In a message dated 98-05-01 20:30:19 EDT, prbrrh@PROAXIS.COM writes: << anyway my question is some list members are putting aftermarket 16" alloy wheels with tire size 215/65R16 on a van that came with 14's , is it the same overall tire height and if not does this affect the power (rob power) i.e., need more power to get bigger tires rolling ? and also what is the best size tire to run on the factory steel wheels. thanks for the help >> I have 215-65-16 tires on my syncro. The ride hight increased about 2.5 to 3 inches. The car looks great, like a real 4X4 should. The only problem I'm having now is to figure out what to do with my spare tire. I have a 14" spare . I also have a 15" rim that fits vanagon. I'm trying to figure out what tires size on the 14" or the 15" rim will match the diameter of the tires on the 16" rim. That's something to think about. Michael. P.S. On the 16" set up you don't loose power, you gain fuel milage and a little more top end speed. On the factory wheel and tire set up, (at least with my car) with an actual speed of 70 MPH, the speedo indicated 66 MPH, now with my 16" set up, it fixed my actual speed and indicated speed, it is perfect. 70 MPH indicated is really 70 MPH. To check your speedo, time how long it takes you to travel one mile , compared to the mile markers on the freeway. Compare with a few mile markers while mantaining a perfect speed. Take your average time and divided by 3600 seconds, lets assume you were traveling at an indicated speed of 70 MPH, your time should of been 51.4 seconds to travel one mile. If your time was lets say, 54 seconds ( 3600 divided 54 = 66.6 MPH ) you now know your true speed. Michael. |
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