Tyre Sizes

[Lesholloway46]

Hello.
I have an AClass W169 A180
At the moment it's fitted with 195/55/R16 tyres.
On the roads around here I keep catching the undertray and I wonder if fitting
195/65/R16 is possible and would it help the problem ?
Kind Regards
Les

 

[OneForTheRoad]

6% lift but your speedo will read nigh on 5 mph out - when your doing 40 your doing 44.3 etc etc .... is the undertray not hanging down ?? my c250 is as low as a snakes belly and doesnt scratch the road....

 

[slade1]

They all read fast, change from 60 to 65 will probably make it accurate.
Will have to change all 4 tyres to get same rolling distance, may cause problems with ABS etc

 

[Petrol Pete]

Putting higher profile tyres on will cause more hassle than its worth, you could end up with wheel arch clearance problems, 'strange' handling characteristics etc.In the UK it could even invalidate your insurance if you went too far, not sure about that where you live.
I would suggest buying a car that suits the roads you drive on.

 

[markjay]

In a nutshell, you should only fit tyre and wheel size combinations that are approved for your vehicle by the manufacturer.

 

[grober]

Some W169's are fitted with "Sports suspension" Don't know if this has a slightly lower ride height or merely uprated springs/shocks. Annecdotal evidence that some cars with mudflaps fitted at the front can scrape over speed bumps. Or your suspension may simply be a bit "tired"?

 

[190]

For a smaller tyre sidewall increase how about 195/60/R16 which would only raise it 10mm and have less effect on the speedo. I would check the speedo reading before assuming it reads fast as they are now much more accurate than they used to be. Mine is near as damn it spot on.

Another option is to fit spring spacers. Usually there is a range of different spring seat heights to suit different model specifications. You could check to see if any are available thicker than yours and fit them. Labour would be more than the parts though.

 

[Gazwould]

You can't apply maths to tyres because the manufacturers don't keep to the stated size .