[Nv200Hicks]

Hi all I’m after some advice, I would like to increase the tyre size on the x5 stock 14” steel wheels to give the van abit of an off road camper look and also to fill the space in the wheel arch currently tyre size is 175/70R14 95T would 185/80R14 be suitable and safe for my nv200?

 

[tyhall]

I have 17s on my 2019 no problem at all

 

[number896]

Someone else has posted a while back that they fitted those sizes and it was fine

 

[gerry]

Hi Nv200Hicks, not wishing to go against a fellow NV member, but firstly, 17's may be fine, but the owner doesn't say what tyres he/she has fitted, so presumably 17 is the rim diameter and without tyre size, then best pass. I've checked what you have now (i.e.stock) and what you're thinking of fitting and to go to a 185/80 will according the tyre/rim calculator put your speedo out approx 5mph. Take note that although your speedo would show 60mph, your actual speed is 65.1, sure way to get a speeding ticket. Your gearing will be affected too due to a larger rolling overall diameter. Another thing to take into consideration is insurance.....any mod must be declared to you insurance company. https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?wh...-14X5.5ET45&fcl=50mm&wcl=30mm&scl=50mm&sr=0mm

 

[Scrubbaluff]

Hi,

I upgraded my wheels/tyres a few months ago. Using this tool Tyre Size Calculator I can see that your proposed wheel diameter will be 8.9% bigger than stock:

I went for 16x7 rims with 205/55/R16 tyres. My diameter increased by 5.5% from stock. There is still some room in the wheel arch, so the extra 1/2inch of radius to go up to your proposed tyre size from mine might be ok, but I'm certainly not qualified to tell you. I can take pictures if you like? let me know. The 'front' of the rear wheel arch is a little tight when unloaded on mine.

I lost some acceleration upgrading, you're set to lose more, which you will definitely notice, especially in hilly areas. My speedo with stock wheels was over-reading by about 5% so now it is perfect - as Gerry mentions above even bigger tyres still will make the speedo under-read even if you had the same situation as me.

In terms of safety, again I'm no mechanic, but your extra tyre width and contact area should enhance braking/traction. Folks warn of increased wear on wheel bearings etc, not sure at what point this becomes a serious concern.

A friend went for 205/60/R15 in his NV and they look rad - the tyre wall bulges out more than mine and look a bit more 'off road'.
I can see why u wanna change - the stock wheels/tyres look tiny and ridiculous with the big empty wheel arch. Changing mine out completely changed the look of the van. Now looks meaty, handles better, brakes faster (especially in the wet), tracks straighter on the motorway.

 

[tyhall]

The tires I have is 225/45 R17 mounted on 4-New 17" Strada S35 Perfetto Wheels 17x7.5 5x114.3 40 Black Machine Rims 72.6 Bought on EBAY.Rubbed on front slightly,on inner fender,cured that with a heat gun.

 

[Nv200Hicks]

Hi Nv200Hicks, not wishing to go against a fellow NV member, but firstly, 17's may be fine, but the owner doesn't say what tyres he/she has fitted, so presumably 17 is the rim diameter and without tyre size, then best pass. I've checked what you have now (i.e.stock) and what you're thinking of fitting and to go to a 185/80 will according the tyre/rim calculator put your speedo out approx 5mph. Take note that although your speedo would show 60mph, your actual speed is 65.1, sure way to get a speeding ticket. Your gearing will be affected too due to a larger rolling overall diameter. Another thing to take into consideration is insurance.....any mod must be declared to you insurance company. Rim & Tire Size Calculator. Custom Offsets

Hi,

I upgraded my wheels/tyres a few months ago. Using this tool Tyre Size Calculator I can see that your proposed wheel diameter will be 8.9% bigger than stock:
View attachment 3512
I went for 16x7 rims with 205/55/R16 tyres. My diameter increased by 5.5% from stock. There is still some room in the wheel arch, so the extra 1/2inch of radius to go up to your proposed tyre size from mine might be ok, but I'm certainly not qualified to tell you. I can take pictures if you like? let me know. The 'front' of the rear wheel arch is a little tight when unloaded on mine.

