So I have a '91 Cavalier VL currently rolling around with winterforce tires on its stock steel wheels. In an effort to not pay for a mounting/balance twice a year, I bought another set of steelies. Thinking that the ones I got off eBay (the "other" set) would be identical to the ones
I have now, I got them. BUT, AHH! They're not the same. Both sets of steel rims have the same general design, but the other set is a lot less "curvaceous" and I have seen them on no other Cavalier than a white RS model. After doing many researches on the interwebs, I found that the stock rims on my Cavalier VL are supposed to have P185/75/R14s. That is the size of my winterforce tires on now. However- Tire Rack gives me a total of 3 possible tire sizes for the other set of steelies. They are- the size I have now, 190/70-14, and 215/60-14. I'm trying to find out which of those 3 sizes will safely/properly fit this other set that I accidentally bought off eBay. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
(This be my first post)
-Rion
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I'd go with the 215. Stock is 205. That's less then .5 inches wider.
On the inside my car looks like a fighter jet.
1010tires On this site, it is showing the 185/75/14s or 195/70/14 for all 91 cavaliers except the Z24 model which says 215/60/14.
The 185/75s are very close to the same height as the 195/70s but the 215/60s are over 1/2" shorter.
the 185/75s will provide the best winter performance
the 195/70s will still be a good winter tire or all season tire size. Being slightly wider, it may offer a little better handling but probably not noticeable.
the 215/60s will offer the best handling of all 3 tires but may also affect fuel economy compared to the other two. Also it may not be as common as the other 2 size tires. Also, I am not sure if the Z24 model had wider wheels to properly fit these tires because they are pretty wide. They may be too wide for stock steelies.
For 14s I would go with either one of the first 2 sizes. If handling was important then I would recommend going with 15" or 16" wheels
I can't see there being any safety concerns as long as the tire size is close to what is recommended, I even run oversized winter tires on my car with a lowering kit and it handles great and plows through anything.
Another thing you can do is look for a sticker in your door, should be one with factory tire size and recommended tire pressure.
2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car
205/70/14 fits and only rubs on hard bumps on the upper inner wheelwell plastic with shot struts.
Doug in P.R.
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92 Pontiac Sunbird LE, 2.0, AT, Red / Black with Grey 155K miles. Hurricane Maria Survivor ! ( It takes a licking and keeps on ticking ! ).....in Salinas, Puerto Rico!
92Sunbird PuertoRico wrote:205/70/14 fits and only rubs on hard bumps on the upper inner wheelwell plastic with shot struts.
Doug in P.R.
Almost would of thought the 2nd gen would have more room. I got 205/75/14 winter tires with sportlines, no rubbing at all. Even jacking up one corner of the car and turning the steering wheel, I have maybe 1/4" of clearance though. When they are worn out, I'll probably go with 195/75s...
2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car
205/ 70 = 25.4 " diameter
205/ 75 = 26.1 " diameter
Doug in P.R.
92 Pontiac Sunbird LE, 2.0, AT, Red / Black with Grey 155K miles. Hurricane Maria Survivor ! ( It takes a licking and keeps on ticking ! ).....in Salinas, Puerto Rico!
The stock tire size on a VL is not 205.
What size are the wheels you bought? How wide?
Confusion like this is exactly why I stay away from online tire dealers when looking for tire sizes. All you need to know is the wheel size.
Well the faded out sticker on my door says 185/75/14. But when I inherited the car from my grandmother it had 195/70/14s. The 195s were all seasons on the stock steelies. I'm just making sure that with these not-too-different rims I accidentally bought for summer use off eBay would work with both 185s and 195s (the latter if I decide to go with a higher-end performance-ish all season tire).
The wheels I bought are 14x6. Here is a picture of the ones I bought off eBay: (see attachment "blob 71kb") And here is a picture of the stock rims that have been on the car since 1991: (see attachment "blob 54kb") Notice the slight design difference? Does this make the two different rims different entirely, or just different faces? My thought was that since the eBay rims were only on the RS models- they would have been equipped with 195 tires because 195 sized tires are sportier. Thus, 185s on a VL (not sporty) and 195s on an RS (sporty- more than a VL, at least.)
I didn't know there were two different but strikingly similar steel wheels offered for 1991. So if my hypothesis is correct (the RS with 195s on its rims, VL with 185s on its rims) is it cool to use the 195s on a VL originally intended to use 185s on it?
Hope this clears things up. :-)
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Rims don't care what width tire you run as long as it isn't too wide for the rim. The only issue with tires is rubbing but using any of those tire sizes should be fine. You can look online at what tire sizes fit what rims.
On the inside my car looks like a fighter jet.
Rion James wrote:Well the faded out sticker on my door says 185/75/14. But when I inherited the car from my grandmother it had 195/70/14s.
Those are essentially the same size (diameter-wise), and only about 1/4" width difference. As long as you're close with diameter, your speedo will work properly (check out the tire calc Spike provided to see). You can run either one you want and it will work just fine.
Rob Dotterer wrote:Rims don't care what width tire you run as long as it isn't too wide for the rim.
This.
AFAIK, all the 14" steel wheels were 6" wide. I've had both types on my car with all sorts of tire sizes. You could run all the way up to a 205/60-ish tire if you wanted. Anything wider than that would be pushing it. IIRC, the snow tires I have mounted on my RS wheels are 195/70/14.
Originally my newly acquired 94 RS Sedan had 205/70/14's on the front and 205/75/14's on the back and the clearance was Ok - no rubbing - but they looked oversized to me.
Now I am running 195/70/14's front and rear. No problems or issues..... well, other than those darn bling bling hubcaps. Came with the car, will address as soon as I get more time and money.
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opppsss....
Tires in the second photo are 195/75/14's. Sorry fort he brain fart. I don't think you can get 70's in White Walls.
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That size calculator helps. Plus everyone's input made tire shopping a lot easier! Thanks!
I've chosen General AltiMAX RT43 tires (all-seasons) in size 195/70-14. I chose them because of they're reviewed awesomeness in wet conditions and wet braking capabilities.
Thanks again for everyone's help- now I'm off to find out how I get to my spark plug wires at the coil pack. Turns out moving the TBI components isn't as easy as I thought...
P.S. I fixed the title in my RE!
-Rion
Love to see a photo of your ride sporting the new rubber when you get them mounted!
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