pictures of 195/50/15 or 205/50/15 on an s13?

[andrave]

time to buy tires, I really want the falken azensis in 205/50/15 but I am worried the sidewall will be tiny and it will look like shit, I wanted to see some pictures first.

[nightwalker]

it does look like shit. I don't have pictures, but you have to trust me. Get 205/55 a good compromise.

[KiDyNomiTe]

I run 195/50 fm901s all around on 15x7.5 +7s, fit fine, looks fine, the front needs to be lowered a bit (I have been lazy), but it makes the car pretty low. The black car has 205/50/15s azenis on xr4s fit fine, but the owner of the wheels has problems. He has SR and GP Sports exhaust, hangs too low, so the lowest he can go doesnt really fill fenders.

[KiDyNomiTe]

Better shot

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/kidynomite/09d30dcf.jpg

[Wei240]

in summary...

damn falken azenis!!!
they need better sizing for such kick ass tires...

[andrave]

they don't make them in 205 55, for whoever said that. 55 series sidewall tires are much more expensive than 50 or 60 for some reason.
Anyway I'm thinking they might be my next tire, price is good, they seem to have the performance I want... but the sidewall is thin.
*shrugs*
everything is a compromise. anyone propose any alternatives?

[Wei240]

fm901 and es100 come in better sizes, but that's about it...
kumho mx should be similar to azenis, but i don't think they come in the sizes you want either...

[240trainee]

man, I need to get my CA runnign right, so I can get some coilovers and rims!! Looks seriously hot. makes me want meshes again, though my exhaust would hate me.

[nightwalker]

just go 16inch rims. Much better fit on the 240's huge wheel wells.

[andrave]

ok, you payin?

[wanganwonder]

Better shot

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/kidynomite/09d30dcf.jpg

That looks EXACTLY like my car. I even have small white stickers over the 240sx logo!

[nismo skyline]

195/50 in front
205/50 in the rear
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid115/p615208bb4c724d54496920d89a8aa856/f8c88e89.jpg

[nightwalker]

ok, you payin?

nope, but you asked.

[ZK]

they don't make them in 205 55, for whoever said that. 55 series sidewall tires are much more expensive than 50 or 60 for some reason.
Anyway I'm thinking they might be my next tire, price is good, they seem to have the performance I want... but the sidewall is thin.
*shrugs*
everything is a compromise. anyone propose any alternatives?

The reason the 205/50R15 is cheaper is because that is a common Honda tire size and they stock more for all the Hondas.

Anyway, get the right tire size, it really does matter. With a smaller tire your speedo will read higher than what you are actually driving. Plus, the wheels just look tiny compared to the car... and it looks really obvious that you have the wrong size wheels.

[citizen]

Anyway, get the right tire size, it really does matter. With a smaller tire your speedo will read higher than what you are actually driving. Plus, the wheels just look tiny compared to the car... and it looks really obvious that you have the wrong size wheels.
I say bullshit to that, function over form, so what the speedo is off 2%, if you can't compensate for that you are L A M E. Hell, not like the speedo is THAT accurate anyways. Also, its not that obvious unless you drive an SUV like me... I doubt most people would notice if your car was dropped. But, fuck looks, is sacrifcing some aesthetic appeal of your ride worth the better steering response. Can I get a hell yeahhhhh!

Here is a picture of 205/50/15 azenis
http://citizen.freehosting.net/pictures/wheels/newmesh5.JPG
And just for the hell of it some 195/55/15, they work out to about the same size.
http://citizen.freehosting.net/pictures/wheels/newmesh4.JPG
You'll have to copy and past links into your browser, and you can browse that directory for a few more angles.

[ZK]

I say bullshit to that, function over form, so what the speedo is off 2%, if you can't compensate for that you are L A M E. Hell, not like the speedo is THAT accurate anyways. Also, its not that obvious unless you drive an SUV like me... I doubt most people would notice if your car was dropped. But, fuck looks, is sacrifcing some aesthetic appeal of your ride worth the better steering response. Can I get a hell yeahhhhh!


I think it is the other way around... the car is designed from the factory to work a certain way. This is not even like 2% off, way more than that... a 205/50 is way smaller than the 205/65 (60?) that the car is supposed to come with.

I'm saying function = form = the best shit. Your car was designed from the factory to work together a certain way, the designers knew what's up.

Running a smaller tire is gonna get you a little more acceration at lower speeds but you sacrafice high end. A lot of autocross guys will run a smaller wheel, but that's autocross - low speed corners.

Might as well stick some 13" wheels with 40 series on and call it a day, you'll be scraping the ground without lowering the car.

If you really want to save money, get the smaller tire - sure. But if you want it to be right, spend the extra $$ for the right size.