I lost some acceleration upgrading, you're set to lose more, which you will definitely notice, especially in hilly areas. My speedo with stock wheels was over-reading by about 5% so now it is perfect - as Gerry mentions above even bigger tyres still will make the speedo under-read even if you had the same situation as me.

In terms of safety, again I'm no mechanic, but your extra tyre width and contact area should enhance braking/traction. Folks warn of increased wear on wheel bearings etc, not sure at what point this becomes a serious concern.

A friend went for 205/60/R15 in his NV and they look rad - the tyre wall bulges out more than mine and look a bit more 'off road'.
I can see why u wanna change - the stock wheels/tyres look tiny and ridiculous with the big empty wheel arch. Changing mine out completely changed the look of the van. Now looks meaty, handles better, brakes faster (especially in the wet), tracks straighter on the motorway.

Thank you I appreciate all advice given on this and obviously the last thing I want to do is spend aload of money and the van to underperform and cause chaos with the Speedo.

so currently I have stock 14” steel wheels with 175/70R14 tyres what size tyre would you recommend for the stock 14” that doesn’t cause the speedo to read incorrectly would 175/80R14 be better suited?

I have been talking to another member that is running stock 14” with 185/80r14 tyres and has said speedo is now running true and has no issues so it’s alittle confusing all this :/

any help is most appreciated

 

[gerry]

Thank you I appreciate all advice given on this and obviously the last thing I want to do is spend a load of money and the van to underperform and cause chaos with the Speedo.

so currently I have stock 14” steel wheels with 175/70R14 tyres what size tyre would you recommend for the stock 14” that doesn’t cause the speedo to read incorrectly would 175/80R14 be better suited?

I have been talking to another member that is running stock 14” with 185/80r14 tyres and has said speedo is now running true and has no issues so it’s alittle confusing all this :/

any help is most appreciated

Changing to the same width of tyre but with a higher side wall may had some more 'comfort' to the ride but it comes at an expense which can be seen when entering the details on the tyre comparison link; Rim & Tire Size Calculator. Custom Offsets

Regarding running 185/80x14 tyres, that's some difference in overall diameter from factory, but of course, if the owner says there's no issues and the speedo is running true then so be it. On the other hand I have always followed the professionals' Wheel Guide site without any problems. Either Nissan have failed to calibrate all their speedos correctly (I haven't seen a recall for such), or Wheel Guide need to be informed that their data is wrong for at least that particular size of tyre.

I guess it could raise the issue(s) of which is more accurate; Manufacturers' Speedos or Sat Nav?
Both readings are dependent on circumstances. Even Garmin state; The speedometer in a vehicle is based on calculations using tyre rotation. GPS devices calculate speed based on your GPS position. The accuracy of the speed displayed on the vehicle and GPS device can vary depending upon whether the vehicle’s speedometer needs to be calibrated and/or how accurate your GPS reception is. GPS devices should be used as a navigational aid and should not be relied upon for precise measurement of speed.

Going back to your initial question though, what do you actually want to achieve by changing from the standard size of tyre? Do you want 'better' handling, different look to you Van? Try to fill the gap in the whee arch?

Just one other thing to be aware of and I don't want to come across as all patronising, but whilst the majority of posts you read anywhere on the interweb are well meaning and helpful, some 'advice' isn't always 100% as I have found out to my cost in the past. "yeah, you'll get 8" wide on your car" and I fell for it big time which resulted in me being out of pocket ( I mean hundreds and a another 360mile round trip), so I'm always politely wary of the "you can do this", "you can do that" advice ;-) . I do my best to point people in the direction and I think the best advice I can give is for you to contact a professional tyre fitter and/or wheel specialist regarding your particular question.

