man... i was under the impression, wider tire, better traction. i even read where someone said a 195 on the stock rim was better, but didnt really believe it.

im a big fan of the HTR 200. i was running 205/60/13's on the stock rims, when i changed to 195/60/13 today. its AMAZING how much better it handles. i was so amazed, i havent been able to REALLY get into it, but ive gotten close and theres a noticable difference. i recommend everyone running 205's, to atleast TRY 195's if you havent already.

 

well, good for you for noticing. it shouldn't be that much of a difference in performance if they are the same tires. tire sizes make a difference in the sidewall. some people see the 60 and think that thats the size of the sidewalls because 50's are smaller. close. the 60 means 60% the width of the tire. so, the 205/60/13 should actually read 205/123/13, as for the 195/60/13 should read 195/117/13. which isn't that much. i run 185/111/13. a;omg time ago, back in the stone age, yokohama had a great tire, 008ag's in a 185/50/13. those tires hugged the road awsome. well, hopefully i've confused you a little. have fun.

 

Less sidewall flex = more precise steering feel and handling

 

i was thinking of going to that tire size the next time my rx-7 needs them(i just got fresh tires, 205s). thanks for mentioning the difference in handling.

 

Tire width is very low on the grip scale. The most important thing is compund, followed by sidewall stiffness. Now upgrade to a stickier tire and you'll see even more improvments.

 

I know you all are talking about road track racing, but in drag racing, the wider the tire, the better. Anyway, will a 215/60/13 fit on the stock rim?

 

And less tire life!

 

Someone has said they've got 215/50s on their stocks, I'm gonna try them out probably next summer.

 

I'd stick with 205 and under on the stock 5.5" wide rims.
Even 205 width is kind of pushing it.

 

Well, I'm going with 215/50/13 on the rear and i'm not sure for the front. The biggest will be 195.

 

My 205 60 R13 Cooper Cobra GTS are starting to worry me. They came with the waffle style rims. The car isn't running yet, so I'm not sure how it's going to handle or ride.

 

I know that sounds crazy but a friend of mine had 245 mickey thompsons on the stock 13's on his RX-7. It looked good from the back but from the side it looked wierd as hell because the tires where wider than the rims. Tell you the truth I would never put something that wide on my rims. Oh yeah by the way he just trashed his rear end a few months ago and I have a good feeling that the tires had alot to do with it.

 

I used to have 215/50/13 BFG's on my stock rims years ago. I liked them. Im going to the same size soon but in the Sumitomo.

 

Has anybody noticed what the spedometer error is when switching from 185/70 to 205/60 or 195/60? I'd really like to get the Sumitomo HTR-200's or HTR-4's, but I really dont want something thats going to adversely affect my handling compared to what I have now (185/70 All-season Firestones on the back and American Silver on the front). I think that I'll get significantly more grip than I have now with anything I decide to go with, but I don't want the car to squirm on the sidewalls when I'm driving any more than they do now. Does anybody know how the sidewall stiffness of the Sumitomos compares to something like what I have now? Also, does anybody have any experience with the HTR-4's?

 

i have an 83 with 195-60-14's and the gsl-se with 205-60-14's and the 195s do feel a lot better, at least on the street

mike

 

My bro has 185/70s on his 84 GSL, I have 205/60s on mine, I love my car much better and it handles a hell of alot better than what he's got.

And about that speedo error, yeah...i think mine is off a few mph.

 

I kinda like the looks of the 205/60/13's with the stock body myself.

 

i passed one of those little white boxes on the road that tells you how fast you're going and it flashed 81 as i was driving by. i looked down on my speedo and it read 85/86. i got 205/60-13s btw.