[sonett1]

I have Saab ronal minilites on my 99, at present i have 185x65x15 pirelli's, i want to fit bridgestone RE720's, but the smallest 15'' they do is 195x60x15, does anybody have a similar size tyre fitted to their minilites and what do they look like, i have concerns that they may look ballooned, some pics would also be helpfull.

 

[kemosaabey]

195/60 should be fine on the 5 1/2 inch rims. This was a stock size on 99 turbo 2-doors. I'm running 205/55's (not on a 99 but same size rim) - yes they do look slightly ballooned but they seem to perform OK.

 

[Tomarse]

I have 195/60 R15's on my incas, which I thought were the same size wheel as the minilites?
They don't look bulgy to me, and i reckon they are just right!.

My 900 also has the same size tyres on its 3-spoke alloys.

Not the best picture as its not straight on from the side, and also that front tyre is slightly flat as i just pressure bled the clutch with it before taking the pic!

 

[kemosaabey]

nothing wrong with those - I meant my 205/55's DO look a little balloony. I think that would be pushing it on a 99. I'll probably change mine to stock 195/60 when I wear these out...

 

[mr.pengiun19]

I am running Bridgstone Potenza RE950s that are 195/60-15 on my Mini-lites! I think they look great and also they are really cool because if you ever acidently brush up against a curb, you dont hurt your wheel at all!!

 

[Rob Hill]

I have Saab ronal minilites on my 99, at present i have 185x65x15 pirelli's, i want to fit bridgestone RE720's, but the smallest 15'' they do is 195x60x15, does anybody have a similar size tyre fitted to their minilites and what do they look like, i have concerns that they may look ballooned, some pics would also be helpfull.

I can't vouch for how well they will look on your minilites, but I can vouch for the tyres, I have four RE720's 195x60x15 on my 900 and they are an excellent tyre, I much prefer them to the Pirelli P6000s I had before.

 

[boxman]

my 99 has minilites with 195/60/15 asa seen here thats the right tyre size for those rims

 

[sonett1]

I can't vouch for how well they will look on your minilites, but I can vouch for the tyres, I have four RE720's 195x60x15 on my 900 and they are an excellent tyre, I much prefer them to the Pirelli P6000s I had before.

You are right about the RE720, i think they are about the best performance tyre out there, i have them on my 106 rallye and they are excellent in the dry and in the wet.

So i think i will get at least 2x RE720's for the 99 and at £38 each delivered from mytyres you can't really go wrong.

Thanks for all your replies!

 

[cassonian]

Sorry, only just noticed this thread, been away again!

What is wrong with Pirelli's? I have a perfectly good set of P6000's fitted to my alloys. If you look around most modern cars hardly any are fitted with Bridestone tyres (most Pirs or Mich).

To be fair I can't see any noticable difference in fitting any particular make to a 20+ year old car unless you are planning on popping down to Donnington etc.

My car doesn't go around corners unless you hold on for dear life and shut your eyes, I know it may be a bit more important for you turbo boys out there who need decent tyres (I have them on my 900 (not Bridgestone though, some nice Jap ones) - which is broken!) but for anyone else really it is not an issue.

I am however trying to engineer a way to fit some 17" alloys to my old car just to see what they ride like. Offset a bit wrong for front handbrake at the minute but watch this space! :cheesy:

 

[sonett1]

cassonian,

i suppose it all depends on how you use your car and they type of driving you like, if you enjoy 'spirited' driving then you would be better with some sticky tyres, i have pirelli P6000's on the front of my 99 and old P2000's on the rear, not my choice they were already on the car. They are good as far as tyres go, but once you start to push the car their limits are soon realised. They fit bridgestone as standard to imprezzas etc, but like i said, it's all down to your type of driving.

 

[nutcase]

The other side of the coin is what happens if you're cruising at motorway speed and have to suddenly stop? Cheap (read budget, not necessarily "non-performance" tyres) will probably just lose all grip and slide. Not a nice feeling.

 

[Funkman]

Since I live in Highlands of scotland where there is a LOT of rain and the roads are one of the twistiest in the world decent tyres are a must.
On my 99s I used to fit 195/65 HR15 Firestone Firehawk 700, fairly cheap tyre but I found it very very good in all conditions for spirited driving. My 900 is fitted with Dunlop Sport 200 in the same size, a little bit noisy but again a very good tyre.
I found Pirelli P6000 a bit noisy and also very hard.

 

[sonett1]

The P6000's are very hard and take a long time to wear out, the old P2000's on the rear of my 99 are at least 7-8 years old and have quite a bit of tread left, but they are starting to crack.

 

[cassonian]

I suppose it all depends on how you use your car and they type of driving you like

My 99 is 35 years old and I would like it to make it to 36. It wasn't made to be chucked about like a rally car, it was made as a family saloon.

My 900 however was made to be chucked about which is why it is running a set of Yokohamas and is driven (sometimes) towards its limit, the fact that I am trying to make.

Yes, I wouldn't entertain running remould or 'el-cheapo' budget tyres but Pirelli make some great tyres - P Zero etc, and the P6000 was never intended to be a racing tyre, but they are a great, hardwearing mid range tyre. If you want to be a bit more 'spirited' then I suggest some P6's or similar but they are more expensive. My Yokos on my 900 are about £130 each you can get a set of P6000's for not much more!

 

[sonett1]

I can't believe how long ago this thread was created as i have only just got round to sorting out some tyres for the 99 ;oops:

I have just ordered 4 195/50/15 bridgestone potenza RE720's for £138 delivered, i could hardly believe the price of these, i had to keep checking. I thought i had better put some stickier tyres on with the development of the engine and i have just put bilstiens on the front and koni's on the rear. They should be here this week.
I was a bit concerned about the smaller diameter, about 7%, but it will help lower the gearing.

 

[nutcase]

That is cheap! Are they road legal jobbies? Might have to use thm when I kill the ones on currently! Let us know how they "feel"

 

[sonett1]

Yes, they are legal road tyres, i have them on my 106 rallye and i love 'em. Although they may be different on the 99 as it's a much heavier car, but they have to be better than the p6000's i have at the moment.
Have a look on www.mytyres.com for the prices, i was really looking at buying the Kumho ecsta KU31 in a 185/55/15, but the RE720's are cheaper , i think that deserved a double EEK.

 

[Tomarse]

My car came with one 195/50 tyre on. I thought it looked a bit small and lost in the arch (even when the car is lowered slightly) - but I could make exceptions for that sort of money!
I think there are some pictures at the start of my 99T thread of how they looked.