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Thread: 155 Width Tires?

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    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    155 Width Tires?

    Before you go thinking I'm totally nuts, bear in mind that my car has been lightened to 1900 pounds. That's about 10% lighter than the typical 2100 pound Mirage. 10% narrower than the factory 165 tires would be less than 150. So, 155 shouldn't be too bad. Plus, the 155's I've chosen are called "performance tires" rather than "eco tires". So, I don't feel like I'm likely to die. They'll probably grip as well or better than the factory eco tires.

    But, let's back up. How did I get here? It's a weird ride, hang on!

    My Mirage was bought as an autocross project. I had fun autocrossing it... and somewhere along the line, I sold the OE wheels and tires. Don't have 'em. Don't want 'em. After I retired the car from autocross, my autocross wheels and tires (15x7's!) went to my Miata, and I needed something that checked all of my boxes to put on the Mirage. That is: lighter than the stock steel wheels, attractive enough, reasonably narrow, and tires that are super-light, narrowish, "good" and CHEAP! After kicking that around a bunch, I settled on 185/55-15 Toyo T1-S on 15x6.5 Konig Helium wheels. Pretty nice setup.

    Then I ended up getting my Mom's Mirage, selling it to my son... and as I was preparing to drive it across the country to deliver it to him, it needed tires! The easy-button solution: just put my Heliums on there and go. So, I did. (er... I am... leaving tomorrow)

    Now, I've got nothing on my Mirage, and a set of factory 14" steel wheels with two bad tires and one "iffy" one. I did consider just slapping some cheap 14" tires on there and running with it. The eco benefits of the itty-bitty stock tires (even if you don't buy expensive LRR tires) are attractive, and the way I'm using the car now, I don't need uber-grippy performance tires.

    But, as I was swapping the Helium's onto the other Mirage, I remembered that I can't fit 14" wheels on the front of my Mirage. One of the mods that I did that I'm too lazy to undo was to fit custom lower control arms with taller lower ball joints. Those ball joints push the bottom of the control arm into the wheel. 14's don't fit. Some 15's don't even fit!

    So, I've got to either "un-modify" the suspension... or I've got to get some 15's for the front of the car. I opted for the latter.

    Believe it or not, I DID consider just getting a pair of 15x5.5" steelies and some cheap 15" tires for the front and run to stock 14's in the back. But, ultimately, the heft of an 18 pound steel wheel, plus adding the weight of a hub cap to that... plus having to purchase both the wheel and the hubcap, which would add up to $60-70 per wheel. It just didn't make sense to me. I can still get Heliums for $84 each shipped!

    So, I ordered a new set of 15x6.5" Heliums. 12-pound wheels. Tasty.

    Now, what to put on them?

    The stock 165/65-14's are super-light at about 13 pounds. I'd like to get close to that without spending $120 per tire. The 185/55-15 T1-R's are pretty darned light for what they are, at 16 pounds. (and they were like $60 each) But, I think I can do better, and I'd like to be no wider than 175.

    Then I discovered the 155/60-15 Nankang AS-1 with a shipping weight of 14.3 pounds. And Amazon has them for $55 shipped. Score!

    Comparing to the 165/65-14, the AS-1 is a bit narrower, but it's more of a performance tire, so it should balance out as far as performance goes. The AS-1 has a better speed rating (not really relevant, but usually means a more rigid and durable tire). Load rating is 79 for the stock tire (963 pounds), and 74 for the AS-1 (827 pounds). So, about 60 pounds less load capacity per corner. But, again, my car is lighter, and it rarely carries more than myself, my wife and maybe 20 pounds worth of stuff.

    Comparing to the 185/55-15 T1-R, the AS-1 is WAY narrower, but also 2 pounds lighter. The T1-R is an okay tire, I've used them before. Great in the rain! But, the big wide tapered tread grooves like to collect gravel, and I hate that! The AS-1 tread should be a little less prone to that sort of thing. Narrower tires are usually a little better in the rain, plus this looks like a well-designed tread. I think I'll be okay there. No winter weather to worry about in FL.

    The diameter of the AS-1 is almost exactly the same as the stock tire. I actually would have preferred slightly taller for better gearing, and also because it looks a little better. But, I liked everything else about this tire. For $55, I just have to try it!

    Should have the wheels and tires here next week. Will get them mounted up as soon as I can.

    14 pound tire. 12 pound wheel. 26 pound package. I can't wait!


    Simplify and add lightness.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    So, I ordered a new set of 15x6.5" Heliums. 12-pound wheels. Tasty.

    Then I discovered the 155/60-15 Nankang AS-1 with a shipping weight of 14.3 pounds. And Amazon has them for $55 shipped. Score!
    I don't think 14" x 4.5" steel rims are very heavy.

