Hello-

For some reason TireRack.com doesn't realize that 1982 T/A's have both 14' and 15' Wheels stock. Therefore I am having some difficulty figuring out what Tire size combinations would be appropriate for the proper look, grip, handling, etc.

Can someone suggest the different realistic options and the benefits/drawbacks of each?

 

You're probably better off getting a set of 15s 'cause even the base wheels for the Kia Rio/Hyundai Accident are 15s. They may not have decent tires that fit. Besides, that much sidewall isn't the best for handling. Unless it's something rare like a 4cyl I'd move up to the 15s. The correct size for the 14s is P195/75R14. Just go to various tire manufacturer web sites and search that size. I already checked BFG and they don't make any.

 

Jesus Christ who the hell has 14 foot wheels?

 

Coker tire-


http://www.cokertire.com/p225-70r14-...ne-radial.html

 

Nice 92G92, using the lords name in vain on Christmas. Religious comments are frowned upon here, let them chastise me. IDC

 

Obviously if it was convenient, i would have bought the 15" rims. I have 14" turbocasts in great shape with 14" bowling ball caps (originals) so I will not be buying 15's. It would be an insane waste of money since I already have what i want.

I appreciate letting me know the correct stock size, the ones on the car now are 215/70/14's and there are plenty of them on the market still, and as are 205/70/14's and even one or two 225/70/14's.

My real question is- when looking at the different options for the 14" wheels, which ones are the best fit for handling, fuel efficiency, traction, etc. The guy i talked to from Tirerack told me the lower the first number, the better the handling and that 215/70/14 would have the same height as the stock 15's. Can anyone add to this?

 

nhgator, thanks for the link! There are a lot of options for that car there, now i just need some assistance with some info about the different options out there

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...70&diameter=14

BFG still makes the 225/70r14. IMHO, its a great tire and looks good too.

Cooper makes the Cobra GT is 225/70r14 also. Discount tire has them.

 

Depending on your wheel width,one of these should work-

http://www.cokertire.com/p245-60r14-...h-t-a-rwl.html


http://www.cokertire.com/p215-60r14-...h-t-a-rwl.html


http://www.cokertire.com/p245-60r14-...h-t-a-rwl.html

 

Stock size for 3rd gen wheels in 14" is 205-70-14, not 225-70-14. 225 is about 1" taller.

 

Stock size for my car is/was P195/70R14. Goodyear, Michelin, Cooper, BF Goodrich still make that size.

 

 

Awesome guys, but that's not the answer to my question. I know the different options and where to find them. I don't care what the stock tire size is, i want to know which size tires are the best for the stock 14" rims in terms of look, handling, etc. Again, I don't care about personal opinions about which tire company, just talking SIZE here. Thanks!

 

Ok then. Well how hard do you intend to drive your car with the 14" tires? What is your normal driving style? Give us more info for a better response.

And btw, I went through all those sizes 195, 205, 215, & 225 when I was a young lead footer. 215's worked pretty good for me as far as handling in dry conditions. As far as fuel mileage goes, I guess it was pretty decent.

 

Yeah, i've got serious gas mileage issues with this car which i'm not going to bore anyone with on this thread, i've already taken up 12 pages on another thread here trying to figure that out.

I don't drive it much right now because of various issues that make it annoying (wipers not working, rear view keeps falling off), but i live in the city. I live in Jacksonville, FL so there is Lots of rain here so wet traction and handling mainly in terms of responsiveness and cornering is important, but i'm not driving this thing 90 or 100 MPH. Just general city and highway driving 0-20 miles.

I probably will go with the white lettered BF goodrich tires because they look best with the car, i'm just trying to see if there is any value or difference between a 205 and a 225 i guess....do the sizes really make much difference? 60 vs. 70? I noticed the lower the number the less expensive the tires are, so if there isn't much difference between them at all, there is no reason not to just buy a 205.

 

the 70 will have a taller side wall than the 60 may notice a slight difference in cornering (meaning not quite as good) but for normal driving should be fine.

Skinnier the tire shorter the sidewall will appear, too.
I know confusing. Had to find an online tire measurement chart and really study it to "guess right". lol

 

70, 60, 50, 40, etc. is the height of the tire.

For example using F body wheels as an example:

P215/70R14
P215/60R15
P245/50R16
P275/40R17

Of course, there are variations.

 

Okay you guys are driving me crazy-

What is the difference when DRIVING a car with 225/60/14 vs 205/70/14 vs 215/70/14 vs ETC ETC

Higher/Lower first number will make a car do more or less of this
Higher/Lower second number will make a car do more or less of this
When putting them together the Blank Blank Blank 14" tire will give you the best ride and handling for normal spirited everyday driving.......

Can you just answer using that template? Thanks

 

The larger the first number the more grip you will have due to the tire contact pattern being wider. The lower the second number the better because the sidewall won't want to roll over when cornering giving a mushy feel. So best would be a 225/60 (or 50) R14

 

Great answer Twisted, thank you

 

Take that with a grain of salt - a 225-50-14 will be 3" shorter than a stock 205-70-14, 215-65-15, or 245-50-16.

You want to keep the same overall tire diameter of around 25.75", but widen the contact patch and (somewhat) have less sidewall. That is the reason behind the IROC and WS6 cars running 245-50-16 tires and the popular 275-40-17 size now.

 

I'd recommend sticking with the 205-70R14. Select a good tire with a high Traction (AA) and Treadwear rating.

For better handling and performance select a tire with the highest speed rating you are willing to buy. The higher the speed rating the stiffer the sidewall on the tire. S, T are rated around 96 mph. H rated is for up to 120mph. V - 135mph. W - 150mph. I'd recommend an H rating for the driving style you mentioned.

A narrow tire is better for fuel economy, less contact patch, less rolling resistance. You can go to a wider tire if you choose, but I wouldn't go wider than a 235-60R14. I used 245-60s on my 14" rims and even though they looked good, they wore out the tread center due to the rim being too narrow.

If you prefer an American tire BFGoodrich has the Radial T/A still available in 205-70-14. For an import tire I would recommend the Khumo AST for good all weather handling.

 

Three numbers make up the tire size: 205-70-14
205 - Tread width in millimeters 205 millimeters width
70 - Aspect ratio - the height of the tire sidewall (the distance between the rim and the tread as a percentage of the tread width). 70% of 205 = 143.5mm sidewall
14 - rim size - 14".

You will see it as 205-70R14 for radial tires. Radial is a description of how the steel belts are positioned during tire construction. Most passenger car tires are radial tires.

You may also see it as 205-70HR14 for H rated, radial tires. See my previous post for speed ratings. (245-50VR16 - another example) Below H the speed rating usually isn't a selling point and isn't listed in the tire size labelling.

 

Y2JGQ2,

I don't believe there is a single tire size that qualifies with all of these expectations. (handling, fuel efficiency, traction,)
Also what about looks. Don't you care what it looks like on your car? Skinny "rear" tires IMO do not belong on a Third Gen.
And wheel size plays a roll. What size are they ? 14x7s , 14x8 ?

 

Probably 14x6, common size on cars with drum brake rears through 1985.

 

Whats the max size tire you can fit on that ?
Is this it ?

 

Jesus fvcking christ who cares?

 

Have you ever heard the word respect ? Me I was raised to show respect for anyone or anything until proven otherwise.

Just stepping in out of the blue to show us who you are like this says a lot about your character.
( the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.)