The definitive tyre / wheel size thread

195/55R16 fitted to 6Jx16 ET35 5/100 57.1 rims don't rub.

Outside diameter of tyre
185/50R16 591.4mm
195/50R16 601.4mm (1.7% bigger than 185/50R16)
185/55R16 609.9mm (3.1% bigger than 185/50R16)
195/55R16 620.9mm (5.0% bigger than 185/50R16)

As you can see in the ETRTO chart below, a 6J rim width is "standard" for all four of these tyre sizes (hence 6.0 is highlighted in bold).

ETRTO approved rim widths for passenger car tyres
185/50R16 5.0-6.0-6.5
195/50R16 5.5-6.0-7.0
185/55R16 5.0-6.0-6.5
195/55R16 5.5-6.0-7.0

Out of these four 16" tyre sizes, 195/55R16 is generally the cheapest tyre size. But 185/65R15 has a similar outside diameter and is not just considerably cheaper, but the ride is considerably better. There's also less drag, so more mpg, possibly less road noise too. The weight of the wheel would also be less...a lot less if fitted to the super lightweight 6Jx15 ET38 5/100 57.1 Pepperpots that weigh only 5.7kg each. So all things considered, 15" is still the way to go.

Continental AllSeasonContact 2 185/65R15 88H (Euro label B B 71dB) (£77.30)

Continental AllSeasonContact 2 195/55R16 87H (Euro label B B 71dB) (£94.65)
185/65/15 are too big, in fact even bigger than the 195/55/16 size!
 
195/55R16 ET35, 195/60R15 ET34, and 205/50R16 ET35 have all been fitted without rubbing. The chart below shows the actual inflated width of these tyres. Notice that a 195/55R16 fitted to a 6J rim is a lot narrower than a 205/50R16 fitted to a 7J rim...so will have a lot more clearance.

Actual inflated width of tyre
195/55R16 fitted to 6J rim 201mm
195/60R15 fitted to 6.5J rim 207mm
205/50R16 fitted to 7J rim 220mm

timmus 23 Jun 2017
"205/50R16 is a commonly used tyre size that is known to give no issues when fitted to alloys with a suitable offset"

Providence 31 Oct 2019
No rubbing with a 195/60R15 6.5Jx15 ET34

Jeff Sutcliffe 2 Oct 2020
"I had 195/55R16 on standard SE wheels...they didn't cause any problems and the speedo was absolutely accurate"

Robin_Cox 2 Oct 2020
"I have a set of summer and a set of winters in this size (195/55R16) - they work fine"

If in doubt about rubbing with the 6Jx16 ET35 rim, simply fit a more modest 185/55R16 or 195/50R16 tyre size. However, VAG now do a steel rim in the 6Jx16 ET35 5/100 57.1 specification, as linked to below. There really is no need to risk an expensive full set of four wheels to check for rubbing...just use one cheap steel rim and check in all four positions on the car. If there's no rubbing, then the steel rim can be used as a full size spare...although it's a little wide to fit in the spare wheel well...175/60R15 5.5Jx15 ET34 fits in the spare wheel well.

Alcar 6664 6Jx16 ET35 5/100 57.1 steel rim (same specification as SE alloy rim, so ideal for use as a full size spare)
205/50/16 are fine on the right wheels with the right offset.

I use this size on a set of mk1 TT Speedlines and they work well 👍
 
Generally one size up in section (width) is ok...or one size up in profile...but never increase both the width and the depth as the overall increase is then around 5% or so which is too much.

There's plenty of owners who have gone up from 175/60R15 to 185/65R15, ie. an increase in both the width and the aspect ratio.

Guess who said "yes the 185/65R15 will work OK" in the comments below??? Oh, it was you!!!

A2Z 30 Jun 2022
"yes the 185/65R15 will work OK"

George Hogg 2 Oct 2021
"I’ve got 185/65R15 on one of the cars and they’re a delight. Very comfortable and no snagging"

Hooley 14 Dec 2011
"Pretty good clearance and no rubbing so far" 185/65R15

Neilf 20 Dec 2021
"I'm running 185/65R15 winter tyres which don't rub"
 
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There's plenty of owners who have gone up from 175/60R15 to 185/65R15, ie. an increase in both the width and the aspect ratio.

