15" or 14 " for Baleno?Very much confused.Plz Help!

kaushik_s · 28th January 2008, 22:37

Hi All,
I've been thinking of upgrading the Wheels/tires of my Baleno which are currently running on stock 13 inch alloys and 165 profile JK's.
But I'm totally confused about choosing between 14 and 15 inchers, I would love to go for 15" cause they look very good.And for city driving they are no issue.But,
I normally keep on going on long drives and if there is a bad road then I don't want that to deter me from traveling.Bad roads I'm talking about bad ones like say the one leading to Baba Budangiri hills or likes.Will the low profile tires on 15 inchers be able to take the toil and not cause any damage to the alloys? As 14 inch comes as stock for newer Balenos so I think I can take them to be on safe side with more side-wall height.But my question is with the kind of condition of the roads is it ok to go for 15 inchers or they are strict no no ?
I can't keep 2 different sets,so it has to be one set of tires & wheels only.
Also which set of tires will be good ?I've zeroed down to Yoko S-drives but if there is any other advice for tires which can take the abuse of the bad roads better ? I'm thinking about 195 profiles for either 14 or 15 inchers.
Thanks & Regards,
Kaushik

s0uljah · 28th January 2008, 22:46

15" is not necessarily low profile so even bad roads the tyres wont really get messed up(Either 50 or 55, the tyre guru's will recommend corrext size) But ride quality would definately deteriorate with 15" rims. v1p3r has also confirmed the same when he upgraded recently to 195/55/15.

binz · 28th January 2008, 23:23

Try to avoid 14 inchers on the baleno.I have a set of 195/60/14 on my car and they are pathetic.Wheels lock up under heavy braking,car never keeps a tight line through a corner,overall 14s don't really inspire confidence in the cars handling.

Stick to the s-drives,beautiful tires,the Hankook ventus Rs2s also have some real great road grip with low noise and are comparitively cheaper.They have a thread pattern similar to the AD07s.

Stick to 195/55/15 itself,anything lower in profile and you WILL face problems over potholes.

And since you are in bangalore,blueraven316 has some killer designs at his store.

kpzen · 29th January 2008, 00:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by binz

Try to avoid 14 inchers on the baleno.I have a set of 195/60/14 on my car and they are pathetic.Wheels lock up under heavy braking,car never keeps a tight line through a corner,overall 14s don't really inspire confidence in the cars handling.
.

Do u need all that for driving on public roads ??

gigy · 29th January 2008, 00:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by binz

Try to avoid 14 inchers on the baleno.I have a set of 195/60/14 on my car and they are pathetic.Wheels lock up under heavy braking,car never keeps a tight line through a corner,overall 14s don't really inspire confidence in the cars handling.

how does it matter with 14 or 15?
i thought wheels lock up because brakes are good and there is no ABS in baleno and tyre contact patch is less than required.
185/65/R14 is best compromise, 195 gives better grip.

binz · 29th January 2008, 00:22

OT post,please delete.

spider77 · 29th January 2008, 11:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Hi All,
I've been thinking of upgrading the Wheels/tires of my Baleno which are currently running on stock 13 inch alloys and 165 profile JK's.
But I'm totally confused about choosing between 14 and 15 inchers, I would love to go for 15" cause they look very good.And for city driving they are no issue.But,
I normally keep on going on long drives and if there is a bad road then I don't want that to deter me from traveling.Bad roads I'm talking about bad ones like say the one leading to Baba Budangiri hills or likes.Will the low profile tires on 15 inchers be able to take the toil and not cause any damage to the alloys? As 14 inch comes as stock for newer Balenos so I think I can take them to be on safe side with more side-wall height.But my question is with the kind of condition of the roads is it ok to go for 15 inchers or they are strict no no ?
I can't keep 2 different sets,so it has to be one set of tires & wheels only.
Also which set of tires will be good ?I've zeroed down to Yoko S-drives but if there is any other advice for tires which can take the abuse of the bad roads better ? I'm thinking about 195 profiles for either 14 or 15 inchers.
Thanks & Regards,
Kaushik

I have 15 inch wheels And I use really bad roads to Avoid Traffic(SHORT CUT)
And I HAve No ISSUES AT ALL.

spadival · 29th January 2008, 11:35

spider77, Whats your tyre profile? I had to remove the stock mud flaps because they were scraping the tyres when I turn. Now, even the custom made mud flaps have started touching the wheel.. its really irritating.

theMAG · 29th January 2008, 11:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Will the low profile tires on 15 inchers be able to take the toil and not cause any damage to the alloys?

Rjstyles69 has 195/50 R15 on his Baleno and he swears by its usability. But to be on the safer side, the right upsize for the Baleno - 195/55 R15 should be very usable on all surfaces if driven carefully.

kaushik_s · 29th January 2008, 11:52

Thanks for the replies.But I remember reading some Travelog, I think it was Riju's (rjstyle) that he had changed to 14 inchers when he went for a trip,that actually put doubt in my mind regarding 15 inchers.
So one more thing crop up now, how bad will be the ride quality after 15 inches ? Too bad or manageable ?I hope it won't be much. I actually love the comfort the high profile 13 inchers gives me now.

rjstyles69 · 29th January 2008, 13:34

Mahesh my car is running on 205/50/R15

.

Kaushik during my previous trip I did mention being a little scared about cracking my alloys on bad roads. Hence I chose the 195/60/R14 for better side wall height and ride comfort.

How often do we encounter such bad roads everywhere? Velankanni and Kerala drives were one off drives which needed much care while driving.

Quote:

So one more thing crop up now, how bad will be the ride quality after 15 inches ? Too bad or manageable ?I hope it won't be much. I actually love the comfort the high profile 13 inchers gives me now.

