What tyres does this 190E have on?

[Marvin16x]

Hey folks,

I have a 190E 2.3 and we both are getting ready for summer!
Yesterday I finally snatched a bunch of original 16x8J 15-holes on ebay.

Click to see them

Now it's time to look for some suitable tyres.
Thought of 205/50 or 205/45 or even 215/40, but I can't say I would really want these 'broad' 215s ...
I know the rims have a width of 8 inches and therefore 'require' 215, but imo the 'overhang' when using 205 tyres is neglectable

Alright, enough of this linguistic gibberish. Let's get to point.
I want my 190E to look like this one:

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/members-gallery/60959-1993-w201-190e-signalrot.html

But I can't ask the TO personally, because I'm not able to use the private message facility yet.
So I'd like to ask you guys!
What do you think, what kind of tyres does this red 190 have on? Look like 205 to me, but what about the cross-section? Maybe 45?
You can just see "KUMHO" in one picture.

I hope you know what I'm talking about
Just came back from school and my brain is completely switched off, can hardly phrase a correct sentence in german at the moment

Thank you!
Marvin

 

[grober]

Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tyre Bible Page 4 of 4 use the calculator here

 

[N/B]

Hello Marvin, a friend directed me to this thread - that's my old car!
Unfortunately I had to sell it back in December, after 7 years of ownership. Missing it badly! Suspension on that car was totally standard.

In the closeup picture of the front wheel, the 16x8 wheels had been freshly refurbished and were wearing 215/50/16s, because I had tried to be clever and used an online tyre calculator to precisely match the rolling diameter of the tyres with that of the original 185/65/15s (621mm, since you ask).

But of course, it never works out so precisely in real life, and they rubbed on the front arches. This was annoying, as they were brand new, bought off the internet.

Not long afterwards, I replaced them with 225/45/16s, and they were *perfect*.

Over on the 190 forum I inhabit, there have been many, many, many enquiries about which tyres to use on these wheels on a standard 190 (standard, Sportline or Cosworth) and the recognised 'ideal' size for grip, appearance and speedo accuracy is 225/45/16.
Of course, if the car is significantly lowered (-40mm or more) then it's likely a smaller tyre is needed.

You're welcome to try 205s, but they won't give the car its purposeful stance, and you'll induce a tiny bit of tyre stretch. Which is fine if you're 17, and drive a Mk2 Golf.
Me, I prefer a slightly more square-shouldered look because it looks right on the car and doesn't make such a feature of the wheels.
Here is a friend's 2.3-16, also with 16x8s and 225/45/16s on it, I think it looks about perfect:

...and FWIW here's my car on 225/45/16s mounted on 16x7 Tolimans.

Hope this is of some use

 

[Marvin16x]

Hey N/B!

Finally I get the chance to talk to you personally!

First of all I wanted to say that I am really really impressed by what you made out of the red 190 just by adding these lovely wheels!
I've been a huge fan ever since I first discovered your thread (Dec 2011).
Later in January I finally joined the forum.

I know all your started threads because I just couldn't get enough of your red beauty. When I saw that you had just sold it back in December I was like "Oh no, how could you give it away?!"

This is my baby and I hope it's gonna look like 'yours' one day:


Car Wash von marvingallo auf Flickr

So you recommend the 225/45/16 tyres ...
Alright ...
But I see why – they look absolutely amazing on your friend's 16V
I love to see well-kept 16Vs like this one. Wow!

As you can see, my 190E is not lowered at all.
You say you had problems concerning the wheels rubbing on the arches.
Only with the 215/50s or also with the 225/45?
I've heard of all these issues and I'm aware of it, that's why I first thought of buying 215/40s because a lot of 190-people I know also wear these ones on their 16x8J.
But the speedo accuracy (-7%) suffers from that.

So I'm still not sure what to do now.
I think steering a middle course by going for 215/45s is best for me.
I'm used to 185/65 ... 215 would be 3 cm more which also results in a higher consumption after all.
225/45 – maybe later!

But the most important question, as mentioned above:
Did you only have rubbing issues with the 215/50?
I want to avoid these and keep the hands off the arches and all the metal sheets in this area.
And what about deflecting (Sorry, out of vocabulary --> steering + suspension (bumps on the street)) ...? Hope I won't have any problems with that

Thank you so much for taking the time!!

 

[N/B]

As you can see, my 190E is not lowered at all.
You say you had problems concerning the wheels rubbing on the arches.
Only with the 215/50s or also with the 225/45?
I've heard of all these issues and I'm aware of it, that's why I first thought of buying 215/40s because a lot of 190-people I know also wear these ones on their 16x8J.
But the speedo accuracy (-7%) suffers from that.

But the most important question, as mentioned above:
Did you only have rubbing issues with the 215/50?
I want to avoid these and keep the hands off the arches and all the metal sheets in this area.
And what about deflecting (Sorry, out of vocabulary --> steering + suspension (bumps on the street)) ...? Hope I won't have any problems with that

Glad you like the car, it was my father's before I had it and I rarely saw any others with the same colour scheme (single-tone 568 Signal Red paint with coded mirrors and black interior).
Yours looks like a real gem, very honest and clean!

