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mlefebvre
Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2006
Posts: 3
Location: Raleigh, NC
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 Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:41 am Post subject: Any one tried 205R14 on the alloy wheels? |
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I was just going to buy a set of 205R14 Comtrac for my 91 Westy but the seller advised against it because the larger diameter would make the Westy even slower going up hills. Does anyone have any experience with this?
Thanks |
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Randy in Maine
Samba Member
Joined: August 03, 2003
Posts: 34890
Location: The Beach
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| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:51 am Post subject: |
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They are about 1" taller than a 205/70/14 and would be expected to gear you up about 5% (according to here http://busdepot.com/details/tires.jsp ).
Here is a pretty good site for comparing various tire sizes but they do not list the "no aspect" ratio so you need to use about 80 or 82 when offered.
http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.1010tires.c...WnlCn76ZkA
You may want to consider using a 195R14 with is about 1/2" taller than a 185R14 and about 1/2 smaller than a 205R14.
Last edited by Randy in Maine on Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
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otiswesty
Samba Member
Joined: November 21, 2006
Posts: 1731
Location: Portland
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| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:07 am Post subject: 205/70/R14 Tires |
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The 205/70/R14 tire is about the same size or diameter as the 184/80or82/R14 tire. The difference is the aspect ratio which is the ratio of the tread width to the sidewall height. The 205 tire has a sidewall height that is 70% of the treadwidth. The 185 tire usually has a sidewall height of 80 or 82% of the treadwidth. An equivalent 195 tire is 195/75/R14. All have similar tire height.
Some people think a wider tread size provides more stability. The wider treadwidth does have a slightly higher rolling resistance which can affect fuel economy. When choosing a tire, the most important consideration should be the presence of a reinforced sidewall, best found in a light truck tire. I have 185/82/R14 Continental Vanco-8 tires which are one of the few that meet load ratings for the Vanagon on a stock 14" rim.
What is the specific tire you are considering? |
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82WestyMan
Samba Member
Joined: December 28, 2006
Posts: 1098
Location: Western OR
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| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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Just a thought... I have 14" factory mags on my 82 Westy
I run Sumitomo HTR 200 205/70HR14 95H tires and they're about 1% off from the original stock size so your speedo will be damn close. The upside is they're 70 series tires, have a 95 load index (1521 lb), a max inflation of 51 psi, are H-rated tires and the "UTQG" is 380 treadwear, A traction and A temp.
Not to mention TireRack has them for $49 a piece.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=S...d_rating=H |
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