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14" wheel to replace 15" wheel - okay?
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VanguardLH
Jan 6, 2016, 3:15:35 PM1/6/16
to
I have the following vehicles and tire/wheel sizes:
'02 Subaru Legacy L wagon: 205/60R15 (15" wheel) = 24.7" x 8.1"
'92 Subaru Legacy L wagon: 195/65R14 (14" wheel) = 24" x 7.7"
(tire dimensions found at https://tiresize.com/height-chart/)
Both wheels sets have the same 5-lug pattern with lugs the same distance
apart; i.e., the lug patters are the same on the older and newer wheels.
I was a bit surprised. I thought the '92 came with 4-lug 14-inch
wheels.
I will be scrapping the '92 Subaru but would like to keep any parts that
can be used in the '02 Subaru, like the tires. I recently replaced the
battery in the '92 so I'll check if that can fit into the '02 whose
battery needs replacing (too weak for cold winter starts). The
difference in width is 0.4" less for my old tires and the difference in
height would be 0.7".
I'm wondering if I can use the 14-inch, 5-lug wheels from the '92 in
place of the 15-inch, 5-lugs wheels on the '02. Would there be a
problem with clearance with, say, the caliper, rotor, or brake hose?
Since the smaller 14-inch wheels would rotate more for the same distance
travelled by 15-inch wheels, the speedometer would be off (faster). The
odometer might also be off (faster counting) with the smaller wheels.
The smaller tire at the same pressure will have a higher rolling
resistance so mileage will go down; however, it would take many miles at
reduced mileage for an increase in fuel cost to offset the cost for a
complete set of tires. I'm primarily concerned with fit. Would 14-inch
wheels in place for a vehicle spec'ed with 15-inch wheels have fit or
use problems?
All the tire sites list 15-inch wheels and tires for the '02 Subaru but
the '92 Subaru's 14-inch tires have almost no wear. They were bought
and soon after the car got stored. I'm going to scrap the '92. So I'd
like to its tires on my newer Subaru when its current set of tires
eventually need replacing. I'll keep the 15-inch wheels and put new
205/60R15 tires on them when the next time comes to again replace all
tires. The tires themselves probably pose no problem but maybe the
smaller 14" wheels put on a car that comes with 15" wheels might
encounter a problem with fit or clearance and perhaps alignment or load
angle problems.
'02 Subaru Legacy L wagon: 205/60R15 (15" wheel) = 24.7" x 8.1"
'92 Subaru Legacy L wagon: 195/65R14 (14" wheel) = 24" x 7.7"
(tire dimensions found at https://tiresize.com/height-chart/)
Both wheels sets have the same 5-lug pattern with lugs the same distance
apart; i.e., the lug patters are the same on the older and newer wheels.
I was a bit surprised. I thought the '92 came with 4-lug 14-inch
wheels.
I will be scrapping the '92 Subaru but would like to keep any parts that
can be used in the '02 Subaru, like the tires. I recently replaced the
battery in the '92 so I'll check if that can fit into the '02 whose
battery needs replacing (too weak for cold winter starts). The
difference in width is 0.4" less for my old tires and the difference in
height would be 0.7".
I'm wondering if I can use the 14-inch, 5-lug wheels from the '92 in
place of the 15-inch, 5-lugs wheels on the '02. Would there be a
problem with clearance with, say, the caliper, rotor, or brake hose?
Since the smaller 14-inch wheels would rotate more for the same distance
travelled by 15-inch wheels, the speedometer would be off (faster). The
odometer might also be off (faster counting) with the smaller wheels.
The smaller tire at the same pressure will have a higher rolling
resistance so mileage will go down; however, it would take many miles at
reduced mileage for an increase in fuel cost to offset the cost for a
complete set of tires. I'm primarily concerned with fit. Would 14-inch
wheels in place for a vehicle spec'ed with 15-inch wheels have fit or
use problems?
