can i use 205/50 R 15 ON A 1995 TOYOTA CAMRY,3.0 6 CYL.

Asked by tativiri Mar 24, 2012 at 09:38 PM

Question type: Car Customization

1 Answer

4,545

Here is a breakdown of what the numbers on the side of a tire actually mean Tire Class - "P" The first character(s) in a tire size designate the tire's class. In this example, "P" indicates that the tire is a passenger car tire. An "LT" before the tire size designates a light truck tire, and no letter before the size indicates that it is a European metric tire. Section Width - "205" A metric tire's section width is measured in millimeters. This measurement is taken from sidewall to sidewall. In this example, the section width of the tire is 205mm. Aspect Ratio - "50" This number refers to the height of the sidewall. It is a percentage of the section width. In this example, 50 percent of the section width of 205mm equals 102.5mm. Tire Construction - "R" The "R" in this example indicates radial tire construction. Wheel Diameter - "15" This indicates the wheel diameter in inches. **** Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we can get down to the real difference between the stock tires, and the ones that you are considering mounting - Aspect Ratio/Sidewall Height. The stock tires have a sidewall that is 65% of the section width, or 133.25mm, as opposed to the other tires you are contemplating, which sport a sidewall that is 50% of the section width, or 102.5mm, which makes the overall diameter significantly smaller. This will most noticeably affect your speedometer, which will display a higher speed than you are actually traveling (if your speedometer was reading 70MPH, you would actually be going approximately 65MPH). Additionally, you may notice more of a harsh ride, and the fender gap is going to increase as well, which may result in your car looking slightly 'lifted'. Aside from those details however, there really isn't anything stopping you from using the smaller tires, although it is very important to note that both tires on the front of the car MUST be the same size, be it larger or smaller. Using two different diameter tires on the drive wheels (which would be the fronts in this case, being as the Camry is a front-wheel drive car) can, and will, cause severe damage to the transaxle, so be very careful not to mix-and-match. Hmmm... that's about all I can think of at the moment. Hopefully that answers your question, although don't hesitate to ask if you're still fuzzy on any of it :)

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