[andrave]

just so you know, the azenis is exactly 1" shorter than the factory recommended 195/60/15.
That means about 40 revolutions more per mile, according to tire rack, if I remember correctly.
I don't really think that they 240 was "designed" to operate with any specific size of tire in mind, since it was available with several different ones from the factory. Hell with the mindset, I assume your car is bone stock, since it was designed to operate on all factory components, at factory ride height, on factory tires?

And as for people telling me I'm running "the wrong wheels" (zk), um, ok factory boy, what size wheels did the s13 come with? thats right, 15... so what are you talking about?
btw mine are after market mesh things, 15x6.5 with around a 25-30 offset, if that makes a difference to anyone.
And I have tein S tech springs on kyb agx, so the gap is gonna be like... blam, bitch.
But I think I may get them anyway, cause I want some good tires and someone else is paying for them anyway.

[Mojave]

Im running 205/50R15 Azenis on a set of '99 G20 wheels. Wheel gap is horrible. Speedo reads 7% high according to gps.

Azenis own all. I auto-xed this past weekend. My friend is running a AWD Talon turbo w/o Azenis........he got owned by me.

Yeah, they dont look the greatest. Yeah, your speedo will be off. Yeah, you will be fast and have tons of grip.




Id say its worth it.

[Zemus]

Ive ran everything from 195/65/15s to 215/45/15s, 205/50/15s are nice

Good general Rule IMO, 195/55/15, 205/50/15. Im running 215/50/15s, and Im getting some tire flex I dont like, I need 195/55s in front again, nice ones.

[citizen]

I think it is the other way around... the car is designed from the factory to work a certain way. This is not even like 2% off, way more than that... a 205/50 is way smaller than the 205/65 (60?) that the car is supposed to come with.
Yeah it was designed to have a comfort level acceptable to the average driver... I'm guessing that Andrave isn't an average driver and comfort isn't his main concern when it comes to tires. More sidewall = more compliance. And if you have any evidence to substantiate your claim that 205/60 is better than go ahead and post it, just because it was designed that way doesn't mean its the best. You know what engineers do at the facory? They COMPROMISE, they have to design the car to be acceptable to average drivers, by definition it won't be the best for someone like Andrave. That being said, I know what tire i can drive faster on. Do you? As far as looks go, most people think 240s are pug fugly anyways

For the record the speedo is off 4.7% WHOOP DE FREAKIN DOO. If you can't compensate for something like that i hope you DIE, because you suck as a person and have failed life. But, wait theres more! The icing on the cake: ever get pulled over for minor speeding (under 10-15 over) violations? If yes then heres what you do. "I'm sorry sir, but these tires were just put on and due to the size my speedo is off and i keep forgetting to compensate." Its worked for me at least twice. Not only does it feel better, but it may get you out of a ticket one day. Compared to looking LESS funky I'll take the aforementioned.

[ZK]

It's simple ... if you want less tire flex, thinner sidewall etc, get a larger rim!

When I say wheel, I'm mentioning the whole wheel diameter = rim + tire.

As far as driving fast goes, I've been racing for the past 6 years, this is the 3rd car I've built, took 1st place at SCCA Solo2 for the 2002 season in ST-X and 1st in the Enduro event in ST-X, 3 years of track experience and I am a track instructor for open track events at Thunderhill and Laguna Seca. Before then I've been driving mountain roads and do the occasional stop light drag. So yeah, if experience counts, I do like driving fast.

Anyway, that's fine if you guys want to run those to save money, just don't be tricking yourself into thinking it is actually better. On the track when you're pounding the speed limiter, other 240s will still be pulling on you. At higher speeds, there is no advantage to smaller wheels.

Like I said, might as well put on some 13" wheels with 195/40 series tires, then you'll really be fast, right?

[Var]

i didnt see andrave mention he's planning to road race or hit the top speed limiter. maybe i read through it too fast

[ZK]

True, he didn't say it but I'm more responding to the general posts about how smaller wheels are gonna make you mad tyte fast and stuff.

But then I'm old so maybe I'm not too up on the newest mad tyte jdm drifterz stylez. I like my wheels big with big lip, a thin sidewall and the right diameter. :rawk:

[Var]

there is no "right diameter" That's the point. Ideally most people would love to have big rims. but if you're stuck with 15's, why get an inferior tire compound just because you want the "right diameter"

[Mojave]

True, he didn't say it but I'm more responding to the general posts about how smaller wheels are gonna make you mad tyte fast and stuff.

But then I'm old so maybe I'm not too up on the newest mad tyte jdm drifterz stylez. I like my wheels big with big lip, a thin sidewall and the right diameter. :rawk:

Hmmmm. I believe you are responding to my post where I said

Im running 205/50R15 Azenis on a set of '99 G20 wheels. Wheel gap is horrible. Speedo reads 7% high according to gps.

