So I'm having a bit of trouble on my tire search. Ideally i want to find some 195/50/15's for a new set of wheels i acquired. But the biggest problem is that all of the tires in that size seem to have load ratings of 82......and i have heard that 84 is as low as you should go for our cars.

Any insight or maybe possible options for me? I would hate to have to move up to the 205/50's as those are a bit too wide for what i want.

I have found one set....toyo proxes....that have a load rating of 86 at 195/50/15.....just wondering if there any other options that people have found?

 

Hmm I can't help you there, I'm sure minihune will chime in though.

BUT, I know you're going for some stretch, not sure how wide your new BBS? wheels are but I wanna see some stretch so don't get the 205/50s lol

 

i have used 83 rated 205/45R16 for about 1.5 years i talked to someone that had the same before buying and i am content with the safety

i just did some corner weighting to figure out the weight on each wheel

hope that helps/makes sense

 

Stock 15" tires
175/65-15 84 load rating, 1102 lbs max load

For Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
195/50-15 82 load rating, 1047 lbs max load
205/45-16 83 load rating, 1074 lbs max load

BF Goodrich g-Force T/A KDW2
205/45-16 87 load rating, 1201 lbs max load


A better size would be at least
(In General Exclaim UHP)
195/50-15 82 load rating, 1047 lbs max load
195/55-15 85 load rating, 1135lbs max load

Normally you want to have the same load rating as the stock tire for general use. If you drive alone and be careful you can use a load rating very close to stock and be OK. Talk to Alex@tirerack if you need more info.

If you drive with four people and luggage then stick to at least 84 load rating. Every tire has a designed max load that can vary- see examples above.

 

thanks....what is considered "very close"?

The tires i was looking at (and hoping would work, and are perfect for my application):

195/50/15 Falken Ziex Ze 512 , 82 load rating 1047max load
195/50/15 Toyo Proxes T1R, 82 load rating 1047 max load

I generally drive by myself in the car...one passenger max (removed the rear seats).

 

You should be ok (close enough). Both tires are much less than stock outer tire diameter. Don't corner too hard all the time and keep checking your tire pressure, you have little margin for low pressure. If you need to you can add a little pressure for when you carry some passengers- slowly. About 38-39 psi should be OK.

They are very different tires though, ZE 512 more of an all season street tire and T1R a Max Performance summer tire (wears much faster and has superior handling and traction than the more comfortable ZE512).

ZE512 UHP all season tire
360 treadwear H speed rated 16.8 lbs $44
T1R Max Perf Summer tire
280 treadwear V speed rated 16.8 lbs $72

A better match to the ZE512 would be
Toyo Proxes 4 UHP all season tire
300 treadwear V speed rated 16.5 lbs $55

 

oops....yah those were on the list too (mentioned them in the first post). The proxes 4's have a nice high load rating(86)....so maybe that's my best bet.