All the tire sites list 15-inch wheels and tires for the '02 Subaru but
the '92 Subaru's 14-inch tires have almost no wear. They were bought
and soon after the car got stored. I'm going to scrap the '92. So I'd
like to its tires on my newer Subaru when its current set of tires
eventually need replacing. I'll keep the 15-inch wheels and put new
205/60R15 tires on them when the next time comes to again replace all
tires. The tires themselves probably pose no problem but maybe the
smaller 14" wheels put on a car that comes with 15" wheels might
encounter a problem with fit or clearance and perhaps alignment or load
angle problems.
weelliott
Jan 7, 2016, 7:17:09 AM1/7/16
to
Other than brake clearance offset is the only other concern. You can find offset stamped into the back of the rim I millimeters. This is just the distance between the wheel mounting surface and the center of the contact patch in a lateral direction. Any delta there would affect steering feel and fender clearance. However if you are taking off a 15" wheel to get that number, you might as well just try fitting the 14" while you are at it. If it fits you are fine. Any difference in steering feel or torque steer is going to be minimal. When you check be sure to the lower the car to check for clearance before calling it a victory.
Your Name
Jan 7, 2016, 3:05:08 PM1/7/16
to
In article <9968b515-e341-44ab...@googlegroups.com>,
Don't replace just one wheel - that could be dangerous. All wheels on
the vehicle should be the same size (that's why the silly space-saver
spare wheels have instructions to only be used at a reduced speed and
short period of time). They should also all be the same / similar
tyres.
the vehicle should be the same size (that's why the silly space-saver
spare wheels have instructions to only be used at a reduced speed and
short period of time). They should also all be the same / similar
tyres.
cl...@snyder.on.ca
Jan 7, 2016, 5:02:51 PM1/7/16
to
On Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:05:16 +1300, Your Name <Your...@YourISP.com>
wrote:
The offset won't be an issue, and if your year was available with the
smaller wheels the brakes will fit. If it was not available with the
smaller wheels a fit check is mandatory. And remember, just because
the wheels fit with hald worn brake pads doesn't mean they will fit
when new pads are installed. I found that out putting neon rims on a
PT Cruiser. When I put the new brake pads on, I had to do a bit of
grinding to make the rims go back on ---
wrote:
smaller wheels the brakes will fit. If it was not available with the
smaller wheels a fit check is mandatory. And remember, just because
the wheels fit with hald worn brake pads doesn't mean they will fit
when new pads are installed. I found that out putting neon rims on a
PT Cruiser. When I put the new brake pads on, I had to do a bit of
grinding to make the rims go back on ---
VanguardLH
Jan 7, 2016, 11:09:09 PM1/7/16
to
clare wrote on 2016/01/07:
> The offset won't be an issue, and if your year was available with the
> smaller wheels the brakes will fit. If it was not available with the
> smaller wheels a fit check is mandatory.
I can't find any tire or wheel store listing smaller than 15" rims for
> The offset won't be an issue, and if your year was available with the
> smaller wheels the brakes will fit. If it was not available with the
> smaller wheels a fit check is mandatory.
the '02 Subaru. Looks like that was the minimum size the car came with
hence my concern about putting 14" rims onto the '02 Subie.
> And remember, just because the wheels fit with hald worn brake pads
> doesn't mean they will fit when new pads are installed. I found that
> out putting neon rims on a PT Cruiser. When I put the new brake pads
> on, I had to do a bit of grinding to make the rims go back on ---
the inside of the wheel. If the 14" wheels fit without contacting the
caliper with the pads in the current condition, they'll be okay until I
need the pads replaced.
If then the caliper hits the wheel, well, time to buy 15" tires (I'll
just go stock with 205/60R15) and put them on the 15" wheels. I
wouldn't feel comfortable with grinding down anything to make clearance
versus having a setup that incorporates the necessary clearance.
Of course, when the 15" tires need replacing and I when try the the 14"
wheels, I could replace the pads at that time and then check for
clearance. Thanks for the reminder. I, too, would not have thought
about the caliper moving outward (toward the wheel) when new pads are
installed.