Azenis own all. I auto-xed this past weekend. My friend is running a AWD Talon turbo w/o Azenis........he got owned by me.

Yeah, they dont look the greatest. Yeah, your speedo will be off. Yeah, you will be fast and have tons of grip.




Id say its worth it.


I think this post was slighty misunderstood. I was trying to say AZENIS make you fast.....not smaller tires. If you are looking for cheap, grippy, long lasting performance tire, Azenis are an excellent choice (but certainly not the only choice).

I personally cant afford to kill expensive tires auto-xing, otherwise I would be running R compounds. I got my wheels for free (better than stock bent steel ones), put some cheap Azenis in the only 15 inch size, and went and ran the piss out of them.

Maybe someday when I have more money, I can run some serious rubber in the most optimized size.

Although, for auto-x, I would think a smaller tire would be a good thing, since the slighty lower gear ratio would help. I have never gotten my car up to the speed limiter (107 and change due to smaller tires). If you were serious about racing at a level where you needed to go faster than 115, removing the speed limiter might be a good idea.

[andrave]

I plan on doing some autocrossing in houston. I do not plan on road racing. Or highway speeding. In fact, I hope to keep the car off the road as much as possible.

[Mojave]

Houston, TX? You should come to College Station and auto-x with me!!















oh, and the rest of the Texas A&M Sports Car Club.

[andrave]

ok.
I'm going to UH law school for the fall.

[Mojave]

http://www.tamscc.org

[ZK]

I think this post was slighty misunderstood. I was trying to say AZENIS make you fast.....not smaller tires. If you are looking for cheap, grippy, long lasting performance tire, Azenis are an excellent choice (but certainly not the only choice).
Although, for auto-x, I would think a smaller tire would be a good thing, since the slighty lower gear ratio would help. I have never gotten my car up to the speed limiter (107 and change due to smaller tires). If you were serious about racing at a level where you needed to go faster than 115, removing the speed limiter might be a good idea.

Sorry about that... Azenis Sports are definitely the way to go. You'd almost need R compounds for more grip.

I think I mentioned that a lot of Auto-Xers use smaller wheel diameters in non-stock classes.

The speed limiter sucks... the whole car jerks when you're riding it. It's coming out as soon as I get the car fixed.

there is no "right diameter" That's the point. Ideally most people would love to have big rims. but if you're stuck with 15's, why get an inferior tire compound just because you want the "right diameter"

The Azenis actually comes in a lot more tire sizes than what they sell here.. it's just that they only sell the "popular" sizes in the US for the US market which is mostly Honda and other FWD cars.

But yeah, I'd weigh the options before picking a tire. I actually compromised some grip to have the right tire sizes on my car because the tire selection sucks for staggered sizes.

[Mojave]

Blah!! Thats the only thing keeping Azenis from being the perfect tire-the limited size selected......wtf is wrong with Falken?

[citizen]

and the fact that they get slippery when driving hard for extended periods of time.

[KA24DESOneThree]

They're fine for a hard drive up a 53-turn-in-7-miles mountain run, but I do let the car cool down for ~5 minutes before I head back down. The cool thing is hearing all the pebbles getting thrown into your fenderwells, really lets you know the compound is sticky as hell.

I loved the Azenis Sports on my e30. Great response, unbelievable grip, decent rain traction, and decreased braking distance. The sound didn't matter at all to me and I never once got them to lose their edge. Oh, they were very progressive too. Needless to say, I ordered a set for the 240 yesterday.

[1sikgti]

where did you order yours from? I to am goin with the azeni,had em on my old GTi,dont think I can manage driving with much else.Tire size isnt bad with a decent drop.I have 205/60's on there right now an it looks so ridiculous! :loco:

[KA24DESOneThree]

I got mine from America's Tire Co. but Discount Tire Co. and others have them too. You might want to try http://www.vulcantire.com/azenis_t.htm?refad=GooAzenis. The price is certainly right if you have hookups on mounting.

[1sikgti]

:rawk: thank you :bow:

[andrave]

They are also available at www.edgeracing.com
for 4 195/50/15 shipped it will be 290 dollars.

[WhiteNissanS13]

i have 205 50 15
fronts: yokohama advan a-043
rear: kumho ecsta supra

the wheel gap is huge (4 fingers)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/DriveThruRecFan/IMG_1117.jpg

[andrave]

how much is your car lowered?

[WhiteNissanS13]

the rear is lowered 1.5" and the front is lowered 2"

[KiDyNomiTe]

not enough. You are better off with 50s if you actually drive your car...

[andrave]

thats what this post is about... did you read any of it?
anyway thanks for everyone that posted pictures, I think it looks alright and I'm willing to make the tradeoff, so I went ahead and ordered them today.

[Carter]

205/50/15 Azenis, all around.