    If a person checks occasionally, 165/65r14 Federal SS657 & Nexen NPriz AH5 tires can be found in the $40-55 price range at times. My experience has been with the Federal tires, but the Nexen is another alternative I would also consider. The Nexen also have a 50,000 mile tread life warranty. I just throw this out there for anyone reading this thread. I am not knocking your purchase.

    I have zero issues with 155 tires. I drove a 1990 Ford Festiva on 145 wide tires for 14 years with zero complaints. I don't follow your the car weighs 10% less equals whatever thoughts, but that's ok.

    This would be my caution to other readers of this thread.

    A 5" wide rim is made for tires ranging from 155-185, with 165-175 being the best fit.

    A 6.5" wide rim is made for tires ranging from 185-215, with 195-205 being the best fit.

    My former Honda CR-V had 6" wide rims with 205 wide tires.
    My current Subaru Forester has 6.5" wide rims with 215 wide tires.

    My 165/65-14 Nokian snow tires are on 14" x 5.5" steel rims that I bought. 5.5" rims are for tires 165-195 wide. I would not mount these snow tires on a 6.5" wide rim.

    165/65-14 (22.4") & 175/65-14 (23")
    or
    175/55-15 (22.6") & 185/55-15 (23")
    - bold print are factory size tires

    These four tire sizes are good places to start when shopping for tires to put on factory rims. The second option for 14" & 15" tires gives a slight increase in diameter without going overboard. At 60 mph your speedometer is off less than 2 mph.

    A 4.5" wide factory rim with a 165/65-14 tires has a tire tread width of 6.5". Your planning to use a 6.5" wide rim for a 155/60-15 tire that only has a tread width of only 6.1"?

    I don't have a concern over 155 tires, nor 6.5" wide rims. They are not something I would go out of my way to buy & try to put together, however. I personally wouldn't buy wider rims for narrower tires, & that is my main caution to other readers I guess. I hope they work well for you, & you are happy with them! You'll have to keep us posted!
    Last edited by Mark; 01-03-2020 at 04:40 AM.

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    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    I don't think 14" x 4.5" steel rims are very heavy.
    They're not "very heavy". But, they're probably about 14 pounds, and on two different Mirages, I've seen at least 3 bent wheels. It's VERY easy to get a lighter and STRONGER aluminum wheel. And for $84, I don't see much point in seeking out used wheels that won't be a lot cheaper (especially if shipping is involved) and are likely to be bent, damaged, etc.

    If a person checks occasionally, 165/65r14 Federal SS657
    If I could fit them, I probably would have gone this route. But, I need 15's on the front.

    I have zero issues with 155 tires. I drove a 1990 Ford Festiva on 145 wide tires for 14 years with zero complaints. I don't follow your the car weighs 10% less equals whatever thoughts, but that's ok.
    My car weighs 1905 pounds. A fully optioned Mirage weighs over 2100. Thus mine is 10% lighter and should require 10% less tire load rating. Your experience with 145's on a Festiva is barely relevant to the Mirage. The Festiva weight is under 1750 pounds. Weight matters. I suppose it does illustrate the point. 145's for 1750#. 155's for 1900#. 165's for 2100#.

    Now, I did mean to address the wheel width vs. tire width issue. I had lots of info to cover in that first post, and I just forgot.

    Nankang says the "approved wheel width" for the 155 is 4.5-5.5". So, 6.5" is definitely a bit wide. It's not ideal. But, in the autocross world, folks have done extensive testing and learned that a slight stretch is actually good for performance, particularly transitional response. And they're testing in an environment that's MUCH more extreme than I intend to drive my Mirage on the street.

    For example, putting a 225 tire on a 9" wide wheel is not at all uncommon. They're putting a tire like the BFG Rival 225/45-15, with a 8.8" treadwidth, and 8.9" section width a 9" wide wheel with fantastic results. Seems crazy wide to me, but it works.

    They also regularly run 205/50-15's on 8" wheels.

    So, my 155 with a 6.1" treadwidth and 6.2" section width doesn't seem TOO bad on a 6.5" wide wheel. I'll take photos and offer up my review when it's all done. If it sucks, it's only a $200 set of tires. I've wasted larger sums in the name of science!
    Simplify and add lightness.

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    Watch out for curb rash! I suspect the rim width will exceed the tire width. But I understand that's not your focus here.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    They're not "very heavy". But, they're probably about 14 pounds, and on two different Mirages, I've seen at least 3 bent wheels. It's VERY easy to get a lighter and STRONGER aluminum wheel. And for $84, I don't see much point in seeking out used wheels that won't be a lot cheaper (especially if shipping is involved) and are likely to be bent, damaged, etc.


    If I could fit them, I probably would have gone this route. But, I need 15's on the front.