Mahesh can answer this question since he has driven my car on the then bad BEL New road which was in shambles.

Also am ready to offer you my car for a drive to check for yourself about the ride quality.

spadival · 29th January 2008, 13:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

Mahesh my car is running on 205/50/R15

.

rj.. Dont you have the problem of the tyres scraping the mud flaps while turning?

So far, I have driven on really bad roads without any problem.. either for the tyres or the alloys. Only problem I have is the front tyre scraping the mud flaps.

rjstyles69 · 29th January 2008, 14:02

spadival only the rear wheels scrape the mud flaps with 3 people sitting behind. Else I haven't really faced any issues with the front wheels while turning.

theMAG · 29th January 2008, 14:06

Sorry Riju, I'm becoming old with all my edges getting blunted. Your's is, of course, a 205/50/15 S-Drive.

And yes, the ride quality on his car with those tyres on rough roads was exemplary.

kaushik_s · 29th January 2008, 14:33

Ok , say I'm bit extra careful on those roads then 15 inchers shouldn't be a problem,right ? I normally drive very carefully but will need to be more careful if I choose 15 inchers.
Well, actually I keep on going on drives(you know, to satisfy my other hobby ;-) ) and encountered bad roads many a times. So I was apprehensive.
And thanks Riju for the offer to drive your car, will meet up sometime.And that mud flap scrapping, I think 195 profile is not going to scrap the flaps.

28th January 2008, 22:37	#1
kaushik_s Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,089 Thanked: 164 Times View My Garage	15" or 14 " for Baleno?Very much confused.Plz Help! Hi All, I've been thinking of upgrading the Wheels/tires of my Baleno which are currently running on stock 13 inch alloys and 165 profile JK's. But I'm totally confused about choosing between 14 and 15 inchers, I would love to go for 15" cause they look very good.And for city driving they are no issue.But, I normally keep on going on long drives and if there is a bad road then I don't want that to deter me from traveling.Bad roads I'm talking about bad ones like say the one leading to Baba Budangiri hills or likes.Will the low profile tires on 15 inchers be able to take the toil and not cause any damage to the alloys? As 14 inch comes as stock for newer Balenos so I think I can take them to be on safe side with more side-wall height.But my question is with the kind of condition of the roads is it ok to go for 15 inchers or they are strict no no ? I can't keep 2 different sets,so it has to be one set of tires & wheels only. Also which set of tires will be good ?I've zeroed down to Yoko S-drives but if there is any other advice for tires which can take the abuse of the bad roads better ? I'm thinking about 195 profiles for either 14 or 15 inchers. Thanks & Regards, Kaushik
	() Thanks

28th January 2008, 22:46	#2
s0uljah Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: BLR Posts: 2,222 Thanked: 26 Times View My Garage	15" is not necessarily low profile so even bad roads the tyres wont really get messed up(Either 50 or 55, the tyre guru's will recommend corrext size) But ride quality would definately deteriorate with 15" rims. v1p3r has also confirmed the same when he upgraded recently to 195/55/15.
	() Thanks

28th January 2008, 23:23	#3
binz Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,306 Thanked: 431 Times View My Garage	Try to avoid 14 inchers on the baleno.I have a set of 195/60/14 on my car and they are pathetic.Wheels lock up under heavy braking,car never keeps a tight line through a corner,overall 14s don't really inspire confidence in the cars handling. Stick to the s-drives,beautiful tires,the Hankook ventus Rs2s also have some real great road grip with low noise and are comparitively cheaper.They have a thread pattern similar to the AD07s. Stick to 195/55/15 itself,anything lower in profile and you WILL face problems over potholes. And since you are in bangalore,blueraven316 has some killer designs at his store.
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 00:22	#6
binz Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,306 Thanked: 431 Times View My Garage	OT post,please delete. Last edited by binz : 29th January 2008 at 00:23.
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 11:35	#8
spadival Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Melbourne, AU Posts: 1,773 Thanked: 29 Times View My Garage	spider77, Whats your tyre profile? I had to remove the stock mud flaps because they were scraping the tyres when I turn. Now, even the custom made mud flaps have started touching the wheel.. its really irritating.
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 11:52	#10
kaushik_s Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,089 Thanked: 164 Times View My Garage	Thanks for the replies.But I remember reading some Travelog, I think it was Riju's (rjstyle) that he had changed to 14 inchers when he went for a trip,that actually put doubt in my mind regarding 15 inchers. So one more thing crop up now, how bad will be the ride quality after 15 inches ? Too bad or manageable ?I hope it won't be much. I actually love the comfort the high profile 13 inchers gives me now.
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 14:02	#13
rjstyles69 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bengalooru.. Posts: 4,344 Thanked: 845 Times View My Garage	spadival only the rear wheels scrape the mud flaps with 3 people sitting behind. Else I haven't really faced any issues with the front wheels while turning.
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 14:06	#14
theMAG Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Avon, CT Posts: 7,217 Thanked: 1,811 Times View My Garage	Sorry Riju, I'm becoming old with all my edges getting blunted. Your's is, of course, a 205/50/15 S-Drive. And yes, the ride quality on his car with those tyres on rough roads was exemplary.
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 14:33	#15
kaushik_s Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,089 Thanked: 164 Times View My Garage	Ok , say I'm bit extra careful on those roads then 15 inchers shouldn't be a problem,right ? I normally drive very carefully but will need to be more careful if I choose 15 inchers. Well, actually I keep on going on drives(you know, to satisfy my other hobby ;-) ) and encountered bad roads many a times. So I was apprehensive. And thanks Riju for the offer to drive your car, will meet up sometime.And that mud flap scrapping, I think 195 profile is not going to scrap the flaps.
	() Thanks