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Thread: LRR tire Suggestions?

  1. #21
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    Hello all,

    Even with my first Mitsubishi, a 1976 Dodge Colt(rwd), I have used a larger diameter tire.
    It is not as big an issue as most people claim.
    Other than clearance issues(rubbing, etc.) and weight, which are true issues, the motor and transmission only sees 1/2 of the increase in new tire diameter. It only sees, feels, or literally has to push the increase that is measured from the center of the hub to the pavement. That distance, or measurement, is further reduced because of the squished/flexed sidewall of the tire.
    Mount the tire on the wheel, and before you mount it on the car, measure from the center of the wheel to the ground. That measurement would/should be truly one half it's full height, it's true radius. Once you mount that on the car, the weight of the car pushes down on the tire, flexing the sidewalls, ultimately reducing(by a small amount) the radius of the tire.
    So the engine/transmission see/push the slightly reduced radius of the new larger tire.



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    Hello All,

    Just wrote a post and accidentally deleted it.

    Okay, short version!

    The engine/transmission does not experience/see the full diameter increase of a larger diameter tire. It only sees the radius, it only sees the dimension from the hub to the pavement.
    That dimension/radius is further reduced(slightly) by the flex of the sidewalls from the weight of the car.
    Rubbing or fitment issues(offset, if using non-stick wheel, can affect wheel bearing life and handling) and the weight of tire (affecting mpgs, acceleration, stopping distance, and brake pad/shoe life) are addition issues.
    Last edited by Bristol; 08-31-2019 at 01:43 PM.

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bristol View Post
    Hello All,

    Just wrote a post and accidentally deleted it.

    Okay, short version!

    The engine/transmission does not experience/see the full diameter increase of a larger diameter tire. It only sees the radius, it only sees the dimension from the hub to the pavement.
    That dimension/radius is further reduced(slightly) by the flex of the sidewalls from the weight of the car.
    Rubbing or fitment issues(offset, if using non-stick wheel, can affect wheel bearing life and handling) and the weight of tire (affecting mpgs, acceleration, stopping distance, and brake pad/shoe life) are addition issues.
    I doubt your 1976 Colt had ABS brakes, traction & stability control features. Radius is just half of diameter. All tire sidewall flex some. Radius may be a good indicator of increased ground clearance & not much more. An increase in tire diameter increases tire circumference. A change in tire circumference changes tire revolutions/mile. Changing revolutions/mile changes your speedometer/odometer readings. All these things are related. That why tire comparison sites are so wonderful. They allow you to match up two tires of different sizes and compare. It allows a person to make a more informed decision. Even with all that information, we aren't looking at all the factors involved with change. For example, increased torque needed to get a larger, heavier tire in motion.

    I highly doubt any Tour de France competitor would consider adding wider, heavier tires to his bike in hope of achieving greater racing performance. If I owned a CVT Mirage, I would be even more hesitant of all this (especially if I value my warranty & want to keep my Mirage for a long time).

    Adding a substantially larger tire to an over powered sports car or Jeep Wrangler (blessed with clearance) is different than adding somewhat larger tires to relatively low hp economy car. I don't have to list all the possible negative outcomes, because you already did above. I am not being critical of Mirage owners trying different size tires. I just question going overboard on it & ask what are the benefits then?

    I think different tire sizes can be explored, but the smallness (size & power) of the car somewhat limits the range of those possibilities. I feel 165/65-14 tires are the perfect size for the Mirage. My only gripe is the lack of tires available on the market. My 1990 Ford Festiva used 145SR12 tires. By comparison, the Mirage tires seem huge! In today's market, the Mirage tires seem tiny compared to everything else. I just accept that as part of the Mirage's charm!

    I feel 165-185 wide tires that are within a 3% diameter variance (22"-23" diameter) is a good reference point for those considering other tire sizes. Most tires within this range are not going to have clearance issues, have need of an different rim offset, or create much of an added strain to the powertrain.

    If you use those guidelines, 5-6 tire somewhat more popular tire sizes fall within that range. It's just a good starting point for new members. I still like reading/hearing about those who try to go beyond that, too.

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    Senior Member Dirk Diggler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    I doubt your 1976 Colt had ABS brakes, traction & stability control features. Radius is just half of diameter. All tire sidewall flex some. Radius may be a good indicator of increased ground clearance & not much more. An increase in tire diameter increases tire circumference. A change in tire circumference changes tire revolutions/mile. Changing revolutions/mile changes your speedometer/odometer readings. All these things are related. That why tire comparison sites are so wonderful. They allow you to match up two tires of different sizes and compare. It allows a person to make a more informed decision. Even with all that information, we aren't looking at all the factors involved with change. For example, increased torque needed to get a larger, heavier tire in motion.

    I highly doubt any Tour de France competitor would consider adding wider, heavier tires to his bike in hope of achieving greater racing performance. If I owned a CVT Mirage, I would be even more hesitant of all this (especially if I value my warranty & want to keep my Mirage for a long time).

    Adding a substantially larger tire to an over powered sports car or Jeep Wrangler (blessed with clearance) is different than adding somewhat larger tires to relatively low hp economy car. I don't have to list all the possible negative outcomes, because you already did above. I am not being critical of Mirage owners trying different size tires. I just question going overboard on it & ask what are the benefits then?

