rough riding tires?

[stangguy]

Ok, so here is the deal. I have a 98 Mustang base model v6 that I use for car shows and cruising, mostly out of town, so gets a lot of highway miles. I have the stock 15 inch wheels with 205-65-15 tires. In my opinion it rides rough, as in you can feel every crack and minor bump in the road. By the way the tires are very old Goodyears. But, anyway, I would like to replace the WHEELS with some fancier ones. But virtually all that I like are 16 17 or 18 inch , which require a much lower profile tire to keep the same total diameter. My question is will the lower profile tires ride even worse than what is on there now? or is the ride mostly the suspension, and not the tires??

 

[JohnnyG]

Skinny tires will make the ride much worse.
Air pressure should currently be around 30-32 psi.

 

[spasm3]

Lower profile will ride worse. Taller sidewalk ride better.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Your old GoodYears are probably rock hard. A new set of tires or wheel tire combo will improve the ride, I'm sure.

 

[stangguy]

Skinny tires will make the ride much worse.
Air pressure should currently be around 30-32 psi.

Do you mean I should be running 30/32 PSI in my current tires, even though the door jam and book says 35PSI?

 

[Silver]

Is load rating a thing with car tires? With trucks I pay close attention to the load rating. I want the lowest I can get in a tire I like so it doesn't ride stiff. I bought a truck with Michelins on it that rides like it's got friggin' cement tires. Absolutely awful. Even at 30 psi... and this is an Expedition!

FYI "skinny" meaning sidewall height, not width. Narrower width will theoretically give a smoother ride.

 

[stangguy]

Your old GoodYears are probably rock hard. A new set of tires or wheel tire combo will improve the ride, I'm sure.

So you think new tires on say a lower profile will ride better than my old high profile tires?

 

[JeffKeryk]

So you think new tires on say a lower profile will ride better than my old high profile tires?

Probably, but tire ride and performance depend on more than aspect ratio. I agree less (and stiffer) sidewall makes for a stiffer ride. But old tires are horrible.

 

[measureman]

Very old Goodyear tires and you drive at highway speeds?
Do you have a death wish?
Replace with any new tires just for safety at least.

 

[MParr]

Very old Goodyear tires is the problem. I would stick with the original size wheel and tire combination. If you want new wheels, go with the original wheel size.

 

[IndyIan]

Skinny tires will make the ride much worse.
Air pressure should currently be around 30-32 psi.

IMO, all things equal, including tire pressures, skinny tires should ride smoother that wide tires. But probably other factors like sidewall construction and height play a bigger part.

 

[IndyIan]

Tiresize.com lists yoko Avid Touring S available in 205/65R15 and even 205/70R15 if you want in S speed rating so they are half way to balloon tires with not many sidewall plys, probably 1, so they should ride decent.
Get some weight numbers for your wheels, a lighter tire and wheel combo is also better for ride, and lots of aftermarket wheels are heavy boat anchors compared to some of the factory wheels even.

 

[FZ1]

Ok, so here is the deal. I have a 98 Mustang base model v6 that I use for car shows and cruising, mostly out of town, so gets a lot of highway miles. I have the stock 15 inch wheels with 205-65-15 tires. In my opinion it rides rough, as in you can feel every crack and minor bump in the road. By the way the tires are very old Goodyears. But, anyway, I would like to replace the WHEELS with some fancier ones. But virtually all that I like are 16 17 or 18 inch , which require a much lower profile tire to keep the same total diameter. My question is will the lower profile tires ride even worse than what is on there now? or is the ride mostly the suspension, and not the tires??

Yes. Find a Michelin tire that fits your existing wheels and wait for a Labor day Rebate deal. Make sure your tires are properly balanced and Aired all the way around. Ymmv

 

[Duffyjr]

It's a sporty car with a short wheel base, isn't it suppose to ride a little rough so it handles better, stiffer springs, shocks/struts and all that good stuff.

 

[Passport1]

Trailer it. Ride won't matter.

 

[stangguy]

Very old Goodyear tires is the problem. I would stick with the original size wheel and tire combination. If you want new wheels, go with the original wheel size.

I would like to stick with the 15 inch wheels, but to find a look that I like in a 15 inch USED wheel seems very hard. I say used, because everything I like in NEW, is way more than I am willing to spend. I don't want to invest more in wheels than the car is worth. And a NON GT isn't worth much, even a very nice one. Which this is. I believe new tires would help my rough problem, but then if I want new wheels, and I can't find what I want in 15s I would need new tires again. I can occasionally find some 16s, and more often 17s, if that wouldn't be any worse than my old 15s, I guess that would be ok.

 

[FZ1]

I would like to stick with the 15 inch wheels, but to find a look that I like in a 15 inch USED wheel seems very hard. I say used, because everything I like in NEW, is way more than I am willing to spend. I don't want to invest more in wheels than the car is worth. And a NON GT isn't worth much, even a very nice one. Which this is. I believe new tires would help my rough problem, but then if I want new wheels, and I can't find what I want in 15s I would need new tires again. I can occasionally find some 16s, and more often 17s, if that wouldn't be any worse than my old 15s, I guess that would be ok.

If the wheels ain't broke, don't "fix" 'em. Newer wheels may, or, may not, be true.

 

[MParr]

16”x 7.5” and 17”x 8” were the only other wheel options for the 1998 Mustang.

 

[CapriRacer]

Is load rating a thing with car tires? With trucks I pay close attention to the load rating. I want the lowest I can get in a tire I like so it doesn't ride stiff. I bought a truck with Michelins on it that rides like it's got friggin' cement tires. Absolutely awful. Even at 30 psi... and this is an Expedition!

Yes, load rating in tires are a thing - BUT - for a given size, the maximum load carrying capacity of a tire is the same (more or less) because tires are standardized! (and, as usual, there are some exceptions!)

Second, ride quality in truck tires (and other types of tires) doesn't really change with differences in load ratings (meaning Load Range) - and that's because the strongest influence for ride quality is inflation pressure, not sidewall stiffness. Yes, some tires will have much stiffer sidewalls and therefore worse ride, but inflation pressure is still a dominant factor.

Further, the difference in sidewall stiffness between Load Ranges within a make/model is minuscule. There are differences between brands - and even models within a brand, but within a make/model, those difference are tiny.

So to answer the OP's question: Careful selection of the make/model is going to yield more difference than a simple tire size change would. However, changing from a 15" to a 17" will put you in a different range of values, so the average 17" tire will ride worse than the average 15" tire, but there is a considerable overlap.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Ok, so here is the deal. I have a 98 Mustang base model v6 that I use for car shows and cruising, mostly out of town, so gets a lot of highway miles. I have the stock 15 inch wheels with 205-65-15 tires. In my opinion it rides rough, as in you can feel every crack and minor bump in the road. By the way the tires are very old Goodyears. But, anyway, I would like to replace the WHEELS with some fancier ones. But virtually all that I like are 16 17 or 18 inch , which require a much lower profile tire to keep the same total diameter. My question is will the lower profile tires ride even worse than what is on there now? or is the ride mostly the suspension, and not the tires??

With tires like that you will be able to roll over any coin and tell if it's heads or tails.