60 series 14-inch tire options

[KF6TRG]

Has anyone tried the 225/6014 tires on the stock alloy wheels? According to the information I found these have about the same rolling diameter as the 195 7014 stock size tires. Please let me know your thoughts! Thank you.

Let me add that I love the stock alloy wheels on my 1973 3.0 CS and they’re in excellent condition.

 

[rsporsche]

good luck getting them to fit on the fronts - 225 is wide to fit between the fender lip and the suspension. the tires are 9" wide / tread width is 7.6" compared to 7.9" wide / tread width of 5.5" ... i could be wrong but i think this going to be difficult. at a minimum you are going to need rolled fender lips and camber work. even so, its still going to be tight. going to coilovers will get you a 2.5" spring instead of 4"

 

[KF6TRG]

good luck getting them to fit on the fronts - 225 is wide to fit between the fender lip and the suspension. the tires are 9" wide / tread width is 7.6" compared to 7.9" wide / tread width of 5.5" ... i could be wrong but i think this going to be difficult. at a minimum you are going to need rolled fender lips and camber work. even so, its still going to be tight. going to coilovers will get you a 2.5" spring instead of 4"

Thanks! I like the stock rims and wanted a larger tire with the same rolling diameter. I need to give this much more thought! Maybe a 215/60 14 would be better.

 

[Stevehose]

205/70-14 works.

 

[day66]

I'm using 205/65 14s on mine

 

[Arde]

Perhaps staggered width? My M5 has them staggered and the rears still wear faster, go figure...

 

[KF6TRG]

205/70-14 works.

Thank you!

 

[KF6TRG]

good luck getting them to fit on the fronts - 225 is wide to fit between the fender lip and the suspension. the tires are 9" wide / tread width is 7.6" compared to 7.9" wide / tread width of 5.5" ... i could be wrong but i think this going to be difficult. at a minimum you are going to need rolled fender lips and camber work. even so, its still going to be tight. going to coilovers will get you a 2.5" spring instead of 4"

Thank you for the detailed thoughtful advice!

 

[Dougal Cawley]

Has anyone tried the 225/6014 tires on the stock alloy wheels? According to the information I found these have about the same rolling diameter as the 195 7014 stock size tires. Please let me know your thoughts! Thank you.

Let me add that I love the stock alloy wheels on my 1973 3.0 CS and they’re in excellent condition.

I get a few years ago, there wasn't a good tyre in the correct 195/70VR14 size, and importatnly nothing of the right sort of carcass structure for your cars so people were fitting the 205/70VR14 XWX which is a great tyre, but the wrong size. However things have changed. Pirelli now make the 195/70VR14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36.

195/60 R15 Tyres

195/60 R15 Tyres, the perfect Volvo 240 Tyres. Get the best classic tyres from Longstone Tyres. Call us on +44 (0) 1302711123 for more information.

www.longstonetyres.co.uk

BMW do have history with the CN36, there is this picture, but also CN36 were the tyres that Alpina were fitting on the 2002. They are a fab tyre.

I reralise there is a perception that putting more rubber on the road is good. This isn't always the case, and if it was so right for your cars BMW or Alpina would have done it. in 1971 60 profile tyres came out. and incidentally Porsche were one of the first to use them and it was this CN36 tyre.

There is also a misconception as to how important the tread pattern is in a tyre, but it is the carcass that really determines how well a tyres is suited to a car. Any modern 60 profile tyre will really not handle well on your car, because your cars are built with tyres such as the XWX and CN36 in mind which have a very different carcass to a modern 60 profile tyre which will have flat side walls and an awfull lot more foot print which your car won't be able to keep in contact with the tarmac in hard corners, unless you do some serious modifications which will contribute to makeing it an alround less pleasant road car. (if you are going racing its different).

Yes the CN36 looks cool, but that is like an extra bonus. what really makes the difference is the carcass structure perfectly suited to your chassis, it si Pirelli build quality and compounds, which is why when it was tested against 2 modern tyres it got excellent results.

I think the recomended rim size for 225/60R14 or 215/60R14 is 6" - 8" rims s

Can i ask why you want to do it? If its because you think it looks cool, of course i get it, but it is best that you are aware it will have derogatory effects on the way the car drives.

 

[KF6TRG]

I get a few years ago, there wasn't a good tyre in the correct 195/70VR14 size, and importatnly nothing of the right sort of carcass structure for your cars so people were fitting the 205/70VR14 XWX which is a great tyre, but the wrong size. However things have changed. Pirelli now make the 195/70VR14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36.

195/60 R15 Tyres

195/60 R15 Tyres, the perfect Volvo 240 Tyres. Get the best classic tyres from Longstone Tyres. Call us on +44 (0) 1302711123 for more information.

www.longstonetyres.co.uk

BMW do have history with the CN36, there is this picture, but also CN36 were the tyres that Alpina were fitting on the 2002. They are a fab tyre.