    My car weighs 1905 pounds. A fully optioned Mirage weighs over 2100. Thus mine is 10% lighter and should require 10% less tire load rating. Your experience with 145's on a Festiva is barely relevant to the Mirage. The Festiva weight is under 1750 pounds. Weight matters. I suppose it does illustrate the point. 145's for 1750#. 155's for 1900#. 165's for 2100#.

    Now, I did mean to address the wheel width vs. tire width issue. I had lots of info to cover in that first post, and I just forgot.

    Nankang says the "approved wheel width" for the 155 is 4.5-5.5". So, 6.5" is definitely a bit wide. It's not ideal. But, in the autocross world, folks have done extensive testing and learned that a slight stretch is actually good for performance, particularly transitional response. And they're testing in an environment that's MUCH more extreme than I intend to drive my Mirage on the street.

    For example, putting a 225 tire on a 9" wide wheel is not at all uncommon. They're putting a tire like the BFG Rival 225/45-15, with a 8.8" treadwidth, and 8.9" section width a 9" wide wheel with fantastic results. Seems crazy wide to me, but it works.

    They also regularly run 205/50-15's on 8" wheels.

    So, my 155 with a 6.1" treadwidth and 6.2" section width doesn't seem TOO bad on a 6.5" wide wheel. I'll take photos and offer up my review when it's all done. If it sucks, it's only a $200 set of tires. I've wasted larger sums in the name of science!
    There are a lot of factors that go into a maximum load tire ratings. It's not impossible to buy a narrow tire that has higher weight rating than a wider tire. I just looked a particular tire I like. The tire loads (despite the width) are all over the place for that particular tire.

    Imagine how much weight a Boeing 747 tire much endure? Let's ask google - Plane = 404,600 pounds & they can have a take off load range of 735,000 - 970,000 pounds. Tire width is not the only factor when it comes maximum weight a tire can hold. Likewise, tire loads are all over the place depending on the style of car tire. It's not just dependent on width.

    Almost all of our hay wagons, chopper boxes, & gravity boxes had 10-12 ton running gears with worn out airplane tires on them when I was a kid. Even when these tires were entirely bald, a full load of baled hay, corn silage, corn, oats, etc.. was nothing for them. These were not super wide airplane tires either. I'm not suggesting airplane tires for a Mirage. I am just trying to make a point that tire load is not totally dependent on tire width.

    Does it really matter if a Festiva weighs 1700 pounds and a Mirage weighs 2100 pounds? I hauled a family of four around in a Festiva at times along with some other stuff years ago. I'm sure a loaded Festiva weighed way more than me driving in my Mirage today. Festiva was excellent snow. Our VW Golf was one of the worst (fat tires on smaller cars suck in snow), & yet the Golf weighed much more. I realize snow is not an issue for you. I will add, however, the Golf would have blown away the Festiva in a race on dry pavement. Some of that is tires, but most of it is horsepower, too. None of this stuff is comparing apples to apples here.

    I just look at recommended tire charts. I assume these charts exist for good reason. 9" wide rims are recommended for 235-265 tires. Thus, a 225 tire is not that far outside that range. Using 155 tires on 6.5" rims (recommended for 185-215 tires) seems like a bit of stretch to me, but you know way more about cars than I do!

    Using wide rims for narrow tires would be a concern for me, but you may be very happy with your new set up.

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    Senior Member Subcompact Culture's Avatar
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    For what it's worth, I run the AS-1 on my Mirage in 175/55/15. Been very happy with them.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Subcompact Culture View Post
    For what it's worth, I run the AS-1 on my Mirage in 175/55/15. Been very happy with them.
    Nankang AS-1 - It's good to hear positives reviews on tires that can be had in stock tire sizes.

    Any 155-185 wide tire (in the 22.4" -23" outside diameter range) will most likely do fine on a Mirage. It really comes down to what you want out of your tires.

    Like Loren already stated, most 165/65r14 tires have a load capacity of about 963 pounds. Take that # times 4 tires, & it equals an overall capacity of 3,852 pounds. Many 175/55r15 tires have a load capacity of 908 pounds, which equals 3,632 pounds. Most 155/60r15 tires are typically rated 827 pounds, which equals 3,308 pounds.

    Summarize -
    165/65-14 = 963 lbs/tire = 3,852 lbs total
    175/55-15 = 908 lbs/tire = 3,632 lbs total
    155/60-15 = 827 lbs/tire = 3,308 lbs total

    If you have four 300+ pounds NFL linemen in your Mirage, you may start to max out 155/60-15 tires. In the example above, the narrower/higher profile (165/65-14) tire has a slightly higher load capacity than the wider/lower profile (175/55-15) tire. Unless you are planning to load your Mirage to its extreme limit, I don't think these numbers really matter that much.