 

[Nv200Hicks]

Changing to the same width of tyre but with a higher side wall may had some more 'comfort' to the ride but it comes at an expense which can be seen when entering the details on the tyre comparison link; Rim & Tire Size Calculator. Custom Offsets

Regarding running 185/80x14 tyres, that's some difference in overall diameter from factory, but of course, if the owner says there's no issues and the speedo is running true then so be it. On the other hand I have always followed the professionals' Wheel Guide site without any problems. Either Nissan have failed to calibrate all their speedos correctly (I haven't seen a recall for such), or Wheel Guide need to be informed that their data is wrong for at least that particular size of tyre.

I guess it could raise the issue(s) of which is more accurate; Manufacturers' Speedos or Sat Nav?
Both readings are dependent on circumstances. Even Garmin state; The speedometer in a vehicle is based on calculations using tyre rotation. GPS devices calculate speed based on your GPS position. The accuracy of the speed displayed on the vehicle and GPS device can vary depending upon whether the vehicle’s speedometer needs to be calibrated and/or how accurate your GPS reception is. GPS devices should be used as a navigational aid and should not be relied upon for precise measurement of speed.

Going back to your initial question though, what do you actually want to achieve by changing from the standard size of tyre? Do you want 'better' handling, different look to you Van? Try to fill the gap in the whee arch?

Just one other thing to be aware of and I don't want to come across as all patronising, but whilst the majority of posts you read anywhere on the interweb are well meaning and helpful, some 'advice' isn't always 100% as I have found out to my cost in the past. "yeah, you'll get 8" wide on your car" and I fell for it big time which resulted in me being out of pocket ( I mean hundreds and a another 360mile round trip), so I'm always politely wary of the "you can do this", "you can do that" advice ;-) . I do my best to point people in the direction and I think the best advice I can give is for you to contact a professional tyre fitter and/or wheel specialist regarding your particular question.

To be honest the only reason I would like to change to a bigger tyre is to fill the gap in the wheel arches and obviously not spend mega money by changing the rims as well as the tyres, my van has just passed its MOT but advised x2 new tyres so if I was to change all 5 tyres (spare wheel) now would be the time to do it.

 

[gerry]

OK.....I did wonder if that was your reason so, good time if you wanted a change, and whatever you decide, go for it! I don't say you didn't ought to do this that or whatever, each to their own!. As for filling the arches, there's a couple of ways to do it, one is to go for the airbag system which will lower the Van at the back and keep you poor for the next umpteen years as it's quite a costly mod. (well, for me it is!) Another way I've seen is to modify the back 'axle' and suspension system (not for the faint hearted) and of course, some joker will come along and suggest bags of concrete/heavy weight breeze blocks....jeez, just imagine stopping quickly ! One NV200 owner did get a pair of springs modified for the back axle assembly which resulted in the Van sitting a little lower. (I know, it hasn't got an axle as such). Sadly Nissan engineered the rear end with the springs sitting on top of the axle preventing the use of lowering blocks. Whatever you do, good luck

 

[Nv200Hicks]

OK.....I did wonder if that was your reason so, good time if you wanted a change, and whatever you decide, go for it! I don't say you didn't ought to do this that or whatever, each to their own!. As for filling the arches, there's a couple of ways to do it, one is to go for the airbag system which will lower the Van at the back and keep you poor for the next umpteen years as it's quite a costly mod. (well, for me it is!) Another way I've seen is to modify the back 'axle' and suspension system (not for the faint hearted) and of course, some joker will come along and suggest bags of concrete/heavy weight breeze blocks....jeez, just imagine stopping quickly ! One NV200 owner did get a pair of springs modified for the back axle assembly which resulted in the Van sitting a little lower. (I know, it hasn't got an axle as such). Sadly Nissan engineered the rear end with the springs sitting on top of the axle preventing the use of lowering blocks. Whatever you do, good luck

Thank you again for all your input I’ll continue to do my research before committing to anything. I certainly don’t wanna be messing about with the axel or anything too drastic haha

 

[mcozzy]

I did exactly this. Fitted some 185/80R14. It increases size by 10%. The speedo now reads the correct speed compared to gps. The mileage & mpg reads 10% less that its actually doing, so I guess they artificially set the mph less than you are doing.
Plus it feels slightly less revvy at 70mph.
No downsides at all, ive been running like this for 5+ years.