View attachment 198124

I reralise there is a perception that putting more rubber on the road is good. This isn't always the case, and if it was so right for your cars BMW or Alpina would have done it. in 1971 60 profile tyres came out. and incidentally Porsche were one of the first to use them and it was this CN36 tyre.

There is also a misconception as to how important the tread pattern is in a tyre, but it is the carcass that really determines how well a tyres is suited to a car. Any modern 60 profile tyre will really not handle well on your car, because your cars are built with tyres such as the XWX and CN36 in mind which have a very different carcass to a modern 60 profile tyre which will have flat side walls and an awfull lot more foot print which your car won't be able to keep in contact with the tarmac in hard corners, unless you do some serious modifications which will contribute to makeing it an alround less pleasant road car. (if you are going racing its different).

Yes the CN36 looks cool, but that is like an extra bonus. what really makes the difference is the carcass structure perfectly suited to your chassis, it si Pirelli build quality and compounds, which is why when it was tested against 2 modern tyres it got excellent results.

I think the recomended rim size for 225/60R14 or 215/60R14 is 6" - 8" rims s

Can i ask why you want to do it? If its because you think it looks cool, of course i get it, but it is best that you are aware it will have derogatory effects on the way the car drives.

Thank you!

 

[KF6TRG]

I get a few years ago, there wasn't a good tyre in the correct 195/70VR14 size, and importatnly nothing of the right sort of carcass structure for your cars so people were fitting the 205/70VR14 XWX which is a great tyre, but the wrong size. However things have changed. Pirelli now make the 195/70VR14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36.

195/60 R15 Tyres

195/60 R15 Tyres, the perfect Volvo 240 Tyres. Get the best classic tyres from Longstone Tyres. Call us on +44 (0) 1302711123 for more information.

www.longstonetyres.co.uk

BMW do have history with the CN36, there is this picture, but also CN36 were the tyres that Alpina were fitting on the 2002. They are a fab tyre.

View attachment 198124

I reralise there is a perception that putting more rubber on the road is good. This isn't always the case, and if it was so right for your cars BMW or Alpina would have done it. in 1971 60 profile tyres came out. and incidentally Porsche were one of the first to use them and it was this CN36 tyre.

There is also a misconception as to how important the tread pattern is in a tyre, but it is the carcass that really determines how well a tyres is suited to a car. Any modern 60 profile tyre will really not handle well on your car, because your cars are built with tyres such as the XWX and CN36 in mind which have a very different carcass to a modern 60 profile tyre which will have flat side walls and an awfull lot more foot print which your car won't be able to keep in contact with the tarmac in hard corners, unless you do some serious modifications which will contribute to makeing it an alround less pleasant road car. (if you are going racing its different).

Yes the CN36 looks cool, but that is like an extra bonus. what really makes the difference is the carcass structure perfectly suited to your chassis, it si Pirelli build quality and compounds, which is why when it was tested against 2 modern tyres it got excellent results.

I think the recomended rim size for 225/60R14 or 215/60R14 is 6" - 8" rims s

Can i ask why you want to do it? If its because you think it looks cool, of course i get it, but it is best that you are aware it will have derogatory effects on the way the car drives.

Mostly for appearance - I love the stock 14-inch rims but want a slightly beefier tire to fill out the wheel openings.

 

[gwittman]

I run 215/60-14 tires on stock wheels on all four corners. It works just fine. Many years ago, I ran 225/60 tires on the rear, and it was ok but a fairly close fit. Once they wore out, I went to what I have now. I like that look even if it not the original size.

 

[KF6TRG]

That's great! Thanks very much - I want to retain the stock rims that are in perfect condition, but want a "beefier" tire.

 

[Dougal Cawley]

Mostly for appearance - I love the stock 14-inch rims but want a slightly beefier tire to fill out the wheel openings.

OK i get that, but it will be quite a big compromise fitting a tyre so much wider on your car.

specially when you are fitting the widest tyre possible on a relatively thin wheel.

specially when you are fitting a modern carcass on a car that is designed to run on a very different type of tyre.

Axctually, i think they do look quite beefy, with the cool rounded shoulders, you might find when you are fitting something bigger then it will look quite pinched in onto the rim, with a less stable tyre.

 

[Jellobmw]

I had 225/60’s Yokohamas (Y352s ?) on my 14x7 BBS rims. They looked great, handled great, and speedo was very close. I did need to roll the front fenders. These days I’ve got 195/70 Michelins all around as very little is available for 14” rims. Considering an upgrade in diameter as these tires are getting old….

 

[Dougal Cawley]

I had 225/60’s Yokohamas (Y352s ?) on my 14x7 BBS rims. They looked great, handled great, and speedo was very close. I did need to roll the front fenders. These days I’ve got 195/70 Michelins all around as very little is available for 14” rims. Considering an upgrade in diameter as these tires are getting old….

