175/80 R14 - Yes They fit.......most of the time.

[gone.a]

So I was in a gambling mood and figured I would see if I could find the largest tire that would fit in the wheel well of my 5 speed manual - Little Red. I do a fair amount of highway driving at 4K rpm and I wanted to lower the rpms as much as possible, the only easy way to do this is to find the largest tire that fits.

I found a 175/80 R14 tire, made by Westlake Tires, on Ebay and ordered up 4 of them. The outer diameter is about 11.4 percent larger than stock and as such they throw the odometer, speedometer, and mpg gauge about 11.4 percent out of whack, so keep that in mind. It is also likely they will throw the traction/stability/abs out of wack as well, so if you do this.....its on you. They also raise the car about an inch and have a large sidewall....which looks awesome.

You might not believe it but the contact patch is actually narrower than the stock tires. How can this be? Well, there is so much sidewall the tire has lots of length to spread out and achieve a 175 measurement (measured at widest point, not at the tread). I didn't believe it either but after measuring 3 times, its true.

My MPG has gone down about 4-5 mpg, not bad considering most non LRR tires seem to do about the same when new.

Also, the freeways near me are concrete with inch-wide parallel rain grooves and the tread on these tires love to wiggle and squirm back and forth trying desperately to follow each and every little groove it can. To me its mildly annoying but not a huge deal.

My rpm is reduced 11% which in 5th gear is noticeable and much appreciated.

Oh and yes they fit....barely. The front right tire would rub just a little where the plastic side skirt entered the rear of the front right wheel well. None of the other tires rub at all. The fit is so tight it comes down to manufacturing tolerances of the plastic trim. I cut out about a square quarter inch of plastic and the rub is gone. There was never any rub anywhere else including the wheel well splash guard.

[inuvik]

This looks beastly!

[Eggman]

Pre-runner / rally car look.

Gutsy move.

[gone.a]

Combined with the rear Yaris springs and some rubber spring stiffeners up front it actually handles surprisingly well. In person it looks like its ready for some dirt....perhaps well maintained flat dirt but dirt no less.

[Top_Fuel]

175-80-14 must be an unusual size n the US. I can't find a tire like that on Tire Rack or Discount Tire?!?

[gone.a]

175-80-14 must be an unusual size n the US. I can't find a tire like that on Tire Rack or Discount Tire?!?

Its very unusual.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/311624330831...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT - They delivered fast as well.

Westlake was the only manufacturer I found in the US with that size, and I had to buy through a private vendor/distributor on ebay. Might also try amazon. If you go to Westlakes website the tire is not even listed so its possible it has been discontinued? Hopefully not, it looks sweet.

[Eggman]

Highway Star! Big fat tires and everything.

[obrother]

What psi were you runnng with the LRR tires and now with the beast tires?

[gone.a]

What psi were you runnng with the LRR tires and now with the beast tires?

Stock Enasaves I usually ran at 42-44 psi. The beast tires I am at 40-42 psi. My last tank, which was typical of my commute, was about 2-3 mpg lower than what I would have expected with Enasaves.

[MightyMirageMpg]

cool idea

almost have to be getting better freeway mpg, no? 11% is huge. betcha at 40mph she really shines as well!

maybe once the tires are broken in you'll be singing along!