quote:You probably DO NOT want to use an increase in tire size to gain ground clearance. The first problem is that you’ll throw your speedometer, and your transmission shifts, off. You say you can live with the first, but the second may be a problem. The second is that constant scraping is usually a sign of some other problem such as misaligned exhaust parts or sagging or broken springs. The H and V rating tires will give you less wear, and are less resistant to curb and other impact damage, and you can stiffen your sidewalls by simply increasing your inflation pressure. If it were my car I’d first make sure that the exhaust system is not hanging abnormally low. I’d then measure the distance between the bottom of the rocker panel and the ground and compare it to a comparable Toyota or two to see if I have abnormally low clearance due to heavy loads, sagging springs, or replacement of the factory springs with lowering springs by a previous owner. If you find a problem, you can correct it without fooling around with the tires and wheels. Your Toyota is new enough that coil springs are readily available. If results to this point are negative, you may be able to increase ride height by going to monotube gas pressure struts (like Bilstein) or changing your coils to variable rate springs with a higher capacity than your current springs. Finally, there are both air supports and helper springs out there that can boost car clearance. Any of those approaches would be preferable to tinkering with tire and wheel assembly diameter.
Originally posted by JHZR2: I need to decide upon a new tire choice for an 01 Toyota Camry (the last bodystyle before the current one). Stock tires are 205/65R-15, the tires being used currently have s-speed ratings. What Im looking for is a tire thqat is going to be a slight bit taller, and have a bit stiffer sidewalls, thus helping to prevent scraping of the undersode of the car when going on bad bumps, ruts, etc. The car seems to scrape a LOT. I am thinking of an H or V-rated tire (tirerack has a few types that are good quality, and no more expensive than good quality lesser tires), in either 215/65R-15,225/65R-15 or something like 225/60R-15.
Help me pick a tire size for a Camry
- Thread starter Mickey_M
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i moved my 97 v6 camry (same basic body as yours) to 215/60 r15 many years ago and have been very happy. Altho I did it to get a bit wider footprint (195 to 215 in my case), it kept the overall diameter almost identical by going from the stock 65 to 60 height ratio.
tires.com has a convenient calculator that helped me keep from screwing up the speedometer and make my decision before I got to the store.
however if you are scraping a lot, you might just need struts.
JHZR2
Staff member
thing is, the car is used in the US Virgin islands. transmission shifts are always off, as its constantly being manually shifted from 'D' to 3, 2 or lower for hill climbing/descending reasons. the driving is on STEEP hills up and down, so speedometer is nearly irrelevant.
The driving is especially tough. The proiblem is that the car is just plain too low for some of the roadway intersections that are very steep and at odd angles. Its just the way it is.
The car checks out at every maintenance interval, done at the dealer. There is usually only one rider.
Its all a matter of the roads. It would be great to get an extra 1/4 to 1/2 inch sidewall height to just help out a bit.
Speed-rated tires with stiff sidewalls dont necessarily sacrifice treadwear. the pirelli p6 tires on my new saab, for example, are H rated and have a 400 treadwear rating. The yokohamas on my father's e-class diesel are V speed rated, and have a 50K mile treadwear warrantee.
Down there, tires dont last because of the road designs, driving situations, traction issues, lots of sun/UV, etc.
So Id just like to try and get a tiny bit more sidewall height. That with more pressure and a stiffer sidewall should help a bit... Every little bit will help.
Thanks,
JMH
205/75r/15 S rated. That will give you about an inch. New front springs will give you another inch, maybe two....Replacing the springs is not that big a deal.
JHZR2
Staff member
fuelrod, thanks!
Have you used that size in a camry yourself? I think that size is going to be more than high enough... I was thinking 205/70R-15~
JMH
JHZR2
Staff member
Hi,
I need to decide upon a new tire choice for an 01 Toyota Camry (the last bodystyle before the current one).
Stock tires are 205/65R-15, the tires being used currently have s-speed ratings.
What Im looking for is a tire thqat is going to be a slight bit taller, and have a bit stiffer sidewalls, thus helping to prevent scraping of the undersode of the car when going on bad bumps, ruts, etc. The car seems to scrape a LOT.
I am thinking of an H or V-rated tire (tirerack has a few types that are good quality, and no more expensive than good quality lesser tires), in either 215/65R-15,225/65R-15 or something like 225/60R-15.
I am not concerned with speedometer error - its a non-issue. There will be no highway use of this car, frankly, because there are no highways where it is used. I am concerned only with the tires rubbing on the car, so it cant be turned properly.
Any suggestions of what size to use? Do some of the higher end cars have 60-series 16" wheels? That might be an indication of how tall/wide of a tire the wheelwells can take.
