Pro's and Cons's of 215/70/16's

LoopSoosStroop

LoopSoosStroop

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Joined
Sep 8, 2010
Messages
49
Location
Joburg, South Africa
Hi Guys

I'm seriously considering getting 215/70/16's when I'm due for tyres in less than 10k km's.

I'm allready running 65's.

Besides the spare wheel well issue and strut and arch clearance issues, what other side effects can I expect?

I have a 2006 X NA MT.

Will the gear ratios still be fine? Fuel consumption? Increased strain on diffs, drivetrain?
 
CONS:
there will obviously be a reduction in power
it wont handle the bends on the road as well
more effort to fit with struts etc
PROS:
clearence
better selection then the 65's
bigger "foot print" when offroad

so thats 3 for 3 that realy doesnt help does it :rotfl:
 
Will they fit without fouling the spring perch? BTW how do the 65's go - did they effect power and fuel economy?

I have an 07X MT and get about 9.4l/100km
 
65's did not affect economy negatively, lowers revs in 5th on the open bits. But you do lose some snappy-ness throught the gears.

I'm worried that the climb up to 70's will just tip the power scale in the wrong direction. Obviously on a XT its not an issue, but for my MT NA it is.

The 70's will just look so good and give me 10 mm more clearance.

Will be an expensive mistake if I fit 70's and it doesnt work out.
 
My mate is running 215/70R16. Good tyres, great offroad, spead well when aired down but they have wrecked the car. It now is not nippy at all, quite sluggish for the EJ25.

Depends if you are dedicated in offroading your Subie or just the occasional weekend. Me personally the bigger the better, even though my Foz is my daily driver. I see it as a worthwhile compromise and am not worried about performance or economy loss.
Some people are....

They have a slightly effect on economy, probably about 1l per 100km so nothing major and just make the car not so nippy and torquey. Great benefit to running them offroad though!
The biggest problem with the Manual gearbox behind the 2.5 is the crappy low range, if that was better than it wouldn't be an issue offroad....
 
Thanks taza

Wish I could have a trial period, haha!

I think I can live with the performance loss, will just pop it down to 4th for overtaking, hills etc.

Think it's going to be 70's for me....
 
No Probs,
I know what you mean, I want to do a trial period with some really big tyres on my car but am worried with the small 2.0l engine it could just make it undriveable :(
The 70 series profile you will be happy with. Plus with the torque of the 2.5 it shouldn't make much difference.


Your getting all-terrain tyres right? Otherwise I wouldn't be going that size if you keep highway tyres.
 
Pros:

Look awesome
Brilliant offroad
Clearance
Less harsh ride on and offroad

Cons:
Will rub when bouncing around off road now and then and possibly on full lock (im not sure with the forester)
Worse fuel economy
Significantly reduced power.
 
Gidday Loopy :iconwink:

LoopSoosStroop said:
Thanks taza

Wish I could have a trial period, haha!
Click to expand...

Don't we all!!
I eventually ended up buying Michelin XM-2s for my MY06 Fox (215x60 16").
Just wasn't prepared to compromise with on-road handling, braking and safety.
I reckon I can live with the small decrement in off-road performance.

I think I can live with the performance loss, will just pop it down to 4th for overtaking, hills etc.

Think it's going to be 70's for me....
Click to expand...

Don't forget to check with your insurer first. Get it in writing ... :poke:
 
Ratbag said:
I reckon I can live with the small decrement in off-road performance.
Click to expand...

Depends what your doing offroad. For your use they are fine. I wouldn't ever run highway tyres offroad again. I found they completely transformed the car and made it 10x times more capable offroad. Now my Geolander's are balding though they aren't as good. Still great in sand, just not for rocks or mud :(
 
Gidday Taza

taza said:
Depends what your doing offroad. For your use they are fine. I wouldn't ever run highway tyres offroad again. I found they completely transformed the car and made it 10x times more capable offroad. Now my Geolander's are balding though they aren't as good. Still great in sand, just not for rocks or mud :(
Click to expand...

If I lived at Oodnadatta, I wouldn't have anything but LT tyres on any vehicle I own :iconwink: :ebiggrin:

BUT it's about 80 Kms in any direction from here just to find a dirt road - well, not quite true, but you get the drift ... :lol:

BTW, sorry to hear about your L Series getting run into :mad: :cry:.
That's a real bugger.
Is the damage really bad? Or just superficial?
 
Ratbag said:
Gidday Taza



If I lived at Oodnadatta, I wouldn't have anything but LT tyres on any vehicle I own :iconwink: :ebiggrin:

BUT it's about 80 Kms in any direction from here just to find a dirt road - well, not quite true, but you get the drift ... :lol:

BTW, sorry to hear about your L Series getting run into :mad: :cry:.
That's a real bugger.
Is the damage really bad? Or just superficial?
Click to expand...


I'm not sure about LT tyres. I want them for the tyre wear on the foz but have heard bad things about having them on vehicles that are light weight, like the foz..

80km, far out! Here at home I'm about half a km from the closest dirt track and bush land. In Perth I'm only just over 20km away so it takes 10-15mins to get there :biggrin:

Well the roo bar us bent and the welds are broken on it. The drivers headlight and indicator are smashed in. So is the bonnet and front drivers fender. Not sure about the grill but it's going to cost a few hundred to fix, let alone trying to find parts the same colour like the fender and bonnet!

My house mates might have a lead on a company car that might of done it but proving it was them will be hard. There are some really rude ****ers out there that can't even be ****ed to leave a note! :censored::furious::yell:

It also needs a new front RHS cv, which is whats making that noise I posted up about 3-4 weeks ago. The carby either needs a tune or a new one as it chokes and dies when you put any real load on it and won't gain speed :(
 
How'd the 205/70/15's go? I can't really find anyone that has posted a thorough review and I'm interested in the bridgestones.
 
I'm running them now in my forester. However although I have the same caras you I've upgraded to a 2.5l engine. I find with these tyres it takes huge amounts of performance away from it.
Go with 225/70r15 or 215/70r15. If you really want 16" rims go with 215/65r15.
 
Decreases performance how? Slower take off? Or less grunt in the engine?
 
Slows it down and uses 3l per 100km more than standard. Takes a heap of power away. With my bigger motor it'd have more grunt than your 2.0l but not by alot.
 
They code the tyres according to.the "generation" or something like that, how long have you had them?
 
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