Guess who said "yes the 185/65R15 will work OK" in the comments below???

A2Z 30 Jun 2022
"yes the 185/65R15 will work OK"

George Hogg 2 Oct 2021
"I’ve got 185/65R15 on one of the cars and they’re a delight. Very comfortable and no snagging"

Hooley 14 Dec 2011
"Pretty good clearance and no rubbing so far"
https://www.a2oc.net/community/inde...tted-185-65r15s-with-pictures.18572/185/65R15 on 6Jx15 ET38 rims "

Neilf 20 Dec 2021
"I'm running 185/65R15 winter tyres which don't rub
I wish I had your time to scour the internet and quote third party figures 😂

Most people actually fit 185/60/15 tyres (not 185/65/15) to Pepperpots which are 6J rims and they work really well (one size up in width)

If you check my comment on the post you've kindly quoted you will find that I said 185/65/15 will work on Pepperpots with standard SE suspension (factory condition not worn out) but I haven't used and wouldn't recommend them as there is an element of risk due to them being so oversized (5%ish) but I would recommend 175/65/15 as I have used and tested that size myself too! 😊👍
 
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...I haven't used and wouldn't recommend them (185/65R15) as there is an element of risk due to them being so oversized (5%ish)...

Many owners run 205/50R16 on 7J rims with an offset of around ET35, without rubbing. However, I expect clearances are quite tight with such a setup.

185/65R15 on 6J rims are a massive 25mm narrower. Compared to the above, this would give an extra 12.5mm extra clearance each side. I would suggest that the risk of these rubbing with this kind of setup is only in your imagination, because in addition to these figures I can't find any posts of any substance where rubbing has been reported with this tyre size.

Of course, you might be able to find a rim with a totally inappropriate width and offset to induce rubbing, but a sensible range of rim widths and offsets for the 185/65R15 tyre size might be in the range 5.5J to 6J and ET34 to ET38.

Similar comments apply to the 195/55R16 tyre size fitted to a 6J rim, because that only reduces clearance by 3mm each side compared to the 185/65R15 fitted to a 6J rim.

If you really want to provide a helpful list of tyre sizes that might induce rubbing, you really should be looking at the wider 205 and 215 tyre sizes that have a lot less side clearance.

My comments only apply to standard suspension, and suspension that isn't worn or damaged, and with a steering rack that is centred, and cars that haven't been involved in a serious crash and poorly repaired that would reduce the standard clearance, etc.

Actual inflated width of tyres
205/50R16 fitted to 7J rim 220mm
185/65R15 fitted to 6J rim 195mm
195/55R16 fitted to 6J rim 201mm
 
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You measurement of the inflated tyre is nice, but doesn't reflect reality. As tyre size is not exactly defined, there are variations in size. For example my 185/50R16 Nexens are same width as former winter Nankangs 195/45R16...

According to my measurements, the actual inflated width of an unused 1996 German manufactured Dunlop SP Sport 200E in size 195/65R15 91V fitted to a 6J rim is 201mm, which is exactly what most Toyo tyres in that size still measure today.

You can make up a gauge using a large piece of cardboard (I used 330mm x 215mm) and cutting a rectangle out. For the above measurement, I cut out a rectangle measuring 201mm x 127mm, to form two parallel lines 201mm apart. I chose the 127mm measurement, to approximately represent the height of the sidewalls on a 195/65R15 tyre, ie. 195x0.65=126.75mm. The gauge was an almost perfect fit over the sidewalls...hence the 201mm measurement.

If you were comparing the widths of 185/50R16 and 195/45R16 on 6J rims and expecting the 195 size to be wider...it isn't. In order for the actual inflated width of a 195/45R16 to be wider than a 185/50R16, it needs to be fitted to a wider rim as shown in the chart below.

