Could someone please 'splain why there are plenty of 225/50-15 race tires but approximately zero hi-po street tires in that size? (Kumho AST doesn't count.) I want a wide-ish 24-inch-diameter summer-only tire, in a 15-inch size, but can't find E36 M3, so it looks like I'm on the hunt for 16-inch rims. (205/55-15 is not as rare, but still uncommon, and there's nothing sticky enough.)
Just whinin'...
I'm also sure there are many like me that want a true HP tire for classic musclecar sizes like 235 60 15.
Simple, if they made really nice tires with sidewalls, the stupid wheels market would collapse.
There seems to be a dearth of 205/60-15 tires anymore as well. Used to be just about every Japanese sporting car wore them, but now...
Do they still make the BFG Sport Comp?
(clicks around)
I guess they don't.
Are these tires for the SAAB in your avatar? I have Yokohama Sdrives on my c900t in 205/55/15 and I am very happy with them. Before I was using 205/50/15 and they were too short, and made the wheel gap too big.
The Saturn has factory 24" tires
So does an Integra
and a 240SX
and a lot of older subarus (pre 2002)
and the list goes on
Most people just suck it up and either upsize to 25" tires on 17s, or downsize to 23" on 15s. The are a crazy amount of options for both of these sizes. I bet that Saab would look good on some 15x8s with 225/45 R1Rs or RS3s. Remember they will drop the car another 1/2 too :)
If you are willing to go to 16s, you can get 205/50 Dunlops. Only 24" high-po street tire I know of.
Once you're running <16" tires these days you're in the E36 M3house as far as tire selection is concerned (unless you want crappy all-seasons to fit skinny factory steelies). The manufacturers figure that any car with non-steelie 15s or less on it these days is some old track rat or weird little race car and produce tires accordingly.
Because there is not enough demand to justify production. 
But most newer cars that can actually fit 15" wheels over the brakes are economy oriented, not performance.
I own 3 cars that would be perfectly suited for 225/50/15s. I would be buy the crap out of those things if they made street tires in that size.
It is hard to find tires in 15" period.
When I went tire shopping for the Dakota, I had a hell of a time to get "A" tire to fit. The 15x6 rim didn't help me out much either.....
GameboyRMH wrote: Once you're running <16" tires these days you're in the E36 M3house as far as tire selection is concerned (unless you want crappy all-seasons to fit skinny factory steelies). The manufacturers figure that any car with non-steelie 15s or less on it these days is some old track rat or weird little race car and produce tires accordingly.
195/50 R1R
205/50 R1R
205/50 Dunlop
205/50 RE11
205/50 Azenis
205/50 XS
225/45 R1r
225/45 RS3
Seems like a fair amount of 15" tires available. All of these are capable of winning in ST classes. And super light 15" wheels are becoming cheap as hell.
Yeah, if you are running anything that weighs >2500lbs you may want to step up to 25" tires (i.e. 16s or 17s) so you can go wider.
In reply to ProDarwin:
Except none of the tires you posted are 24" O/D. The question is not the lack of 15" tires, but the lack of 15" tires that are the correct diameter for a number of older cars.
This has been common discussion on the E30 forums - "what 15" tire". It seems most just run 205/50-15 or 225/45-15. Or go to a larger size. Unfortunately, it doesn't get a lot better when you change to a different rim. There aren't a lot of 24" o/d tire options period.
I agree 16" choices are sometimes worse than 15".
In reply to ProDarwin:
And not a one of those is anywhere near tall enough. Those tiny little 15" tires are for 90's sport compacts, not 80's cars or even 60's/70's muscle, etc. I don't want 17's on the Javelin, but I don't have a choice if I want to run any type of street tire whatsoever on the autocross.
Same story on my 944, too. I got by with the 225/45 R-S3's, but they were a good inch or more shorter than stock, which made the mileage/speedo both off and put me at a gearing disadvantage. Can't upgrade to the 16" 951 wheels because A: 16" sizes suck even worse, and B: the factory wheels are staggered, and there's NO good tires available with that stagger at all! Not even ST tires, I'm talking even plain street tires that don't suck!
The market is out there for sure, I don't know what's wrong with the tire companies (low hanging fruit?)
Ditto on all of this. I want a wider 15 than 225.
I want 16s in sizes i can actually berkeleying use.
HappyAndy wrote: Are these tires for the SAAB in your avatar? I have Yokohama Sdrives on my c900t in 205/55/15 and I am very happy with them. Before I was using 205/50/15 and they were too short, and made the wheel gap too big.
The 89 in my avatar is a daily driver that gets 205/55-15s on 6-inch 9000 rims. (I may try the S drives next on it, or Kumho 4Xs; haven't decided...) I'm bitching about tires for my 86 notchback, which I bought 15x7s for (oops) and which is driven only for fun:
As silly as it may sound, my next toy car purchase will definitely involve researching tire availability. I really don't want to go through the tire hassles I'm having with the E30 again.
rallymodeller wrote: There seems to be a dearth of 205/60-15 tires anymore as well. Used to be just about every Japanese sporting car wore them, but now...
E36 BMWs used this too, if you didn't spring for 16" wheels. I'm planning to replace the tires on mine with Falken Zeix 512s soon.
