1. Home
  2. General Motors Forum
  3. After some of the other ...

After some of the other ...

... questions asked here, I should feel too bad about mine.

After a long series of financial setbacks, I had to buy the cheapest transportation available to me (at 63 and with an amputated right foot, a bicycle or motorcycle were not options).

I wound up with a 1990 Buick Century Limited with 156,000 miles. It seemed to be in very good condition, excluding the sagging headliner (fabric Cooper's droop). Little did I know that the radiator (original) had not been properly cared for. It went last week.

With a serpentine belt and oil change, the whole thing was a little over $400.

The car (3.3 V6 automatic) runs surprisingly well, partially because of its relative light weight (approx. 2800 lbs). It's not much heavier than the

2000 Civic I lost during the "troubles."

The disappointment is the 14" wheels and tires. Are there any compatible

15" wheels (bolt pattern and off set) that I can put 205 65 tires to improve the handling and maybe the gas mileage (18 city)?

Would a drop in K&N filter help anything? No, I'm not going the "tuner" route on a 14 year old car.

Reply to
Kent Finnell
Loading thread data ...

Kent Finnell wrote in alt.autos.gm

I can't help you with the tires, that is something that can best be answered at a tire store. However, the K & N filter will not help. It supposedly increases air flow, but that would only help when the engine is straining for everything it can get, such as pushing your foot to the floor. For normal driving the computer monitors the amount of air coming into the engine, through the MAF and the throttle position and adjusts the fuel flow to maintain the proper ratio. Only if you open the throttle all the way will a filter that allows more air flow help. And then only if the original filter did not pass enough air to fill the engine.

Reply to
Dick C

What's the original tire size on the car? You can get wider tires and preserve the 14" wheels and overall diameter of the tire if you size them correctly. Tires are sized by w/hRd where w represents the width of the tire, h represents the sidewall height divided by the width expressed as a percentage, and d represents the wheel diameter. So, if you keep the 14" rims, then choose another tire size where w multiplied by h is the same. For example, my last car had size 205/70R14 tires. To change them to a wider, better handling tire, I decided to go with a 60 series. So, I multiplied 205 by 70 and divided by 60 to get 239. I then chose a tire size of 235/60R14 and was quite happy with the performance. The thing to be careful of is whether you have enough room to install the tires without rubbing fenders or struts or wheel wells.

When asked why I mounted the white letters on the outside on my Taurus wagon, I replied, "to make the car go faster, of course."

Reply to
hyundaitech

I prefer the spinner hubcaps to up the horses on my ride...OH and one of those big fat mufflers that make my car sound more powerful too!!!

Reply to
Eightupman

I chose another way. No hubcaps at all. Instead I mounted a big alternator on each wheel. And a

12 volt starter motor.

With this arrangement as soon as I get 'er up to

60 mph it's already moving well over 100.

And I save lots of gas, too! :)

Ken

Reply to
Ken Weitzel

I suggest

formatting link
as a great source for tires, rims and best of all, extensive information on those subjects.

** To email a reply, please remove everything up to and including the underscore in my email reply header.
Reply to
SgtSilicon

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.