I only got rubbing with the 215/50/16s and I did not get any rubbing with the 225/45/16s.
There is always a little more drag on the steering with larger wheels and tyres, but in this case the 16x8 wheels are partly to blame as they are surprisingly heavy - I noticed a big difference in steering feel and agility when fitting the lightweight grey Tolimans, even though I stayed with the same 225-section tread.
Fuel consumption may increase a little, but that's the price you pay for fitting larger wheels & tyres on almost any car.
If you don't know when the Steering Damper on your car was replaced, perhaps look at buying a new one (not expensive from the dealership). Extremely easy to fit, even a novice like me had no trouble.

If you're worried about the treadwidth and fuel economy, fitting 215/45/16s can do no harm - they definitely won't rub - but you might have a narrower selection if it turns out to be an odd size.
Ever-so-slightly smaller tyres often improve acceleration too. Don't go to small though, or they'll look lost in the arches!

 

[Marvin16x]

Good morning N/B,

I have never seen a 568 single-tone coloured W201!
Just a few '568s' but all of them with the slightly darker 'panels' (like mine).
Coded mirrors look so cool, I think they were introduced in 1991. Single-tone coloured body in 1992 or 1993.
But first I want to get rid of the tow hitch, it makes the Merc look like a farmer's car.

Unfortunately I gotta go back to school now, will add the rest later on!

Thanks again for your helpful posts mate!

 

[Rob77]

For what it's worth, mine has 225/45/16 tyres on AMG rims and in approx 5 years of ownership I've had no rubbing and the car's lowered by around 40mm. I've replaced all the tyres at least once and wouldn't think to go for a different size.

 

[jaymanek]

I have tried all sorts of wheels on my 2.5 and keep coming back to these

 

[Marvin16x]

Hey,

thanks for sharing your experiences!

I read quite a lot about rubbing wheels lately, but where exactly do they rub?
I just did a quick edit of an older picture:


IMG_4339 von marvingallo auf Flickr

Which area gets "rubbed" when using too big tyres like 215/50/16?
Is the rubbing always there or just at steering left/right or in situations like reversing out of a parking space ("bumping" down the pavement) ...?

So I think I'll go for 215/45/16 or 225/45/16 ...
But I really wanna make sure that I won't have any rubbing issues.
And: good tyres are so damn expensive ...

By the way: Does it have to be Dunlop, Yokohama, Michelin & Co. ($$$) or do you recommend tyres by KUMHO and others ...?

Thanks again!

 

[Rob77]

I put Infinity INF 05 on all round but am in the process of having the wheels refurbed and will be replacing 2 of them with Toyo T1R

The Infinitys have been great and I'm interested to see if I'll notice any improvement with the Toyos

 

[Rob77]

I have tried all sorts of wheels on my 2.5 and keep coming back to these

Are those 17" Jay? Otherwise they look like mine. Did you get the lips polished or are they coated to look polished?

 

[jaymanek]

Those are 17's.... They are polished and lacquered lips...

The rubbing I initially had was where it touched the front bumper... so your left most arrow.

 

[Marvin16x]

Alright folks, the rims should arrive on saturday! I'm so excited!

Tyres? Most likely 215/45/16 by Michelin or Dunlop! I'm gonna try it!
215/50 are too big, 215/40 too small in my opinion.

But we'll see.
Looking forward to having the wheels on by April 15th at the latest!

@ jaymanek: Beautiful W201!!
But what did you do to get rid of the rubbing on the front bumper?

Thank you!

 

[renault12ts]

225/50 are the correct ones for your 8" wheels. 225/45 would suit too.

 

[N/B]

225/50 are the correct ones for your 8" wheels.

'Correct' as in standard factory fitment on the 190E 2.5-16 Evolution, which had completely different (and much larger) wheelarches:

For a non-Evo car, they are definitely too big. I guarantee it.
As said, the 'discovery' that 225/45/16 is the perfect fit has been gone over a thousand times on W201 forums.

The rubbing I initially had was where it touched the front bumper... so your left most arrow.

Exactly where my 215/50/16s rubbed.
A likely cause of the tiny rust blisters you often see on the front arches of old modified 190s, imo.
There is an AMG spacer kit available to push the panel edge out a little, but it's usually used in conjunction with aftermarket front aprons and bodykits. The same effect can be replicated using longer bolts and plastic washers.

 

[jaymanek]

Yes I used the AMG spacer kit... And i got slightly lower profile tyres for the front too.

 

[Marvin16x]

Hey guys,

today I got my rims!
I'm so happy!
Next step: find good tyres, as cheap as possible

 

[Marvin16x]

Hey folks,

got one more question concerning load and speed index.
87H is required according to my car registration book.

But I only find 215/45/16 tyres with 86H or 90V.
I'd prefer 86H because the difference between 86 and 87 is so small!

What do you think?
Is this a problem?
How is this handled in the UK?
Any experiences?

Thank you!

 

[jaymanek]

90V then you are safe.. The number is the load rating and the letter is the speed rating.. higher the better.

 

[Marvin16x]

Alright, just came back from the local tyre trader ...

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 — 117€ (£97)
including assembly, balancing, etc.

I think that sounds pretty good!

Kumho KU 36 — 122€ (£102)
Pirelli P7 — 131€ (£110)
and so on

Thank you all for your help and ideas!