My wife has acquired a car from her sister who can't drive any more. There is a noise when in full lock so I checked the tyres and they are 175/65R14. A couple of websites give 155/70TR13 as the size for this car (based on the number plate). Is there a safely issue here or is it OK to drive with theses tyres?
This is a +1 fitment (going from 13 to 14 inch wheel). This is usually fine if the tyre size is adjusted accordingly. To wit: the 155/70/13 tyre is just under 21.5" tall (21.44xxxx); the 175/65/14 tyres are right at 23" tall. This is a bit out of the acceptable size difference. Your noise at full lock would indicate that the tyres are rubbing on something, the fender well or a suspension component. Not a good thing. Had I been doing the +1 fitment, I would have recommended a 175/55/14 which is 21.57" tall and should not give you any interference problems. However, this is based entirely on tyre size and does not include a reality check. The only way to verify the fit is to mount one tyre on your wheel, mount that on your car and check for clearance. BTW, when you do this be sure to have the cars weight on the tyre so the situation is like normal operation. Other considerations are tyre availability, cost, and ride. The narrowers sidewalls will make the ride not as smooth as there is less flex in the tyres....Hope this helps....Good luck...
DaveD
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