the 175 would be lighter, return better fuel mileage and cut the wind better at high speeds. Eventually, I do plan on getting 195 for my Yaris, but only after I can afford some bigger rims.

[voodoo22]

Originally Posted by Pars

the 175 would be lighter, return better fuel mileage

Does anyone have any first hand experience as to how much of a difference tire width would make on FE?

[slvryaris]

Yokohama Avid TRZ is what I am using in 185/60/15. They are an 80,000 mile tire. They go through water on the road like a hot knife through butter. GREAT tire. I should have ordered two sets. Hands down the best tires I have ever ran on any car or truck of mine.

[kimona]

Originally Posted by Pars

yup, but as you said 195 on 7' rim is still within recommended extremes. I'm parading one end of the extreme while you've got the other end cover. True, 195 on the skinny stock rims would look good and have more grip around the turn, but it's not the most efficient setup. I bet you'd be surprised at how well the 175 would perform against a 195 on similar rims&diameter (assuming Toyo tires, since cost cutting could be a factor on stock stuff). And, the 175 would be lighter, return better fuel mileage and cut the wind better at high speeds. Eventually, I do plan on getting 195 for my Yaris, but only after I can afford some bigger rims.

A wider (7") rim than stock is not necessary nor is it a more "efficient setup" to run the sizes I have indicated.

For example, OEM alloys are 16x6, ET51, 195/50/16; and 17x6.5, ET51, 205/45/17.

I do agree that a narrower tire generally delivers better fuel economy, but there is a significant trade-off in handling and safety. If you're going for maximum fuel economy, then replace your 175's with 155's and high offset flat disc alloy wheels (or just install flat aluminum covers on the stock steel rims).

[Pavel Olavich]

Going to a bigger tire, and especially much bigger tire will DECREASE front wheel torque...do you want that?

[kimona]

Originally Posted by Pavel Olavich

Going to a bigger tire, and especially much bigger tire will DECREASE front wheel torque...do you want that?

If by much "bigger" you mean much taller, then you certainly have a point.

But, the replacement tire sizes suggested are absolutely within Yaris OEM standards, both in diameter and width.

[Pars]

Originally Posted by kimona54

A wider (7") rim than stock is not necessary nor is it a more "efficient setup" to run the sizes I have indicated.

For example, OEM alloys are 16x6, ET51, 195/50/16; and 17x6.5, ET51, 205/45/17.

I do agree that a narrower tire generally delivers better fuel economy, but there is a significant trade-off in handling and safety. If you're going for maximum fuel economy, then replace your 175's with 155's and high offset flat disc alloy wheels (or just install flat aluminum covers on the stock steel rims).

Thanks for the info on the OEM sizes. My next rim is going to be 15x6.5.

I did 300,000KM on the 195/50/15 tires mounted to 7 inch wide rims (Toyo Proxes FZ4 and was on my third set when I sold the car). Excellent setup, since the tires were tightly stretched over the rims, it made for immediate turn-in (the thick sizewalls on the Toyo Proxes FZ4 probably played a factor). The suspension system in my Yaris isn't going to be as radical, so 6.5 inch (rim width) should be good fit.

If tires are stretched tightly over wide rim, it should return more surface contact vs an overized tires on skinny rims which will simply bulge out on the sides.

Imagine identical cars with identical tires on the racetrack (on performance springs). One with 15x5.5 rims vs 15x7 rims (on 195 tires). I bet the differences would be surprising.

[Chaldon]

Originally Posted by WMERCERECU77

Is there a better 185/60/15 than the Potenza RE92? Mine are great but always open to a better tire. Secondly what tire size options will fit the stock rims with the same (or very close) tire diameter?

Click for a few reviews I have in another tab. Bad reviews on the RE92. 20k miles...

[Chaldon]

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