Notice that the 195/45R16 fitted to a 7J rim has the same width as a 195/65R15 fitted to 6J rim. Even a 205/45R16 fitted to a 6.5J rim is narrower than a 195/65R15 fitted to a 6J rim...but only by 1mm.

Actual inflated width of tyre (measurements are taken from outside of sidewall to outside of sidewall, at the widest point)
185/50R16 fitted to 6J rim 194mm
195/45R16 fitted to 6J rim 189mm
195/45R16 fitted to 6.5J rim 195mm
195/45R16 fitted to 7J rim 201mm
195/65R15 fitted to 6J rim 201mm
205/45R16 fitted to 6.5J rim 200mm
205/45R16 fitted to 7J rim 206mm
 
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Actual inflated tyre widths (measured from the outside of the sidewall to the outside of the sidewall)

80 Series

155/80 fitted to 4.5J rim 157mm

70 Series
155/70 fitted to 4.5J rim 157mm
165/70 fitted to 5J rim 170mm
175/70 fitted to 5J rim 177mm
185/70 fitted to 5.5J rim 189mm
195/70 fitted to 6J rim 201mm

65 Series
155/65 fitted to 4.5J rim 157mm
165/65 fitted to 5J rim 170mm
175/65 fitted to 5J rim 177mm
185/65 fitted to 5.5J rim 189mm
195/65 fitted to 6J rim 201mm

60 Series
175/60 fitted to 5J rim 177mm
185/60 fitted to 5.5J rim 189mm
195/60 fitted to 6J rim 201mm
205/60 fitted to 6J rim 209mm

55 Series
185/55 fitted to 6J rim 194mm
195/55 fitted to 6J rim 201mm
205/55 fitted to 6.5J rim 214mm

50 Series
185/50 fitted to 6J rim 194mm
195/50 fitted to 6J rim 201mm
205/50 fitted to 6.5J rim 214mm

45 Series
195/45 fitted to 6.5J rim 195mm
205/45 fitted to 7J rim 206mm
215/45 fitted to 7J rim 213mm

40 Series
205/40 fitted to 7.5J rim 212mm
215/40 fitted to 7.5J rim 218mm

35 Series
215/35 fitted to 7.5J rim 218mm

The above chart shows the actual inflated tyre widths of various tyre sizes when fitted to the standard ETRTO rim width for that tyre size.

If you fit the tyre to a different rim width, add or subtract 6mm for every 0.5" rim width difference to approximate the actual inflated tyre width.

For example, 175/60 is shown as having an actual inflated width of 177mm when fitted to a 5J rim. If this tyre is fitted to a 5.5J rim, then add 6mm to 177mm, ie. 175/60 has an actual inflated tyre width of 183mm when fitted to a 5.5J rim.

Similarly, both 185/60 and 185/65 are shown as having a width of 189mm when fitted to a 5.5J rim...but if these tyre sizes are fitted to 5J rims their width becomes 183mm, ie. the same width as a 175/60 fitted to a 5.5J rim. This could be useful to know, because 175/60R15 fitted to a 5.5J rim fits flush in the spare wheel well...therefore 185/60 or 185/65 when fitted to a 5J rim would also fit flush in the spare wheel well.

Note that the above chart doesn't include rim diameters because these are not needed. For example, 195/55R15 and 195/55R16 both have the same actual inflated tyre widths when fitted to the same rim width, ie. the rim diameters are irrelevant when considering the actual inflated tyre widths.
 
That tyre size works perfectly on any A2.

What wheels are you planning on putting them on?
Thanks for your reply Andy, 15" shiny chrome alloys, I have 2 sets at the moment, same as below image

1711230461710.png
 
Thanks for your reply Andy, 15" shiny chrome alloys, I have 2 sets at the moment, same as below image

View attachment 121194
No problem but not sure who Andy is? 😂

That combination is probably the best possible and as long as wheels are perfectly true, the tyres are balanced perfectly and inflated correctly then the lucky A2 wearing them will ride like it's on Aladdin's magic carpet 😁👍
 
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