195/55/15 or 195/50/15?

[AD_EG]

Bro's,

can some1 just advise me about 195/55/15 and 195/50/15 tires..? i know 55 is thicker..but the boss from the tire shop told me that 55 is much more quieter and is not as good ... he said if you want better handling go for 50...please advise? he said if its thicker,and you take a corner the tire does not hold as firm as 50...i'm not really sure if this is the case...

basically, the tires are gonna be used for spirited driving and occasionally drag racing.Daily driven.

 

[PocketRocket]

lower profile tires got better steering response...the lower the better

 

[AD_EG]

thanks bro..is there a difference in terms of wear and tear? or is it both the same?

 

[deacon]

The lower profile will have more wear and tear. This is because the lower radial size has to spin more to achieve speed.

You also should consider that the 5mm difference throws off your speedo and rpm readings.

In terms of handling and what not, i believe it comes down to how stiff your side wall is rather than height of your tyre size.

But if you are comparing, for example, Neova 55 AD07 to 50 AD07, then surely there will be a different feel lah. But if you are comparing with different tyre brands then you will get different results.

 

[Wanggot]

Using 195/55/15... Dunno abt the handling... It is more abt rim protection... Not easy to dent I guess..

 

[deacon]

I'm not sure whether 5mm will make a colossal difference in terms of saving your rim from a pothole. I use 50 series up front and 55 series in the rear.

 

[AD_EG]

hmmm .. now i get it...thanks bro.

When you say it throws off your rpm reading and speedo...how is the thickness of the tire affect that? meaning...the thinner your tire..the more inaccurate your readings?

 

[Wanggot]

I'm not sure whether 5mm will make a colossal difference in terms of saving your rim from a pothole. I use 50 series up front and 55 series in the rear.

It sure does.. and improve comfortability oso. Every mm counts....
If u still uncertain, try put on 195/45/15 tyres and later U know ur ride would be similar to horse-riding... If U know what I mean..

 

[deacon]

Well i couldn't feel the difference between the 55s that used to be my front tires and the 50s that are my front tires now.

 

[faisal]

hmmm .. now i get it...thanks bro.

When you say it throws off your rpm reading and speedo...how is the thickness of the tire affect that? meaning...the thinner your tire..the more inaccurate your readings?

195 /55-15 has a larger diameter than a 195/50-15. so naturally the speedo reading will be different.

a tire size calculator such as the following can show the difference
Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tire Bible Page 2 of 2

 

[kenken]

55 is good...

 

[AD_EG]

thanks bro's...

 

[8313]

more confort wif 55 more sport and performance wif 50.....

 

[azbro]

Most of the time the difference will be the comfort part.

In Performance wise, 50 series steering response will be slightly sharper.

But the most significant is if you like to throw the car around corners, 50 will corner more flat whereas 55 will flex a bit. But you can easily pump the 55 higher but then loose a bit in comfort and grip. Some ppl. like to corner flat and some like to flex a bit...it depends. Flat mean predictable, flex has its advantage to throw the car at a tighter angle before the corner.

To get the best of both world, most track tire comes in 195/55/15 instead of 50...first it saves the rims a bit from the kerb cutting, but then the sidewalls are also stiffer than usual to corner flat while adding some flex for correction or angled attack.

 

[PocketRocket]

wow, thats great info bro