Wheel and tire sizes

[pauljones]

is it possible to fit 15's on a plus 2 with 195/50/15 rubber, this is purely for new more available sizes to buy. will it fit for a start,or cause any problems ect

thanks,Paul

[mikealdren]

Hi Paul,
I haven't checkd but I assume that teh rolling radius is the same as the 165*13.

With such a low profile you will get a lousy ride. You may well get problems with such a large flat tread, the +2 has very good geometry for its age but I?m not sure it will keep so much tread on the road as the camber changes at extremes of suspension travel. Such a wide tyre will also foul the inner wheel arch.

I suppose my conclusion is don?t do it but others may think differently.

Mike

[msd1107]

Paul,

Think of using 185/55-15 tires.

The 165-13 tire is 887 rev/mile. The 185/55-15 tire is 904 rev/mile, a 1.9% difference. The 195/50-15 tire is 917 rev/mile, a more significant 3.4% difference and close to the 155-13 tire at 912 rev/mile.

All these rev/mile figures are from manufacturers published data and can change from tire brand to brand and during the life of the tire. Other tires to consider are 195/60-14 (896 rev/mile), 185/70-13 (893), 175/60-15 (893), 185/65-14 (884).

David
1968 36/7988

[theelanman]

I'd suggest checking wheel offsets.....with something that wide I think you may catch either the body or the suspension..........on the vertical travel I mean.....

[gerrym]

Paul, problems with wider tyres fouling the rear suspension are well documented. As a minimum, it will be necessary to change over to 2-1/4" rear springs. This forum has numerous posts to this effect.
For the front suspension and specific to Plus 2s, I started a thread last February. Some owners reported experiencing rubs between inner fender and tyre for 185 widths. There is also a chance of rubs on the outer fender lip, plus the toe-board. 175 widths seemed to fit without many problems. Check out my posts and you should find the details, plus there a photos posted showing what the rub through will look like. Depending on your body/chassis mounting, you might also get rubs on the anti-roll bar. The tyre clearances need to be checked over the suspension range and steering angles.

Another thing to bear in mind is the strength of the lower trunnion thread. The wider tyres will be generating forces much higher than this component was designed for.

Also, do you have a rim in mind for the 15" tyres. Are you going to ditch the knock-on hubs or can you source 15" knock-on rims?

Regards

Gerry

[pauljones]

Thanks for the info guys,it looks like ill be sticking with the 13's for now.i didnt think it would cause so much trouble with the fitting and rubbing.

it then brings me to another point,where can we lotus lovers get good rubber in a size that wont break the bank?

Paul