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View Full Version : best tyre size for a williams



bill.
10-05-2006, 08:40
whats the best tyre size combination to put on the standard williams rims, for handling/performance? should you stick with 185's or go wider/lower?


is there already a thread on this?

ps. whats the widest profile you can get on these rims?

cheers

Anders
10-05-2006, 09:54
some run 185's other run 195's...i think maybe even 205's

I run the 185's but I guess its personal choice

Dan_Williams
10-05-2006, 10:15
185/55/15

Martin
10-05-2006, 10:15
can of worms lol most people use 195/50s as they are much cheaper but mines on 185/55s and I like it...not sure if i'd pay though the nose for them though..

10-05-2006, 10:36
My willy alloys have 195/50/15 tyres around them

northy
10-05-2006, 11:12
having now run both the 185 55 15 and 195 50 15

If i was buying another set i would defo get 195 50 15

the cars no way near as good on 185's.

J o n
10-05-2006, 11:15
if you drive normally most of the time and want comfort it's a no brainer, 185/55, but when you do finally get your foot down and push it through the bends they dont really last that long and the side walls wear like a mother ****er... 195/50 are also half the price... imo 195/50 all the way, handles better, but is a bit more bumpy, but for half the cost it's more than worth it.

MatBrown
10-05-2006, 11:23
Defo 195/50 for me!
And not just because of the price.



Mat.

Dno194
10-05-2006, 11:29
195/50/15's here too.

Jamie.
10-05-2006, 12:22
having now run both the 185 55 15 and 195 50 15

If i was buying another set i would defo get 195 50 15

the cars no way near as good on 185's.


yer i agree. i have had 195/50/15 on the white alloys and the tyre wall was noticeably toucher and much less flex. i have 185/55/15 currently on and when these wear down i will put some semi slick 195/50 on

bill.
10-05-2006, 14:37
i'm not bothered about the ride being harsh/bumpy, i just want what will make the car handle its best, so it looks like its 195/50/15's all the way!

someone mentioned 205's, will they go on? any comments regarding 205's?

cheers folks :D

Mattie
10-05-2006, 17:23
iv got 185s all round atm....but will soon be running 185s on the front and 195s on the rear

2 live
11-05-2006, 09:54
yep..195s for me too......i had 205s on the valver, albeit in 16", and it tramlined to fuk....on some of the roads round here it was a right handful just to keep it in a straight line, at low speed too.

the 195s i think compliment the coilovers a lot better than the 185s too....

northy
11-05-2006, 10:04
iv got 185s all round atm....but will soon be running 185s on the front and 195s on the rear

I'd seroiusly swap them round mate. get the 19's on the front.

Mattie
11-05-2006, 17:05
iv got 185s all round atm....but will soon be running 185s on the front and 195s on the rear

I'd seroiusly swap them round mate. get the 19's on the front.

how cum u say that northy?....get the power down betta?

northy
11-05-2006, 17:08
no - just handling mate

i have run 195's for 2 years and now on 185's its rubbish compaired to how it was.

Rolles and slides round roundabouts that before it wouldnt have flinched at.

Id put the 'sporter' tires on the front and let the back to the catching up.

Swervin_Mervin
11-05-2006, 17:10
I'd agree with northy. Better to allow the rear to flex and be a bit softer than the front.

Doesn't mixing the 2 sizes feck up the brake bias though?

northy
11-05-2006, 17:13
not that it would be noticable mate - no.

2live ran 185's on the rear and 195's on the fronts with no notable differance when he went to all 195's

J o n
11-05-2006, 17:39
Bill, you can run 205's, but only on the 7" wide willy rims, however they will almost certainly rub at full lock... which means it's catching on your arch liner and part of the bumper... I had that prob with 195's when the tracking was out...

not noticed mine slide about more on 195's, but I'm yet to try 195 PE2's, the 185's I have now feel more planted than the 195/50 Yoko's I had on... but sliding about is surely more fun anyway??? lol

bill.
12-05-2006, 08:50
Bill, you can run 205's, but only on the 7" wide willy rims, however they will almost certainly rub at full lock... which means it's catching on your arch liner and part of the bumper... I had that prob with 195's when the tracking was out...