Simple Answer but costly : Pirelli P Zero System (Max Performance Summer) 225/50ZR15
Another answer give up little height: Dunlop Direzza DZ101 205/55/15 23.9 height Yokohama S Drive 205/55/15 23.9 height 7.4 tread
Ian F wrote: In reply to ProDarwin: Except none of the tires you posted are 24" O/D. The question is not the lack of 15" tires, but the lack of 15" tires that are the correct diameter for a number of older cars. This has been common discussion on the E30 forums - "what 15" tire". It seems most just run 205/50-15 or 225/45-15. Or go to a larger size. Unfortunately, it doesn't get a lot better when you change to a different rim. There aren't a lot of 24" o/d tire options period. I agree 16" choices are sometimes worse than 15".
That post was in response to the claim that there are no 15" tires, not the diameter. As I said earlier, just suck it up and go shorter in the tire or taller in the wheel. 15" street tires are only going to come in a 23" diameter. Its been that way for quite a while and we just need to accept it. If you want taller, go 16 or 17 with a 25" tire. There are plenty of 225/50-16 tires out there and 245/40-17 (or 255). A modern 225 will easily fill an 8+ inch wheel and offer plenty of traction for the guys who refuse to accept 17s.
205/60-15 is closer to 25" than it is to 24" anyways.
The reason they don't make them is that for every person out there who wants an oddball 15" size tire, there are 1000 people who want the same tire in a 17" variety.
I would love to see a 245/45-15. I just know I'd be one of 10 people to buy it.
Celica, what's wrong with current 16" sizes? ALL of the ST tires are offered in 225/50-16
Ian F wrote: As silly as it may sound, my next toy car purchase will definitely involve researching tire availability. I really don't want to go through the tire hassles I'm having with the E30 again.
It's not silly. I have a Celica, an MX6, an Escort, and a Miata.
I'm boned for EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM.
For a fun car, i will never buy anything ever again that doesn't have tire availability for days.
I've got a set of Hankook Vetus H101 that are 225/50-15. Good tires at near full tread. They are take offs from my 280z. Swapped for R spec DOT autocross tires. I'll make you a sweet deal on them if you want to try them.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:Ian F wrote: As silly as it may sound, my next toy car purchase will definitely involve researching tire availability. I really don't want to go through the tire hassles I'm having with the E30 again.It's not silly. I have a Celica, an MX6, an Escort, and a Miata. I'm boned for EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM. For a fun car, i will never buy anything ever again that doesn't have tire availability for days.
I dont understand. There are about a gagillion Miatas running ST with gobs of 15" tire choices. Just put 15x8s or 15x9s on (TRM wheels require a different Banjo fitting, and IIRC 6ULs will fit the sport brakes) and some 205s or 225s. How are you boned?
If you are unwilling to compromise on wheel diameter, tire width, and tire diameter, you'll find yourself boned with a lot of cars. What's the target tire size, wheel diameter and wheel width for the Celica? Escort? MX-6?
ProDarwin wrote:92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:I dont understand. There are about a gagillion Miatas running ST with gobs of 15" tire choices. Just put 15x8s or 15x9s on (TRM wheels require a different Banjo fitting, and IIRC 6ULs will fit the sport brakes) and some 205s or 225s. How are you boned? If you are unwilling to compromise on wheel diameter, tire width, and tire diameter, you'll find yourself boned with a lot of cars. What's the target tire size, wheel diameter and wheel width for the Celica? Escort? MX-6?Ian F wrote: As silly as it may sound, my next toy car purchase will definitely involve researching tire availability. I really don't want to go through the tire hassles I'm having with the E30 again.It's not silly. I have a Celica, an MX6, an Escort, and a Miata. I'm boned for EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM. For a fun car, i will never buy anything ever again that doesn't have tire availability for days.
I don't like 15s on NBs, and because i am who i am, 225 is not wide enough.
Stock celica was 205/55-15. I had to do a lot of work to fit a 245/45-16... just in time for that size to pretty much go extinct. Same deal with MX6.
Escort isn't so bad the more i think about it. The 225/45 RS3 is fine.
ProDarwin wrote:92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:I dont understand. There are about a gagillion Miatas running ST with gobs of 15" tire choices. Just put 15x8s or 15x9s on (TRM wheels require a different Banjo fitting, and IIRC 6ULs will fit the sport brakes) and some 205s or 225s. How are you boned? If you are unwilling to compromise on wheel diameter, tire width, and tire diameter, you'll find yourself boned with a lot of cars. What's the target tire size, wheel diameter and wheel width for the Celica? Escort? MX-6?Ian F wrote: As silly as it may sound, my next toy car purchase will definitely involve researching tire availability. I really don't want to go through the tire hassles I'm having with the E30 again.It's not silly. I have a Celica, an MX6, an Escort, and a Miata. I'm boned for EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM. For a fun car, i will never buy anything ever again that doesn't have tire availability for days.
As already mentioned, the 205/50 and 225/45 are 23" not 24"
And to Ian, run a 235/40/17 on the E30, even a few wheels made specifically for that setup.
You'll need to log in to post.
