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[mitch1204]

My 91 base Capri has 195/60R14 on it. After checking I've found 185/60R14 is stock.

Should I stick with stock or go with the 195s?
Should I upgrade to 15" like the turbo?

I'm either going with Uniroyal Tiger Paws or Cooper Cobras. I'm just not sure of the best size combination.

[T Rex]

I don't think you will see any difference between stock and 195's. That is the width, so you're only talking 10mm. So they are a little wider which I see as a good thing. If it were the height or aspect ratio, that would affect ride and speedometer reading.

So, if you do go to the 15" try to keep the same overall height of the stock tire so your speedometer is the same. Or, just don't worry about that.

I'm pretty cheap so I would probably stick with the 14"s. Let us know what you decide.

[Rocketman]

The 15's only started in 92. The 91 turbos all had the geometric wheels.

It's gonna depend on your personal preference. At the moment I like the 14's because they are the cheapest :p I'm on a tight budget anymore.

[blueamber]

I always go one size bigger on my tire purchases, 195/60/14 on the na's, and 205/50/15 on my xr2's.  They ARE a little taller, so you get a little better gas mileage, a little longer wear, and speedo reads a little lower.

[94daves]

Would 205/50/15 work with the H&R lowering springs?  Perhaps it would depend on the offset...

Does anyone know?

[aw2oban]

I needed new rubber when I picked mine up and went through the same thought....turns out what the mainstream (not chinese) tire companies are all cutting back on many of the sizes for 14 and 15 inch wheels so it is possible if you are going to keep the car and put another set of tires on it in a few years you might save money in the long run because 15" tires are getting pricier than 16's.

Now if you are willing to run the chinese tires you can ignore this entire post.

I actually had a set of 18's with 40 series tires up against it and to me that was too little tread even though the overall diameter was still pretty close.

The stock 15's on my xr2 are 15x6 with a 40mm offset  If you go to a bigger wheel be very careful of the width.  If the wheels are wider you will need a smaller offset to compensate for it.

I ended up buying a set of aftermarket wheels on CL but ended up just throwing crappy tires on the 15's so I can move it around until I decide what I really want so if you start playing around with wheel and tire combinations please keep posting so we can all stay up on it.

On a personal preference note everyone seems to only want to carry black wheels these days and I can't stand them so I have been looking more at other stock takeoffs from other cars with the same 4 on 4.5 (or 4 on 114.3)

[azgtx]

I run the 205-50-15 with OZ Rally wheels from the OZ Lancers on my GTX's. I have the big brake upgrades on all 4 corners though. These wheels are a 15x7 with a 45 offset. No fender interference. Without the rotors over the hub upgrade you will rub the inside of the tire on the spring perch easily. You can cut out the front part of the perch to clearance though or run coilovers and not worry. Or you could run some wheel spacers which would mimic the brake upgrade. I also am running ST drop springs that were a limited run for the GTX. All of this will be similar to the Capri.

[mitch1204]

Boy was I way off. After a little self educating on a tire website the first number is the section width and the second number is the section height. For some reason I thought the second number was the width. I guess back in the 70's every motorhead ran 50s on the rear which were super wide I thought that was the width

Comparing between the 185 and 195 I see about a 3/4" width difference and up to a 1/4" height difference. I think I'll stick with the 195/60R14. I kind of favor the Uniroyal Tiger Paw NTs now. When I get done with mechanical and cosmetics I might upgrade to 15s. Thanks for the posts. 😊

[aw2oban]

The easiest way to remember is the sidewall is a percentage of the width.....a 50 series tire is half as tall (from rim to tread) as it is wide......

Therefore as you go wider but want the same height so speedometer is correct you lower the second number because you would want a lower percentage of the wider tire......

Don't have a tire calculator here but from 195/50 you might go to 205/45 on the same wheel...... then if you switch wheels you would want even less height tire because the wheel is taller so it might be the same as a 35 series on a 17 or 18 but search for a tire size calculator on Google and you can play around....

[mitch1204]

I was looking at that as I'd like a wider tire. That's the best aspect of the Capri is it's handling. Someone might blow my doors off but I can lose them in the curves, lol. I already done it. I live in east TN where there are plenty of hills and curves.

What is the stock base Capri wheel width? Isn't it 5.5"? That would limit me to a 195. If it is 6" I could go up to a 215 but they are like $135 a tire. Maybe it's time to modernize the wheels and tires?

[aw2oban]

I have found that the best way to help you make a decision is by setting yourself up with a tire size that is more popular on newer cars because the tires are cheaper unless you have no intention of owning the car long enough that you will buy another set of tires.