Wider rears??

[sidecar53]

Has anyone used wider rear tires on a Safari just for the look?. I'm not happy with the 205's the p.o. put on all around, but they're pretty much brand new. I'm sure I'd like the look if I had wider rears. Does this affect handling much and how wide could I go? Thanks for any and all replies.

[1Gary]

If you have a AWD-you have have to run the same size tires on all four.

[MountainManJoe]

The diameter has to be the same, but not the width.

[1Gary]

235's are not the same diameter as 205's.

[astroturf]

Just pick up some spacers for the rear...

It'll stick em out more, look good, and keep the diameter of yer tire freaks at bay.

Good Luck & post up some pix.

[doyoulikeithere]

Wow, theres a bucket load of help eh??

I love wide tires on my van!!
Wide fronts can be a pain if you have any worn out steering or suspension parts, like Idler arms.
I have 275 60-15 on the back, and 245-60-15 on the front.
Turns out that the 245-60-15 is the same diameter as stock size so wont make your speedo change.
But I like the big bad 275's on the back. My door barely clears, but it does open.
With a sway bar and wide tires, you'll sticking pretty good.

[MountainManJoe]

235's are not the same diameter as 205's.

235 and 205 refers to the width of the tire. It literally means 235 millimeters wide.

The numbers after that indicate the height. 235/75/15 means the sidewall is 75% of the width, which you add to the rim size (conveniently measured in inches ) to obtain your overall diameter.

For example, 235/60/15's would have roughly the same diameter as 205/70/15. (assuming such sizes existed)

[1Gary]

235's are not the same diameter as 205's.

235 and 205 refers to the width of the tire. It literally means 235 millimeters wide.

The numbers after that indicate the height. 235/75/15 means the sidewall is 75% of the width, which you add to the rim size (conveniently measured in inches ) to obtain your overall diameter.

For example, 235/60/15's would have roughly the same diameter as 205/70/15. (if such sizes existed)

Yeah and they are not the same.There is a inch difference.

It's a really,really,really bad idea to mix profiles.

Soooooooooooooo TB what's your point if you don't know what sizes exists??.

[MountainManJoe]

235 mm x 0.6 = 141 mm
205 mm x 0.7 = 143.5 mm

Difference in overall height: 5 mm or 0.2 inches.

But that's not my point. I only wanted to point out that the AWD system only cares about diameter, not width. Small detail which I now regret bringing up. Thanks Gary.

Yes, it's a good idea to match all four tires.

[1Gary]

The example is this:

215/R7515=27.69

235/R7515=28.8

TB that is exactly my point in diameter.

And I admit it.I don't own a AWD and wouldn't own one.It's just not me.Thing is,how many times have we seen guys get inventive with tire sizes only to shortly after see them post about weird problems??.

[astroturf]

Staggered Fitments can be cool looking.

This tire size calculator can be used to measure and visualize different tire sizes.

http://www.rimsntires.com/specs.jsp

Round Two??? Oh Yeah!!!

Jim

[1Gary]

Round two??

Nice ref although.

Still the O/P needs to answer the question of if his van is a AWD.

[mdmead]

Round two??

Nice ref although.

Still the O/P needs to answer the question of if his van is a AWD.

Which kinda brings up a point...

A lot of negative type comments when the OP hasn't even told us what type of van (AWD/RWD) he has.

Sorry Gary, but your first post on this didn't answer the question asked... (But closing with the comment about maintaining same diameter on AWDs is critical/mandatory would have been helpful.)

(Did I accidentally visit AS.com today?! )

[doyoulikeithere]

hopefully the OP isnt dumb enough to put different tires on fron to back with AWD. Most people have that figures out, unless they really are clueless... I doubt the OP's van is AWD. He specifically asked about wider tires on the rear.

Gary, you seem to be missing a few screws when arguing with TB. TB said 235/60/15 is about the same as 205/75. You pointed out the huge difference in diameter, but you quote a tire size that TB didnt say was the same diameter, WTF ?!?! You just gonna confuse and muddy the issue Gary. Figure out your facts first ! Round 2 or 3 is not required! or wanted.... TB specifically ointed out the 'profile' (eg 60 , or 70 or 75) but you ignored it and said that 235/75's are not the same height as stock... well, of course, du-ohh~!

Anyways, Good luck to the OP with finding some wide tires. Lots of guys runn 255/60-15. 245/60/15 is the same height as stock and looks good on all 4 corners too.

[1Gary]

hopefully the OP isnt dumb enough to put different tires on fron to back with AWD. Most people have that figures out, unless they really are clueless... I doubt the OP's van is AWD. He specifically asked about wider tires on the rear.

Gary, you seem to be missing a few screws when arguing with TB. TB said 235/60/15 is about the same as 205/75. You pointed out the huge difference in diameter, but you quote a tire size that TB didnt say was the same diameter, WTF ?!?! You just gonna confuse and muddy the issue Gary. Figure out your facts first ! Round 2 or 3 is not required! or wanted.... TB specifically ointed out the 'profile' (eg 60 , or 70 or 75) but you ignored it and said that 235/75's are not the same height as stock... well, of course, du-ohh~!

Anyways, Good luck to the OP with finding some wide tires. Lots of guys runn 255/60-15. 245/60/15 is the same height as stock and looks good on all 4 corners too.

Naw-I didn't ignore TB.I used that example to show differences and said it isn't a good idea to mix profiles because it isn't.He was talking about mixing 60's and 70's.

Now on the other hand,you seem to have come up with a doable answer.

Still I want the O/P to post exactly what he has.All this then is relent or not.Not all new Astro owners know about AWD's or for that matter AWD Astro owners on there first replacement of tires.We have both seen this question come up a number of times.