Jump to content

What tires should I get?


BobLoblaw
 Share

Recommended Posts

I gotta get some new/used tires for my pathy, but I'm not sure what to get. I have the stock, steel Pathy rims (15inch), right now she's got P235/75/R15 on there. It is almost entirely used on-road. Will a certain tire be noticeably quieter? There is a set of used Traction Kings near where I live:

 

http://classifieds.castanet.net/showproduc...6302&cat=37

 

What are your thoughts on these, all things being equal? Does siping make the ride louder? Is siping always a good thing?

Edited by BobLoblaw
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got nothing to say about those tires, but say 'ello to mah little friend Linky

 

 

Thanks man. Here's another question: My current tires are P235/75/R15. I've seen tires measured another way (e.g. 31x10.5 r15). How do these tires compare? Most importantly, what is the largest/normal/smallest tire size that will fit on my stock 15" steel rims, and a stock body/ride height? As you can tell, I know very little about tires.

Edited by BobLoblaw
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry dude.....search around.

 

You'll find that on a stock WD21, 31x10.5R15's will fit just fine.

 

The difference in how tires are measured is easy.

 

Let's take your stock size, for example......

 

235/75R15

R15 = 15" rim

235 = 235mm wide

75 = 75% "aspect ratio"

 

What that aspect ratio means is that you take the width (235mm) and multiply it by .75. That gives you the height of 1 sidewall. Add the 2 sidewalls, and the rim diameter together to get the total height of the tire....

 

Or use this....

 

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FWIW my 88 and 89 came stock with 31x10.5R15's, but on alloy wheels from the factory. I am using BFG Longtrail's and have had good luck with them for a on road tire, but one that works well off the pavement too.

 

89PathSpring.jpg

 

Tom

Edited by ennacac
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here'a another noob question: How do bigger tires (I'm going from P235/75/R15 -> 31"/10.5"/R15)(not a big change) change the ride/handling/fuel economy of the Pathy? If they do at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31's will decrease your fuel economy but you have no way to really check it being that your speedo and odo are now off...but they wont be off by much I think at like 55+ it'll be close to 3 or 4 mph...ride and handling dont really change (well I guess it depends on the tires you put on) i put dunlop mudrovers on and they handled well on and off road (they were a softer rubber than my radials and had a lot more grip on dry pavement) some people said they were crap on wet pavement but I didnt notice any difference between the old and new tires..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31's will decrease your fuel economy but you have no way to really check it being that your speedo and odo are now off...but they wont be off by much I think at like 55+ it'll be close to 3 or 4 mph...ride and handling dont really change (well I guess it depends on the tires you put on) i put dunlop mudrovers on and they handled well on and off road (they were a softer rubber than my radials and had a lot more grip on dry pavement) some people said they were crap on wet pavement but I didnt notice any difference between the old and new tires..

 

 

Is that 3 or 4 mph (so 5 or 6 kph in my case then right?) faster than normal or slower than normal on the speedo? How is the odometer affected?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 31x10.50's on my 89 do not make the speedometer off at all according to my GPS at speeds up to 70mph, but then it came with them from the factory.

 

Now my Altima, that is a different story, it is off by 4mph at all speeds.

 

Tom

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 31x10.50's on my 89 do not make the speedometer off at all according to my GPS at speeds up to 70mph, but then it came with them from the factory.

 

Now my Altima, that is a different story, it is off by 4mph at all speeds.

 

Tom

 

 

Is it faster or slower by 4mph?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

you will be going faster than what the speedo says or you can change the gear in the tale housing i believe to the correct gear set to correct it...you can also google around for converters that will allow you to figure out the speedo differences if you changed tires/gears/or anything else that could affect your speedo display

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

IME the best on-road tire for me has been the Uniroyal Laredo. It has lasted a long time and is still decent if you get in to a hairy travel situation off road. I don't know if they make it the same (or even at all) anymore but the thick too muti-ply casing (can't remember how many but more than 3) made for a firm ride even when PSI was running a little low and I never had a flat with them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

You can't beat BFG ATs for on-road and mild off-road use. I'm in Canada, too, and my ATs were absolutely killer for snow wheeling. This past winter, my beat-up WD21 sold a few guys with fancy rigs on BFG ATs for winter stuff, and they're about as quiet and refined as 4x4 tires get on-road. Now, they do truly suck for sticky mud (instant slicks), but most tires that excel in the mud are terrible on-road (my summer LTBs are pretty brutal on the street and highway).

 

BFGs are a little expensive new, but you can probably find some used from guys who are moving into something more aggressive. If you're in the Alberta area, send me a private message and I'll give you a heads-up on some forums for used stuff if you're not already familiar.

 

S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From browsing through the factory service manual I noted that the position/setting of the steering bump stops on the steering knuckle need to be adjusted slightly when you go to 31x10.5 tires. This setting will slightly adjust your steering angle, and consequently increase your turning radius.

 

 

(snapshot from service manual)

 

 

 

I imagine that some of the other members on this forum have gone to larger tires without making the steering stop adjustment, and I would be interested to find out what if any problems they have experienced (ie: what rubbed?)

Edited by schro
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't adjust my stops and have no rub (at least didn't have any that changing the stops would have helped with). I have read 2 times in 7 years on Nissan forums of someone having frme rub and needing to adjust those stops, and those people had 33s.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...