Some tyres are bigger than others?

[SpecialTool]

Both front tyres on my Aero rub the spring when on full lock. It's only slight, enough to feel like the brakes are on lightly (obviously I only experience the problem at parking speeds). The tyres are Kumho Powermax 195/60's. Anyone had the same problem? Is it possible this brand is a little wider than the norm? Or maybe I need to get some serious suspension adjustment...

[Corn Cob]

Stock size at least in the USA is 185/65/15, so your tire is a bit wider than factory.

[Husky570]

"Some tires are bigger than others"

reminds me of a Morrissey song

[SpecialTool]

Originally Posted by Husky570

"Some tires are bigger than others"

reminds me of a Morrissey song

Glad you noticed!

[gorper]

195/60-15 was a stock size for thousands of c900s.

The tire industry in the U.S. is regulated by the federal government. They allow for tolerances in tire size that can yield a 7% or 10mm difference (whichever is larger) from advertised size.

In addition to the U.S. govt's regs, many other countries follow the same guidelines, though I have no clue if Australia does.

You might want to check to see where the rubbing is occurring...

EDIT: Read this if you can't fall asleep:
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regul...ion_toc=119571

[Jezzadee]

I did experience this with a set of tyres - I think it was Dunlops. They were a very square profile and on full lock there was a faint rub when they were new. It went after they wore down a bit.

195/60/15 is the stock tyre size for an Aero.

[tomsamps]

Originally Posted by Corn Cob

Stock size at least in the USA is 185/65/15, so your tire is a bit wider than factory.

Mine are 205/50/15 and don't rub. Does the 50% mean these are lower profile than stock (65%)? Maybe that's why they don't rub??

[900t]

Originally Posted by tomsamps

Mine are 205/50/15 and don't rub. Does the 50% mean these are lower profile than stock (65%)? Maybe that's why they don't rub??

Yes, the sidewalls are 50% of 205mm not 65% of 185 mm.

FWIW I ran 205/60/15 tires made in Korea (not Kumho, "Solus" or something) on 9000 rims and had no rub either! They were fat and made the car look cool

[eddiethegreat]

Originally Posted by SpecialTool

Both front tyres on my Aero rub the spring when on full lock. It's only slight, enough to feel like the brakes are on lightly (obviously I only experience the problem at parking speeds). The tyres are Kumho Powermax 195/60's. Anyone had the same problem? Is it possible this brand is a little wider than the norm? Or maybe I need to get some serious suspension adjustment...

Kumho Powermax??
The worst tires I've ever mounted on my SAAB!!
Change tires.
With that new Khumo on back wheels, the first rainy day, my SAAB twisted on a slow corner...and on front I had Michelin with only 3mm rubber. I risked to kill myself in a river close to the road.
With that khumo on front wheels steering loosed sensibility, brakes blocked immediately, car follow the tangent on every corner.

A good thing about that tyres? Low cost.

I'll never make the error of don't spend money for quite good tyres...

[woywitka]

my kumho ecsta sport tyres are incredible, really something to scream about.

[cdaly]

Originally Posted by woywitka

my kumho ecsta sport tyres are incredible, really something to scream about.

As you plunge down the mountainside?...


Reminds me of the joke:

When I die I want to go quietly and in my sleep like my granny. Not screaming like the passengers in her car did...

[SpecialTool]

Originally Posted by eddiethegreat

Kumho Powermax??
The worst tires I've ever mounted on my SAAB!!
Change tires.

Will do; lucky for me they're nearly worn out anyway! OK, scratch Kumho off the list, oh yeah Dunlop too. What about Yokohamas? The local discountery has 'em on special.

[SteveTheFolkie]

I wouldn't be so quick as to scratch an entire brand - especially based on the experience of one guy - with mismatched tires (and worn ones on the front to boot) - no offense intended eddiethegreat - but one is a pretty small statitical sample for my tastes.

The tire brands have various quality levels within them - and tires directed at specific uses - I'm running winter tires now on my 900 - and can't wait to go back to summer tires (winter treads lower the cornering speed on one of my favorite turns by at least 5mph before the old girl becomes tail happy!) - but on wet or snow covered pavement they're spectacular.

Typically I've found that tires are like most things - if you buy the cheapest you won't be happy, and if you buy the absolute top of the line you won't be as happy as you thought you'd be when you laid out the coin. A lot of it comes down to what kind of driving you do, how much road noise and feedback you can put up with, and if you're willing to compromise, say, wet performance for ultimate dry pavement grip. Add to that how you like your car to handle - oversteer? Understeer? Neutral to the limit? Do you like your tires to telegraph that they're about to get loose or are you happy with 'em just breaking free and drifting?

Hit sites like tire rack - they have pretty extensive information about the various tires they sell - including customer ratings -

[eddiethegreat]

100 euros for 2 corean tyres explain the difference with other equal brands.

I drive 25000kms/year, dry and wet, snow and mood, and if you know your car feeling in difficoult situations, having 2 different brands front/right explain very well their quality.
That khumo simply loses in every way. Loses too much. I tested them against Dunlop and Michelin. I don't wanna exclude one full brand, just talking about power max. My Dunlop and michelin where not sporty tires, but "fuel-saver" ones.
Oh, I've forgotten to say that K.powermax are very noisy (more than my winter tires), and they lose little pieces of rubber on the edges of water channels. Not good thing, I suppose.
Unlucky tires? Maybe...
So after this terrible experience I watched many many tests on many many tires made by indipendent agencies.
So everyone can do the same.
Everyone have to do the same. And take the own conclusions.
I did it, and have a confirm to my feelings. Some brands are simply defined "cheap and dangerous". Is not just a question of favourite feelings.
Is not just a 23yo guy thinking.

Dont' trust me? No problem, of course.

Trust those serious tests. There are many good brands, and many unsafe ones. My way? Some money spent for my tires is equal to some money spent for my safety,and enjoing, why not

[Gabby]

Kumhos on both mine--seem to stick fine. Ecstas on the '88 that seem to do fine on twisty N. Georgia roads.

[gorper]

Blanket statements condemning Kumho or categorizing its tires as "dangerous" is neither meaningful nor true.

In the U.S., Kumho's high-performance tires are generally regarded as fair to very good by people who autocross in classes requiring street tires. National-level competitions have been won on Kumhos (mostly MXs), and even a few on their SPT (wet events), which is not considered up to the task (but clearly is, at least in the rain).

Incidentally, Kumho's DOT radial race tires (710s) are as fast as anything else out there, longer lasting, and less expensive than Hoosiers (no serious competitors who must run DOT radials use Goodyear, Avon, Hankook, Toyo, etc.). Check the SCCA Solo2 results and see for yourself.