Any help would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
JMH
Should fit OK...I would find one, a pretty common tire, and try it first...You can check the dimensions on the tire rack web site. How many tire stores on the island?
quote:Actually, those tend to give less treadwear longevity than S- or T-rated, as the latter can have taller/deeper treadblock designs which at the higher ratings' max speeds could contribute to centrifugal forces undermining integrity (i.e., bust off blocks or fling the tire apart at high speed). However, you are correct that higher-rated tires tend to be stiffer to maintain integrity and handling at speed, also giving an edgier ride which could be annoying on bad/uneven roads. Also mind that tire models made with a taller profile (e.g. 70+) will tend to be more ride-oriented vs. handling-oriented, so they may "give" so much that any ride-height advantage is rendered moot, and if you like driving with vigor, you may not appreciate the tradeoff of handling precision and predictability by going with a 70+ profile and a cushy-riding model of tire. As for section width, I wouldn't risk exceeding the stock 205 by much, so I reckon 215 as a sensitive maximum. The BFGoodrich Traction T/As survey as somewhat stiff (I thought the display tire on the wall at Sears was inflated at first, compared to softer-walled tires next to it!), and perform well in professional track-tests and driver written reviews and surveys. The T-rated version has a phenomenal 620 treadwear rating but surveys as slightly softer than the H-/V-rated versions, which latter have a still-respectable 440 treadwear rating. Currently, the T is only available for 15"ers in a 215/65TR15 (from Tire Rack, at least), no taller sizes in the H/V version, and BFG is continuing to roll out (no pun intended!) production of new sizes (my own 185/65TR15 should be available within the month, and I'm definitely gettin'me some!) For checking other sizes, I like the tire size comparison calculator at 1010tires.com. You can plug in any two tire sizes and it gives you their dimensions, speedo error %age, and a side-by-side depiction of each tire to compare diameter and treadwidth visually. BTW, if your struts'n'shocks check out as okay and ye don't wanna pony up for newer ones with a higher ride, at least consider having deflector guards installed to protect your oilpan and any other low-hanging expensive bits (and go with cheap, generic mufflers that you can regard as disposable
Originally posted by Mickey_M: ...The H and V rating tires will give you less wear, and are less resistant to curb and other impact damage...
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Best regards,
-Tye
JHZR2
Staff member
Tyson:
Don't worry, driving with a vigor is not an issue. 'give' at speed is a non-issue, as all driving is slow. The real question is, will an S or T rated higher profile tire give much when very slowly stressed, like going around a sharp, steep odd-angle curve at 5mph?
As for the H and V having worse treadwear, I dont buy it... My father got 77k on his H-rated toyo tires. I got 50k on the very soft compound H-rated dunlop sport A2s. There are plenty of speed-rated tires with high treadwear. And regardless of the treadwear, the rubber will rot down there first, so they will need to be replaced before they wear out.
Thanks!
JMH
quote:Actually, the latter is the sort of give I meant -- a 70+ profile tire would (almost?) always have to be a ride-oriented tire, and thus would tend to be cushier both at speed and going slowly over uneven surfaces and/or around sharp bends/corners, so any marginal height advantage you might get from going 70+ series could easily be offset by extra compression/collapse of the tire sidewall when cornering and/or going over those very bumps you're wanting to ride clear of.
Originally posted by JHZR2: 'give' at speed is a non-issue, as all driving is slow. The real question is, will an S or T rated higher profile tire give much when very slowly stressed, like going around a sharp, steep odd-angle curve at 5mph?
quote:I was just speaking of tendencies in broad generalities; most higher-speed-rated tires tend to have lower treadwear ratings (a somewhat arbitrary test, granted and prolly not very representative of mostly slow-speed driving) than would most slower-speed-rated tires, particularly comparing within the same line of tire (e.g. comparing T vs. H ratings within the BFG Traction T/A family, or likewise among Bridgestone Turanza LS, etc.), which isn't to say one "can't" get long miles outta the H/V (but mighta got more outta an S/T, esp. from the same tire line
As for the H and V having worse treadwear, I dont buy it... My father got 77k on his H-rated toyo tires. I got 50k on the very soft compound H-rated dunlop sport A2s. There are plenty of speed-rated tires with high treadwear. And regardless of the treadwear, the rubber will rot down there first, so they will need to be replaced before they wear out.
![[Wink]](images/icons/wink.gif){kind=icon}
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In summary, for your objectives, I'd personally recommend a 215/65R15, preferably one noted for a comparatively stiff ride in the tests/surveys/reviews, which would tend to indicate an H-/V-rated tire.
JHZR2
Staff member
thanks, Tyson! Much appreciated.
JMH
STAY AT THAT SIZE
However you should be able to safely go to 215/65/15.
Wider and higher load range....few mm's taller though due to the aspect ratio change.
The size is pretty limited as is.
I believe the smaller OEM option was 195/65/15.
Michelin(MN) Agility/Harmony, MN Hydroedge, MN Weatherwise, Goodyear(GY) Assurance Triple Tread/Comfort Tread, GY Weatherhandler LS/Regatta 2/Viva Touring are my All purpose hard to go wrong picks here.
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