not noticed mine slide about more on 195's, but I'm yet to try 195 PE2's, the 185's I have now feel more planted than the 195/50 Yoko's I had on... but sliding about is surely more fun anyway??? lol

very tempted to try the 205's next,(but not if they will rub really) had them on my valver on 16" wheels, 205/40/16 they didn't rub with lowered suspension? must have been because of the low profile???

could you get 205/40/15's?

bill.
12-05-2006, 09:00
could you get 205/40/15's?[/quote]

after a quick search on the net, doesn't appear you can, would probably smash your bones to pieces anyway :shock:

bill.
12-05-2006, 09:01
found some 205/45/15's how do you reckon they would fair?

2 live
12-05-2006, 09:51
probly pretty crashy tbh..


i wouldnt wanna try em on the roads round here anyway lol.


the 205s i had were 45 profile, bit twitchy, but handled well in the dry...was a fukkin nitemare in the wet, anything other than perfectly smooth roads meant u were fighting with it all the time, keeps u on ur toes like....but gets a bit tiresome after a while.

J o n
12-05-2006, 10:28
Bill, wouldn't use them on the road as Jon says, the problem I found even with 195's was that in the wet you seem to be skating round on top of the water and not cutting through it... not sure if this is because of the relatively low weight of the car and the make I used, but it tramlined like a mofo as well... 205's I can only imagine are worse... so figure in all the pro's and con's and the only thing they guarantee you is more dry weather grip... but worse performance in the wet and the prices I cant see being too kind or the ride either! lol

Mattie
12-05-2006, 17:19
im goin 2 all 195s but still have 2 185s in good nick

stevie_b
12-05-2006, 17:56
very tempted to try the 205's next,(but not if they will rub really) had them on my valver on 16" wheels, 205/40/16 they didn't rub with lowered suspension? must have been because of the low profile???

could you get 205/40/15's?

You can but they are the wrong rolling circumference really and would muck up the speedo a bit. 205/50/15s are the closest match to the diameter of the 185/55/15s originally fitted.

They do rub though - although mine less so now that they have worn away the fibreglass of the wing :lol: Big difference in grip though for 205 vs 185 so I used to put up with it when doing sprints.

Ben H
12-05-2006, 18:35
I replaced the original Michelin tyres on No.123 with Michelin Pilot Exaltos in 185/55/15. Outstanding tyre and - in 2004 - very rare at the time.

P.S. Hello to all - this is my first post on this forum! Some of you may know me from my Cliosport days. I'm hoping to get a Mk1 sometime soon - will post more separately.

Smokey McPot
12-05-2006, 19:43
They're still on there.

Will be replaced with Kleber Dynaxer's in the next couple of months.

MattyH16valver
12-05-2006, 20:33
195 50 for me :D

bill.
16-05-2006, 15:37
well finally managed to get back on the site, cheers for your input and advice and as most of you say the 195's are the best option, so i'll go for them!

cheers

Daz.
16-05-2006, 22:13
well finally managed to get back on the site, cheers for your input and advice and as most of you say the 195's are the best option, so i'll go for them!

cheers

Good man - after a 3 years of 185's I knew after two weeks of hard driving that 195's were for me :D

bill.
17-05-2006, 09:07
well finally managed to get back on the site, cheers for your input and advice and as most of you say the 195's are the best option, so i'll go for them!

cheers

Good man - after a 3 years of 185's I knew after two weeks of hard driving that 195's were for me :D

yeah ,they do feel a bit bouncy and wobbly shall we say, my valver felt more capable through the bends than the willy at the minute, but that will all change very soon.

white16valver
19-05-2006, 19:41
I replaced the original Michelin tyres on No.123 with Michelin Pilot Exaltos in 185/55/15. Outstanding tyre and - in 2004 - very rare at the time.

P.S. Hello to all - this is my first post on this forum! Some of you may know me from my Cliosport days. I'm hoping to get a Mk1 sometime soon - will post more separately.
hallo!

I remember speaking to you down southend I think when you had the black valver(??) Was me and the ex's first CS meet and you'd driven over from Wales especially or something nuts! :shock: lol :D

richy
20-05-2006, 08:23
not just for cost reasons but i find the 195/50/15s i have are much better then the 185/55/15s, and half the price lol