New Alloy wheels, car sits higher???????????

[Robboc180]

HI i have a 1995 C180 Elegance with 15" steel wheels and hub caps, last week end i bought a set of 15" 10 hole alloys and fitted them to car and the car is now sitting higher by an inch or two why would this happen. Tyres on steel wheels where 185 65R 15 and tyres on alloys are 195 65R 15.

 

[jberks]

It will sit slightly higher due to the tyres. Not by as much as you suggest though.
The 65 in the tyre profile is the width of the sidewall as a % of width the tyre. As you've gone up a tyre size, you've increased the tyre height slightly too.
Double check those numbers as based on what you've quoted there should be a very small difference but we're talking mm not ".

Has the difference between the top of the tyre and the wheelarch increased?
Clearly it will sit high after being jacked up, but that will settle as soon as its driven.

 

[Robboc180]

Seems to be between the tyre and the wheel arch, i say this because i normally drive over 1 way ramps which allow you to drive over 1 way and not the other, when driving over the plates they used to touch the underside of the car now they don't.

 

[television]

As Jberks says you should have gone done on the sidewall number by 20, that is from 65 to 45. the numbers relate to-- the 185 x 65 means that the side wall is 65% of the 185 width of the tyre, you have gone wider to 195 so the percentage must be reduced to 45 to compensate, we are talking here around the car being 15mm higher than it was.

Malcolm

 

[Robboc180]

That is about right, will this cause any problems with the car?

 

[COUPE FREAK]

That is about right, will this cause any problems with the car?

speedo will be out a bit, but the wheel size wont damage anything,,

 

[television]

Just run them till they are worn out, then replace with a smaller profile. your speedo will read a little to fast.

Malcolm

 

[clive williams]

HI i have a 1995 C180 Elegance with 15" steel wheels and hub caps, last week end i bought a set of 15" 10 hole alloys and fitted them to car and the car is now sitting higher by an inch or two why would this happen. Tyres on steel wheels where 185 65R 15 and tyres on alloys are 195 65R 15.

The difference in the ride height between the two sets of (new) tyres is 6.5mm This does not take into account the difference between new and worn tyres, which would be ~ 8mm at worst. Similarly, the gap between the top of the tyre and the arch will be reduced by 6.5mm with the new 195 tyre.
I suspect that there is another reason for the change in ride height. One cause may have been that the spring has been unseated causing it to bind but I have only seen this happen on cars with very low modified springs and standard long dampers (hence the reason for check straps on some comp cars). Take the wheels off again and check the springs are properly seated.

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[Sprint'n'Go]

I don't want to ask silly questions but.........The new rims are definitely 15" and not 16"? I only ask as, if the tyre walls have been rubbed a bit, it could be an easy mistake to make. This would still only lift the car by an additional 11.25mm plus the extra 6.5mm of the tyre giving a total lift of 17.75mm (We work this out all the time with landrovers, while most car owners want to go lower, 4x4's spend ££££'s to go higher).

Alternatively, try filling the fuel tank and screenwash to the brim, engine oil to max and carry 3 or 4 passengers then you should be back to scraping over the speed humps