Originally Posted By: tommygunn
Yeah I know it varies on a car-to-car basis, but the car in question is a Camry. -snap-
Non-performance cars don't need low profile tires.
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Tire noob questions about profiles
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I wouldnt call the op's 60 series tires low profile.
I'd reserve that for a 215/45r17 or other actual LOW PROFILE tires.
Also he needs at least 16" wheels to clear his brake hardware. So in this instance I'd say bashing the manufacturer is not warranted.
unless we go back to the 90's most cars come with tires with this type of sidewall profile in some cases the sidewall is the same size as that 1990's car with 14" or 15" wheels and 70 series tires.
My 2 cents is after checking to make sure they werent aired up by the village idiot last time his car was serviced... he should simply concentrate on finding a good riding tire.
His tires have about 4.85" of sidewall.
a rolling couch with 195/70r15 tires has...
about 5.3" of sidewall.. hardly earth shattering
and individual tires may vary.
a LOW profile tire such as a 215/45r17 has about 3.8" of sidewall.
Primacy wore quiet right to the end. Like past the wear bars. Going to rt43 seemed to make no diff--but as Camry drivers we wouldn't notice anyhow. Seems to ride just fine, 32psi seemed to look low in both tires, but the Michelin wore just fine.
Just stupid fast wear. Watch the tread life ratings in this size. I drove thro the wear bars to get 45k.
Well, first you ought to check the inflation pressure. Too many people still think the proper pressure is what is written on the sidewall. Sorry, but that is the MAX, not a recommendation. Look for your vehicle tire placard which ought to be on the driver's doorframe. According to Tire Guides, it ought to say either 30 or 32 psi.
Second, 60 is not a low profile and it should not be riding rough. So if the inflation pressure is OK, it just might be the shocks. Shocks can fail both hard and soft.
And according to Tire Rack, 15" will NOT fit on your vehicle.
Originally Posted By: andyd
New to us '09 Camry will need tires soon. 215 60 16s. Ride wise the car could benefit from taller tires. The low profile 16s ride like rocks. Tires form a role in suspension. NV something. I'm sure earlier Camrys had 15s at one time. Praps a set of used steelies so I can keep the same diameter. School me in tires please.
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Originally Posted By: KitaCam
It always amazes me that people will offer advice before having the information necessary to help answer your questions.
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Originally Posted By: andyd
New to us '09 Camry will need tires soon. 215 60 16s. Ride wise the car could benefit from taller tires. The low profile 16s ride like rocks. Tires form a role in suspension. NV something. I'm sure earlier Camrys had 15s at one time. Praps a set of used steelies so I can keep the same diameter. School me in tires please.
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
It always amazes me that people will offer advice before having the information necessary to help answer your questions.
And the OP hasn't exactly been forthcoming with information since making the original post. GIGO, as they say...Is it a Camry SE? What kind of tires are on it currently? What pressures are the tires currently at?
As mentioned, this size isn't "low profile", which is merely a description of a tire, not a specification.
NVH may have been what you were going after? Tires can contribute to NVH (Noise Vibration & Harshness) in a vehicle's ride.
Your fellow BITOGers have already brought some excellent suggestions to the table on tire replacements, but there are a lot of variables having to do with ride harshness, including the fact that the Camry SE (if you've an SE) rides much stiffer than other models, and will have to be softened with either very high quality tires or softer springs/struts if you're not alright with the stiffness.
To follow up on the whole V-Rated tire thing, I really have never seen a direct correlation between comfort in tires and their speed ratings. Tire comfort and noise has more to do with the casing material (steel vs fiber, etc), tread compound and tread block shape(design). You can find many stiffer riding tires in a T rating than you'll find in an H or V, simply because of the harder compounds used to reach the higher treadlife numbers. However, tire quality also plays a huge role in comfort, no matter the mileage warranty or speed rating, and you can't forget to make sure the tire was designed with comfort in mind.
Case and point, if you took a Michelin Primacy MXV4 in a T rating and compared it to a BFGoodrich Touring T/A (Sams Club tire, also a T-Rating, both made by michelin) you'd find a drastic difference in ride quality. Now, do the same thing and take a Bridgestone Potenza G009 (discontinued, but was primarily offered in a V-Rating) and compare it to a Michelin Premier in a V-Rating, you'd forever forget speed rating really mattered! Speed ratings have to do with how a tire handles under certain loads, speeds, temperatures, etc and not how it rides necessarily. Toyota designed the Camry to use a V-Rated tire because it wanted to make it handle a certain way for the suspension to take less of the work and have the sidewall stay stiffer instead, not because they wanted the best selling car in the US to ride horribly, nor because any regular Camry would ever get even close to 149 MPH (V-Rating).
Companies like Michelin have engineered in things like Max Touch Construction, allowing for a greater contact patch of the tire, offering better traction, allowing better weight distribution of the tire, which increases treadlife and offers higher comfort levels. Those sort of high dollar R&D features are why your Michelins ride better, stop sooner and handle better than your typical bargain basement Kelly (Goodyear), Primewell (Bridgestone) or Nankang (TireCo) tires. Those cheap tire brands literally are just round, black and hold air.
Not to beat a dead horse, but my W-Rated Pilot Sport A/S3s ride like a UHP All Season, moreso than my W-Rated Primacy MXM4s did, which are some of the most comfortable tires made in "low profile" sizes. Same speed rating, very different ride and handling characteristics.
Originally Posted By: W_John_C
To follow up on the whole V-Rated tire thing, I really have never seen a direct correlation between comfort in tires and their speed ratings. Tire comfort and noise has more to do with the casing material (steel vs fiber, etc), tread compound and tread block shape(design).
If I may:
The presence of a cap ply (or plies) does make the tire a bit harsher riding - BUT - the effect is small enough to ignore.
Ride harshness is more or less controlled by the sidewall stiffness. Sidewall stiffness also controls the handling feel - how quick the tire reacts to steering input. These 2 properties are more or less on opposite ends of the spectrum.
As a general rule, the higher the speed rating, the more likely the tire is designed for good handling feel - hence the idea that higher speed rated tires don't ride as well. Plus, higher speed rated tires tend to be lower profile - which also negatively affects ride.
But there is a wide range of ride qualities in a given size - given all the different manufacturers and tire lines.
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