Tyres

[packers1712]

Excellent thank you, they look fine don't they I was worried they would look stretched.

Great looking car by the way!

Doug.

[Burdekin]

Originally Posted by packers1712

Excellent thank you, they look fine don't they I was worried they would look stretched.

Great looking car by the way!

Doug.

If you’re going for that 60s original style I think the 165s are the right choice. If you want a more modern look then go for wider. If you have a lovely original car then the 165s will suit the charm of the car, especially from behind. The good thing about tyres and wheels is you can just change them whenever you like.

[Derek UK]

165's will actually fit the wider wheels, 5 1/2" max, just fine. They tyre walls will stay a bit stiffer so handling may feel a bit better at the expense of a bit of comfort. Anyone using 165's with wides please comment. I seem to remember at least one Amazon owner that uses this combo, I think maybe with Minilite type wheels?

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Derek UK

165's will actually fit the wider wheels, 5 1/2" max, just fine. They tyre walls will stay a bit stiffer so handling may feel a bit better at the expense of a bit of comfort. Anyone using 165's with wides please comment. I seem to remember at least one Amazon owner that uses this combo, I think maybe with Minilite type wheels?

The general rule of thumb as i've always understood it is the maximum tyre width is the rim width (in inches) + 2" so a 6J or 6" wide wheel would take an 8"/205mm tyre. A 5J/5" rim would take a 7"/175mm (180 in theory but 175 is the closest common size) and so on.

The current trend among (mainly) younger people of "stretching" tyres would see something like a 165 (5.5") tyre on something like an 8" rim which IMHO not only looks silly but is probably pretty dangerous as well, all too easy to knock the tyre bead off the edge of the rim with a pothole, kerb or even enthusiastic cornering.

[AndyV7o]

A 165 tyre is normally fitted to a 5.5" wheel.
135/145 would normally be on a 4.5" rim, 155 on a 5" rim, 165 on a 5.5" rim, 175 on a 5.5-6" rim, 185 on a 6" 195 on a 6-6.5". There are deviations and the sidewall height has a bearing too, but as a reference this might help people.

[WSU303]

Originally Posted by AndyV7o

A 165 tyre is normally fitted to a 5.5" wheel.
135/145 would normally be on a 4.5" rim, 155 on a 5" rim, 165 on a 5.5" rim, 175 on a 5.5-6" rim, 185 on a 6" 195 on a 6-6.5". There are deviations and the sidewall height has a bearing too, but as a reference this might help people.

I think 5.5" is on the upper end of suitability for a 165x80. I always had the 70% rule in my head about rim sizes, certainly for the taller sidewalls. So 70% of a 165mm tyre is 116mm, which is 4.56".

There are also plenty of online calculators for this nowadays, like this one: https://www.tyresizecalculator.com/t...ize-calculator - that agrees with me that the "measuring rim width" (and I'm sure that's important, but can't remember why!) is 4.5".

Yes, a 165x80 will go on a 5.5" rim, but it'll be a bit over-square.

[AndyV7o]

Most car manufacturers fit 165 to 5.5, certainly not less than 5" except some very old things from crossply era as crossply tyres tend to use narrower rims. 4.5 is minimum for a 165 and pinches them up a fair bit.
You dont really get 'oversquare' with radial tyres, though you can pinch them up a bit much.

[Ron Kwas]

Andy;

A chart in a general brochure I have states that 4" is still an acceptable wheel (rim) width for a 165SR15. I wouldn't have expected Volvo to go outside such a stated range. Standard factory wheel width for the station wagons/estates was 4.5".

Link to chart: https://www.sw-em.com/Wheels_Tires_S...nd_Wheel_Sizes

Cheers