Can i ask:

• what you had on before the 225/60R14?
• why you went back to 195/70R14?
• which Michelin 195/70R14 you have on it?
• does the steering feel lighter?
• did the car track on the old tyres when cruising on rutted roads?

When you have an over sized tyre on a car, by which i mean a wider foot print. (so this can happen with the right size tyre, but of a modern carcass design). the outer extremities of the tyres foot print are further away from the steering components meaning they have quite considerably more leaverage on you steering. So when you ar cruising down our rubbish rutted motorways or uneven roads, it tends to pull the steeering wheel. Heavy, slower steering which can be a more vague and less precise are other effects. (Wider rims can enhance this effect. But wider tyres on thinner rims cause other kinds of instability of the tyre)

This is a fun picture which shows 2 tyres of the 205 size. The one on the left is the 205/70VR14 XWX. That is a suitable carcass structure for you guys. Sadly they don't make the 195/70VR14 XWX any more which is a shame because it was one of the OE tyres, and the tyre fitted in the majority of cases. The other tyre in tht picture is the 205/55R16 Pirelli P7 (incidentally OE on the BMW M1). But imprtantly what you can see is how much more rubber it puts on the road, this is enhanced even more with a more modern tyre. But what is happening in this phase of car design is the cars were moving away from Progressive handling, because they were developing the technology to keep these wide foot prints on the road, so they were moving into a phase of ultimate grip, which wont happen on your car. you wont get the extra grip of a fat modern tyre, you will just degrade the nice handling that a proper tyre will give you.

This is pretty much the same thing be done with the proper 195/70VR14 Cinturato CN36.

Both CN36 and XWX are perfectly suited to your cars and will handle brilliantly. I think the XWX might be a bit more durable, and if you knew you were going to be pileing on the miles, specially in a hot climate the XWX might tip the balance, if they made a tyre the right size, but in generall the CN36 is pretty fab and currently by far the best road tyre for your car.

https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/pub/media/wysiwyg/longstone/english-website/porsche/porsche-classic-article.pdf

 

[gwittman]

I have never felt degradation in handling by going to wider tires. I know you can go too wide for the width of the wheel, but 215 on 6" wheel works very well. Right now, I am running Riken which is not a great tire because it has very soft side walls. I have to run higher tire pressure to get rid of the squishy feel in corners. If I keep the tire pressure up, they stick very well. They are just not as responsive as the BFG TA radials I used to run. Once I got used to that, I feel comfortable attacking a corner.

I raced 32 years with SCCA and had 10" wide slicks on 5" wide wheels. They were called cantilever tires and were developed so we could run wider tires on narrow wheels. The rules would not allow us to run wider wheels so that was the only way we could get wider tires, and they did grip better.

 

[Dougal Cawley]

I have never felt degradation in handling by going to wider tires.

Hopw can that be?

there is more wrong than just the side walls of the Riken on your car.

the BFG Radial T/A are not a handling tyre. they are a point and squirt straight line Muscle car tyre. nothing like the CN36. worlds appart. i guess if you have compared your current tyres to the Radail T/A it might be a bit funny, and what size BFG was it?

 

[gwittman]

The BFG TA radials were the same size, 215/60-14.

I used to run my Coupe on many tracks with BMW ACA high speed driving schools. Over the years I tried various sizes and brands. My best combination was with Yokohama 215/60 in the front and 225/60 in the rear. The worst was 205/60 Pirelli on all four corners. I can't say it was the width of the tire because the Pirelli tires were crap. They had a different tread pattern across the tire. The outside was supposed to be for better grip in corners and the rest was to be better in wet conditions. Overall, they did not work. When I came in of the track after pushing it hard, they were actually smoking.

I did get good grip with the tires I used on track. A friend got a picture of my Coupe in turn 5 at Riverside where you can see air between the inside rear tire and the track. Part of that was due to the soft stock sway bar. I got so much lean that my instructor asked me to be careful because he had never seen a car lean so much without going over. After that, I got a Bavaria sway bar and that minimized the lean a lot.

I ended up with the BFG TA radials because 14" tires were getting harder to find. The Riken tires were due to the BFGs getting harder to find in 14". I have never had either one of those on track. I don't push my Coupe as hard as I used to and don't need a high-performance tire.

 

[Dougal Cawley]

Aha! what happens on the race track is totally different to what makes a good road tyre.

If you are adding a stiffer Anti Roll Bar, that changes things, liek stiffening the suspension and lowering it, you are turning the car into a car more signed not to roll in the corners which changes the way the tyres are presented to the road. it wont be as progressive, but you will get more ultimate grip, but of coure there are all sorts of other compromises this cause to the car as a road car.

what goes on a perfectly smooth race track is a world away from the road.