Mach 1 Club

Hi guys I am still around

I need to get two new tyres for the back. It currently has 295/50/15 which were on it when I get it and look awesome I have always said when I needed new ones I would go smaller because it still occasionally scrubs the inside of the guards when I go over bumps sometimes when driving. I spoke to a tyre shop yesterday and I said I would like 275's but they said I would need to go 65 series. They said if I wanted to stay 50 series I would need 265's. I know nothing about the profiles etc so would going to 65 series or staying 50 series make any real difference? Thanks for any input.......

Oh yeah it will make a big difference in sidewall height. A little lesson on tire sizes, and what the numbers on the tire actually mean. The first number is the width of the tread section. 295 actually means 295 mm measured across the face of the tread. The second number or series ratio 50 is approximately how wide the side wall of the tire is, in relation to the tread width. 50 means 50% or half of 295mm or 147.5mm so the side wall of a 295/50 x15 would measure roughly 147.5mm from the bead to the edge of the tread. Now the same width 295/65 x 15 tire, the ratio would be 65% of the tread width. or about 177mm height of the sidewall which would give you a much larger diameter tire all together. These are approximate measurements and vary from one manufacturer to another. That is why they usually recommend same brand or matched pairs on an axle. Hope this helps. JTS 71 Mach1

Thanks for the input.

Hi Steven, Yeah I would like to keep the same width but the tyre scrubs on the outer guard when I go over dips so I want to keep that from happening. Not sure which way to go yet

I would probably go with the 265-50-15's. Ten and a half inches is plenty of tire and you'll reduce the tendency to scrape the sidewalls on the body. What's your rear rim width/offset?

I will be getting the 265/50/15's now. Not sure what the offset is but it looks like 8.5" wide and Steven I have tyres and guards