P185-60R14 Tires. 175-65 vs 185-60

So I've made the swap from 165-65 to 175-65 and was very happy. Now I ran across two brand new 185-60s and figured I would try them, I've been still running 165-65 oem size on the rear (I keep finding sets of 4 for $60 since nobody buys them and they sit on Craigslist for months). This combination has been working out fine, I have pretty good traction and handling while getting use out of cheap 165s


This should be an obvious review but the 185-60 has much more crisp handling and the steering wheel seems to hold its place centered much better. The expense is I can feel the road surfaces much much more now, cracks in the road are felt when they were minor before.

The 175-65 handles very well, upgrading from a 165-65 it's a great combination of handling and comfort. Just it can't compete with the 185-60's grip, much more planted and much more difficult to unglue it on dry roadways.


The 185-60s are generally cheaper, for someone looking for more grip/handling on stock wheels they are an excellent choice.

The 175-65s are my favorite however because they offer superior handling compared to oem, not as good as the 185-60 but plenty good for a mpg monster and the comfort they provide is greatly appreciated on rough roads.

Have you ever had an alignment check on the rear?

These are a lot closer in size then i had imagined.

I have a tit in one of my tires from shenanigans. Been debating trying out something significantly taller for freeway.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Top_Fuel

Have you ever had an alignment check on the rear?

---

Not yet. Waiting till I get the front struts and springs returned to stock and 4 new tires then I'll get a lifetime at firestone

If I were going to stick with with a 14, I'd go with the 185/60/14. However, there still isn't a really good high-performance tire in this size these days.

I think I'd probably give the Ohtsu FP0612 A/S if I were going to go with a 14. The other one I'm kind of curious about is the Barum
Bravuris 2. The Dunlop Star Specs are great tires (as I understand), but probably a bit more high performance (and fast to wear) for a daily driven Mirage (or more specifically, my daily driven Mirage).

I don't know that I would mix-and-match tire sizes on each axle, but I am really quite happy with having stepped up to 175/65-R14s. They make the car look much less anemic, and both ride and handling have improved over the stock Dunlops.

Plus, you get a LOT better tire for your money when you go up a size or two.

185/60 is too wide for the wheel... unless you get new wheels at least 5.5 inch wide

No issues with the 185-60s on the 4.5

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by remusrm

185/60 is too wide for the wheel... unless you get new wheels at least 5.5 inch wide

---

Damn, I didn't know that! If that's the case I need to buy 150 5.5 inch wide wheels.

Yeah you risk having a bead seal failure when you put a tire too wide for a small rim. I'd say a 175 would be fine but I don't think I'd go to a 185 personally.