    I think different tire sizes can be explored, but the smallness (size & power) of the car somewhat limits the range of those possibilities. I feel 165/65-14 tires are the perfect size for the Mirage. My only gripe is the lack of tires available on the market. My 1990 Ford Festiva used 145SR12 tires. By comparison, the Mirage tires seem huge! In today's market, the Mirage tires seem tiny compared to everything else. I just accept that as part of the Mirage's charm!

    I feel 165-185 wide tires that are within a 3% diameter variance (22"-23" diameter) is a good reference point for those considering other tire sizes. Most tires within this range are not going to have clearance issues, have need of an different rim offset, or create much of an added strain to the powertrain.

    If you use those guidelines, 5-6 tire somewhat more popular tire sizes fall within that range. It's just a good starting point for new members. I still like reading/hearing about those who try to go beyond that, too.
    Would the 175 65 r14 put a significant strain on the drivetrain or would it be minimal? I wondering if tire noise would be reduced too? Sorry cant remember if I already asked these questions.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler View Post
    Would the 175 65 r14 put a significant strain on the drivetrain or would it be minimal? I wondering if tire noise would be reduced too? Sorry cant remember if I already asked these questions.
    I doubt anything within reason would put much of a stain on your car. Steve's been using 175/65r14 tires on his 260,000+ mileage Mirage without issue. Then again, he drives a manual.

    Fummins' fleet of cars get different size tires eventually. I don't remember what they use. Then again, they have some CVT failures, too. It would be hard to trace that to tires.

    It's really hard to answer your question Dirk. I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the warranty for sure, but you may be beyond that, too?

    Personally, I wouldn't worry about using 175/65r14 tires, because 175/55r15 are used for standard factory size tire on some Mirages. 165/65r14, 175/65r14, & 175/55r15 aren't all that different. Of the three, the 175/65r14 @ 23" is the largest, but it's really close in size (22.4", 22.6", & 23" diameters for all three).

    My cheaper 165/65r14 Federal tires seem to run quieter, grip the road better, than the Dunlop Enasave tires without any noticeable difference in mpg to me. I tend to keep my tires up around 40-42 psi. I am not willing to endorse the Federal tires totally until I have more miles on them, but others have been happy with them. So far I have no complaints, but I only have about 12,000 miles on them so far.
    Last edited by Mark; 08-31-2019 at 04:50 PM.

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    I've been running 2x factory ensaver 165/65/14s on the rear and 2x 185/60/14s on the front of my car for the last 10k~ish miles because i did some stupid stuff and got some lumps in my tire.

    I ran this setup all winter which included snow driving, towing, back road fun etc so i don't really have any concerns about ABS or stability control.

    As far As clearance, markovili (??) stated he ran the same size i am without any rubbing.

    That being said i am lowered on eibachs but my car is so destroyed I'm not concerned about rolling the wheel arches or whatever would need to be done to modify the inner panel.

    Will report back if i run into any issues though for sure

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    It's been 3+ months and a few thousand miles and i can say the tires are ok.

    The biggest change comes from the change in diameter. Roughly 4-1/2% larger diameter

    Hard to make judgement on MPG because of the weather. But overall i don't feel there was a big impact either way. Pretty sure my city mpg took a hit and freeway went up judging by my scangage and feel of the car. When i calculate my MPG with a calculator it seems normal. About 50 give or take a few in this cold weather is good.

    I wouldn't buy them for the "regular" price but for the price i paid im happy and would probably buy them again.

    Zero rubbing issues. 185/65/14s on Honda Civic HX wheels with eibach lowering springs

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    Quote Originally Posted by MightyMirageMpg View Post
    It's been 3+ months and a few thousand miles and i can say the tires are ok.
    What tires are you talking about?

        __________________________________________

        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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    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nexen-N-P...Tire/193150916

    These guys. They were on sale for really cheap. Like $24 a tire (something like that i forget exactly) including shipping when i got them.

    They aren't worth full price though - you'd be better going with what doax recommended - better MPG and longevity for the same $

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    Quote Originally Posted by MightyMirageMpg View Post
    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nexen-N-P...Tire/193150916

    These guys. They were on sale for really cheap. Like $24 a tire (something like that i forget exactly) including shipping when i got them.

    They aren't worth full price though - you'd be better going with what doax recommended - better MPG and longevity for the same $
    It's hard to make a fair comparison of tires, if multiple variables are changed at the same time.

    Like you already mentioned, 185/65r14 is somewhat oversized for a Mirage. Not horribly big, but close to 5% outside diameter variance from a 165/65r14 tires. A 185/60r14 tire would be a much better match, and the Nexen tires are also offered in a 165/65r14 factory size.

    If someone is interested in sticking with factory size tires, I would think the Nexen tires may be a step up from the Federal SS657 tires (better warranty, but also more expensive). Nexen tires do fluctuate in price like other tires.

    A proper sized Nexen tire may be better (mpg) than an oversized one?

    It's always good to hear opinions of others on tires! Once I realized they offered a 165/65r14 tire in the States, Nexen tires have been on my radar. I have no personal experience with them. Others have been positive about them, however. Reviews aren't bad either.



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