Wider tyres in front? Possible?

[Boyboy]

Hi I just got a pair of new tyres, 155/80 R13. My old 195/70 R13 tyres were relegated the the back, and the new tyres were placed in front. I wanted to fit the narrower tyres at the back but the tyre shop guy said that the wider ones are supposed to go to the rear.

 

Is it advisable to do the other way around? My ride is a Kangoo D65. Understeer is bad enough with the previous setup but now it is worse .

 

On the other hand, the rear end is probably not going to swing out mid-corner unless i do something really stupid

[Tomsss]

Dude, your ride is a FWD and you fit what, skinny 155 tyres to the driving wheels? Of course the understeer is worse duh! And the guy at the tyre shop who told you that the wider wheels should go to the back... you sure he'll working there as a qualified tyre man or is he actually just a cleaner posing as one? First of all, you already did the stupid thing of buying a set of tyres which is way totally out of size from your original ones. My real advise is either get all 4 of your wheels the same size, according to manufacturer's specs.

 

to answer your question, yeah you can fit the wider wheels to the front. Do update us on how your ride feels

waitda minute.. since when a kangoo comes with 13inch wheels???

Edited April 24, 2006 by Tomsss

[Boyboy]

Uh yes he did. I knew the understeer would be worse. but surprisingly, after running in the tire, the grip is much better although still lose to the previous ones.

 

The original specs are 165, whats so stupid about -10mm? But for my uses it is kind of dumb, cos I like to drive fast..

 

I'm driving my dad's company van la. dunno which cuckoo change the rims to 13 inch. all other kangoos i see are running at least 14 inch rims.

 

Currently my rear end is 185/70, in front 155/80. maybe i'll swop around the next time i go there.

[Gary84]

omg...155 is way too small le...stability will be real bad ....be careful when tking corners...

[Zyrofillica]

maybe the mechanic tot is goods van. heavier load behind so he suggested the wider tires behind.

[Genie47]

For FF cars, thinner tires in front are better. You get better steering response and minimize understeer.

[Mirrorimage]

how come thinner will minimise understeer? i thot more contact means got more grip?

[Genie47]

You actually turn easier with thinner tires. Fat tires will induce understeer in FF car.

[Eavr4]

Agree.....its better to have thinner tires up-front compared to rear.

 

EA

[Boyboy]

Hmm.. It is indeed much easier to turn the steering wheel, but the grip up front is much less than before. Understeer also happens at lower speeds, whether in wet or in dry. Braking somehow has improved, but that is only because the new rubber is "fresh", whereas my old tyres dunno how bloody old liao.

[Boyboy]

maybe the mechanic tot is goods van. heavier load behind so he suggested the wider tires behind.

 

Hmm.. possible, but i doubt. he knows that I use it as a personal transport.. Anyway, for whatever loads that I carry, both tyres are capable of taking the weight. Kangoo unladen weight is only 1040kg, max laden is 18++kg.

[Tanzy]

Other than increasing tire width, to reduce understeer, you can increase negative camber, toe out, increase track width using spacer.

[Genie47]

The grip will not be reduced. Instead it has become somewhat more adaptable. See the WRC cars. The tires are actually higher in profile compared to the average pimped out street car with high fat tires. Chris Longhurst's Tyre Bible explains it all. The contact patch has not changed much from a thin tire to a fat tire assuming you follow proper sizing rules.

[Boyboy]

but from 185/70 to 155/80? pardon me if i'm "hard to teach" but i'm interested in learning

[Boyboy]

That would not be practical for me la. It's a van leh! maybe next time if i get a car

[Furrynadz]

the only things running on 13 pathetic inchers are picanto and kelisa

sad..

[Genie47]

Read Chris Longhurst's Tyre Bible. Confirm will understand. Fat tire doesn't mean better.

[Genie47]

The original Mini is on 10". Now where to find?