VanguardLH
Jan 7, 2016, 11:09:19 PM1/7/16
to
center of the wheel (where the tire is mounted). I forgot about that
and read http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=101 and
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoWheelOffsets.do. Good catch. I
suspect it's zero for both the 14" and 15" rims but I'll have to check.
I'll be yanking the tires w/rims when I get the beater up on a trailer
to haul to the scraper. I'll just wait until sometime in the future
when I have to replace the tires on the new Subie. Then I'll check the
offset that you mention along with making sure there are no clearance
problems. If the offset is different or there are clearance problems,
I'll have to buy new tires to put on the 15" rims and sell off the old
tires+wheels on Craigslist.
VanguardLH
Jan 7, 2016, 11:09:44 PM1/7/16
to
offset value to just go ahead to dry test the 14" (snug it lugs onto the
hub) to see if there are any clearance problems. That's doable. It the
test on one corner succeeds then, yes, swap the 14" rims onto all the
remaining corners.
Your Name
Jan 8, 2016, 12:13:29 AM1/8/16
to
In article <df8r46...@mid.individual.net>, VanguardLH <V...@nguard.LH>
wrote:
And don't forget the spare wheel (you'll need five 14" wheels) ...
unless it's only one of those silly little space saver ones.
wrote:
unless it's only one of those silly little space saver ones.
cl...@snyder.on.ca
Jan 8, 2016, 1:00:06 AM1/8/16
to
On Fri, 08 Jan 2016 18:13:34 +1300, Your Name <Your...@YourISP.com>
wrote:
On my ranger I went from 14" to 15" without changing the outside
diameter, and then I put on 16 inch -still within less than an inch
difference - untill I put on the big tires.
I didn't see what size tires the OP has - but if the 14s are 78 series
and the 15s are 70 series, they could be the same diameter.
wrote:
diameter, and then I put on 16 inch -still within less than an inch
difference - untill I put on the big tires.
I didn't see what size tires the OP has - but if the 14s are 78 series
and the 15s are 70 series, they could be the same diameter.
Tony Hwang
Jan 8, 2016, 11:00:19 AM1/8/16
to
on odometer reading. If you want to, there are many sites
where you can compare calculated tires/wheels differences in
combination. I always use smaller wheel for winter tires. Like 19" vs.
18" and on smaller wheel I put on skinny tall tires for better traction
in the snow. This is common practice. Go to tiresize.com/chart. Play
with wheels, tire combo. Not a rocket science. Rule of thumb is if
difference exceeds +/- 4%, that is limit for me.
Asbjorn
Jan 9, 2016, 12:40:16 PM1/9/16
to
"Tony Hwang" skrev i nyhetsmeldingen: l2Rjy.118958$LO3....@fx15.iad ...
-----------------------------------------------
Changing from 205/60R15 to 195/65R14 will theoretically give 2.9 % less
rolling diameter and
circumference, that gives 2.9 % higher speedo reading for the same speed.
A up to 5 % change from the original is allowable in Norway...
Rolling diameter D= 2*W*H/100+d*25.4
When W=205 mm, H=60 %, d=15", D=627.0 mm.
When W=195 mm, H=65 %, d=14", D=609.1 mm.
Difference 17.9 mm = 17.9/627*100 = 2.9 % change.
And newer cars usually have bigger brakes, especially in the front, so be
careful there.
Asbjørn
Changing from 205/60R15 to 195/65R14 will theoretically give 2.9 % less
rolling diameter and
circumference, that gives 2.9 % higher speedo reading for the same speed.
A up to 5 % change from the original is allowable in Norway...
Rolling diameter D= 2*W*H/100+d*25.4
When W=205 mm, H=60 %, d=15", D=627.0 mm.
When W=195 mm, H=65 %, d=14", D=609.1 mm.
Difference 17.9 mm = 17.9/627*100 = 2.9 % change.
And newer cars usually have bigger brakes, especially in the front, so be
careful there.
Asbjørn
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