    If anyone has an interest in using narrow tires, I wouldn't let the load capacity stop you. Since I don't have 15" tires on my Mirage, I have never considered a 155/60-15 tire (22.3"). The 155/60-15 tires do match a stock tire (22.4 or 22.6") in diameter quite well. Just doing a brief search, these seem to be the most common 155/60-15 tires offered in the States.

    Achilles ATR-K Economist 155/60R15XL 75H - quite cheap, not recommended for freezing temps areas
    Federal Formoza AZ01 155/60R15 74H BSW - recommended for dry surfaces
    Nankang AS-1 155/60R15 74V BSW - topic of this thread
    Kumho Solus KH16 155/60R15 74T BSW - 60,000 mile warranty, more year-round tire, & more cost/tire
    Continental ContiProContact 155/60R15 74T BSW - 80,000 mile warranty, probably best overall tire, more $$

    According to rim/tire calculators, a 155/60r15 tires may be mounted on 4.5" x 15" to 5.5" x 15" rims. A 4.5" x 15" would be considered the standard size rim for this size tire.

    There are probably other choices out there, but these are the main players I see in a 155/60-15 tire size. Would these tires make me give up 14" tires and jump to 15" tires? Probably not, but others have different preferences for tires. I would have more interested in a 155/60-15 snow tire, but I am not seeing those during my brief search.
    Last edited by Mark; 01-04-2020 at 09:58 PM.

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    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Remember, the Mirage is front engine, FWD. Weight is not evenly distributed over 4 tires. 65% of the weight is in the front. So, the FRONT tires are seeing 65% of the weight of the car, plus whatever load is in it and however the load might be distributed. Still not enough for the average person to worry about load ratings. I only mentioned it because I know if I don't, someone else will. (just like I forgot to mention wheel width vs tire width... and got called on it)
    Simplify and add lightness.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    Remember, the Mirage is front engine, FWD. Weight is not evenly distributed over 4 tires. 65% of the weight is in the front. So, the FRONT tires are seeing 65% of the weight of the car, plus whatever load is in it and however the load might be distributed. Still not enough for the average person to worry about load ratings. I only mentioned it because I know if I don't, someone else will. (just like I forgot to mention wheel width vs tire width... and got called on it)
    "A friend of mine has scales. We measured my 2015 DE before I'd messed with it much. This is with aftermarket shocks and wheels, I believe. Front: 573/648, Rear: 362/474, Total: 2057 That's close to 59:41" - taken from your own post.

    From what others have shared the f/r weight distribution seems around 59-62% up front. How that shifts when weight is added to a Mirage is not something I have ever tried to figure out. I just know my fat butt isn't that far from the rear axle when I am sitting in my Mirage. It's surely closer to the rear axle than most other cars with longer wheelbases. At the same time, the Mirage is not set up like a Miata. Since you have removed items like the rear seats, your Mirage may have a higher percentage up front now, too?

    Curb weight of a Mirage is about 2,100 pounds.
    GVWR of the Mirage is around 3,000 pounds. CVT a little above that, and manual a little below that.
    Will a Mirage explode or fall apart if you slightly exceed that? Probably not! It's surely not designed to haul a heavy load, however.

    60% of 3,000 pounds would = 1,800 pounds up front.
    65% of 3,000 pounds would = 1,950 pounds up front.

    Most factory tires -
    165/65-14 = 963 lbs/tire
    175/55-15 = 908 lbs/tire

    If someone isn't content with factory tires, I feel 175/65-14 & 185/55-15 tires are a good alternatives for the Mirage. Unlike the two factory sizes, lots of tire options are available. Both tires are 23" outside diameter (less than a 3% difference in outside diameter). If tire load is a concern, both of these tire sizes bump that up to 1047 pounds/tire.

    That's why someone like Dirk (who uses his car to Uber) may seem happier with his new 175/65-14 tires? They may handle the extra weight of hauling passenger better?

    I don't question the use of 155/60-15 (827 pounds/tire) at all. Whether your Mirage weighs 1,900 pounds or 2,100 pounds really doesn't matter that much. It's more important to consider how your Mirage will be used.

    I've owned my Mirage for more than 2 years now. I've only had 3 people in my car once (10 mile trip), and I have never had 4 people in my Mirage. 95% of my driving in my Mirage is just me. My rear seats have been folded down for months. I've only had a passenger in the rear that one time, & that was in the spring of 2018. I haul some stuff in the back, but it's not like a load of passengers. In your case, your rear seats are removed. If I was going somewhere with 4 people, my Forester is coming out of the garage. I am never near the GVWR limit of my Mirage. I have a trailer & SUV for heavy stuff.

    If I had 15" factory rims, I wouldn't hesitate using 155/60-15 tires on them. In my case, 14" tires work perfectly fine. If the load capacities of the tire was a concern, most 14" & 15" tires for a Mirage are nearly the same anyways. My only concern would be mounting a narrower tire on wider rims.



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