Pictures: 215/60R15s on W124 stock rims

[carman850]

Car: 92 400E.
Tires: 215/60R15 Michelin Arctic Alpine Snow Tires
Rims: 6.5/15 stock rims.

[carman850]

Tires

[carman850]

Tire

[carman850]

car

[Michael]

Why exactly did you mount extra-wide snow tires? Purely aesthetic I presume. I hope you understand that what you've done diminishes foul-weather adhesion...narrower tires are the more functional choice.

Just wanted to say this in case there are members who weren't aware of this fact; for the record, I run OE 195/65-15 on my W124s during the winter months, but I'm in New England so need all the traction I can get!

Another thing-it's likely that all-season rubber of the same dimension would be even wider...winter tires tend to run narrow even for their specified size (again, for the superior traction that comes from a more concentrated contact patch)

[ymsin]

Don't the 195/65-15 on W124s touch against the fenders when going through road bumps or slumps?

I would have anticipated the ideal fit on 195 or 205 on 60-15.

Just a thought.

[Michael]

The reason they fit is that winter tires are always narrow for their size...that snow tire's likely as wide as a 205 or 195 summer/all season tire

[G-Benz]

These are tire sizes not dress sizes!

There are no "narrow" or "wide" for their size issues. 215 is 215 mm everywhere.

Stock size on my W124 is 205-60-15. A 215 would add 1/2 cm on each side of the rim, hardly enough to cause problems. The aspect ratio of the 60-series wouldn't cause problems either.

It may be an issue with the Sportline series as the lowered suspension would cause problems with the wider tires...

[Michael]

G-benz,

Sorry, man, but I humbly submit that you're incorrect. The facts I've presented I can back up, otherwise I would've qualified my comments as being an educated guess.

If you doubt me, as you clearly do, then do as I've done....go to a tire store and compare tires of like sizes, all-season vs. winter tires. Then let me know if you still disagree.

The reason I first noticed this phenomenon is on my 500E. When I first installed 225/55-16 snow tires, I was amazed at how narrow the contact patch looked. And sure enough, compared to my all-season tires they were quite a bit narrower, like an inch or more. Same deal on my 300TE, which I was running 195/65-15 summer and winter tires on.

Further, be advised that tire manufacturers do NOT all make tires of the exact same size-compare for example a Toyo to a Michelin, and I'll bet you a buck the Toyo is shorter but just as wide, which is likely why I have NO rubbing while running 225/50-16 on my TE. As a matter of fact, many of the manufacturers publish their tires' actual dimensions, so if you can find this info on several companies, compare them and you'll see what I'm talking about

Lastly, 205/60-15 was only the "stock" size on factory Sportline W124s with 7" wide 15" rims-all others were intended to run 195/65-15.

[yal]

Listen to Michael he is exactly correct!

[carman850]

It seems I have a lot of explanation to do.

I would say stock 15 rims can fit any 215/60R15s, not only winter tires, go to Michelin web page, and check out the catalog of different tires:

For same 215/60 R15 size, the section width on measuring rim of 6.5 inches:

Arctic Alpine snow tire: 8.7 inches.
Pilot XGT V4 High performance: 8.9 inches.

I don't think that 0.2 inches makes any difference.

Actually check the tire catalogs for every 215 tires, Michelin uses 6.5 inches rims as standard to measure section width.

Michael, the reason I chose wider snow tires is because I feel dry road traction with those 195s just couldn't handle 270 hp from my 400E, so I compromised some snow traction for it.

The dry road traction of those 215 snow tires are much better than previous all season 195s, I can hardly slip rear tires now, I have already gone through snow several times here in Canada, it handles not bad either.

[Michael]

Carman-

I'm glad you selected those tires understanding the tradeoff-I just chimed in so others would understand the entire equation.

As to the section width issue, as I understand it the section width is the widest part of the tire, where it bulges, and NOT the contact patch. Can anyone confirm this?

[Amge55]

Gentlemen, you are both right. The tire width dictated by 205/215 or 195 is the mm measurement but the contact patch will vary with each brand and functionality. Thus two different tires with the same width can vary in its contact patch with the pavement. You know, the classic sqare edge vs. round edge tire thing.