Larger Wheels & Tires….???

[dr.jim.b]

Say...

Does anyone know how to measure the difference between a new tire/wheel combination and compare it to a "stock" setup..?

For example, I have an '05 CC Precedent with the regular 18X8.5-8.0 inch wheels/tires.

If I am looking to switch to a slightly larger and attractive wheel tire combination and want to buy them on-line....

I want to go slightly larger to get a slight improvement in speed (maybe 1.5 to 2.0 mph increase) but, I do NOT want to "lift"
the cart any higher than it is.

1) How do I figure the height/diameter of some 10 or 12 inch wheel with lo-profile tires?

2) How do I ensure that it will fit in the wheel well without rubbing or requiring me to lift the cart or alter the suspension, etc.?

If there is another thread that specifically deals with these issues, I cannot seem to find it ?? but would be happy to review the
posts if someone could steer me in that direction, etc.

Short of taking a tape measure to the new wheel/tire setup (which is pretty hard to do if one is attempting to order them on-line)...
I'm not certain how to go about determining the height/diameter of the proposed new tires? Nor how to ensure they will fit properly
without rubbing, etc.

and lastly... lets suppose the new tire wheel setup is 20.25 inches high whereas the current original factory stock height is 18 inches.
This 2.25 inch increase would amount to a 12.5% increase in wheel height/diameter.

Can one safely assume that the top speed (currently 19 mph) would also increase by 12.5% to approx (21.4 mph)? Or... would this
increase in tire size not necessarily deliver the same (directly proportional) ratio of speed increase?

If any of you can offer some advice in this area, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

[scottyb]

Without a lift you will be very limited on what you can put on it......maybe just call one of the dealers and ask what will fit a stock cart? I'm thinking a 20 inch tire MIGHT fit.....

[dr.jim.b]

Originally Posted by scottyb

Without a lift you will be very limited on what you can put on it......maybe just call one of the dealers and ask what will fit a stock cart? I'm thinking a 20 inch tire MIGHT fit.....

Thanks, Scotty B.

That's probably a pretty good suggestion. Who else should know better than a "knowledgeable" ClubCar dealer?

The hard part to figure is that some of the 10 inch (Lo-Profile) tire sizes are listed as "2.05X50X10" and while
the "10" tells a person the inside diameter of the opening - none of these numbers tell the height or outside
diameter of the properly mounted and inflated wheel/tire. Thus, I don't know if the tire would be 19 inches or
20 inches or 24 inches high when mounted on the cart.

I was sort of hoping that a few of the forum members have had experience with these questions & issues before
and might be able to steer me in the right direction.

Follow me here..??

Thanks Again, Scotty for your reply.

[Jim C]

18" dia. is 56.52" perimeter (distance tire will travel in one revolution)
20" dia. is 62.8" perimeter
This is an 11.1% increase thus speed should increas accordingly.

I have heard 20" should be ok for stock, that is only 1" increase as far as clearance is concerned.

[dr.jim.b]

Originally Posted by Jim C

18" dia. is 56.52" perimeter (distance tire will travel in one revolution)
20" dia. is 62.8" perimeter
This is an 11.1% increase thus speed should increas accordingly.

I have heard 20" should be ok for stock, that is only 1" increase as far as clearance is concerned.

Thanks, Jim!

I'm betting that you are correct and this will probably work out just fine. I want to get a dealer to confirm a 20" will fit for
sure and then, (assuming that I can find tires that are 20" in diameter) I should be able to place an order and make the switch.

Thanks Again!

[CC-John]

IIRC, a 205/50-10 is approx. the same diameter as the stock size tires.. A 205/65-10 falls between 20 and 21 inches in diameter..

[4vertical]

well hope you are ready! the first number is the width in milimeters of a tire. the second number is the heigth as a percentage of the width. The 3rd number is the rim diameter. so to figure a 205/50-10 take 50% of the width x 2(for each side of the tire) and then multiply by .03937(this will convert from metric to english). then you will have to add the diameter of the rim, 10 in this case. so this perticular tire will be 18.07085 tall. mathematically speaking. I have found all tires will vary a bit from this reading.

This is the same formula to figure them out for any tire that is rated this way, as in cars trucks and such.

As a side note I am running a 205/65-10 (20.492 high) on my ds with minimal rubbing issues. but I don't know if this could relate to a pres.or not?

-Aaron

[dock98]

yup. a 20" will fit without a lift

[AugustaResident]

The 205-65-10 will work on the Precedent without a lift IF.......IF..... you take a file or a grinder to the plastic ridge inside the rear wheel wells. This does nothing to weaken anything as it is just a mold ridge. It protrudes down about 1/4 inch or so.

My best friend put them on his code 3 cart that ran 14. something. Speed went to 16 something fully inflated.

The 65 tires (fully inflated) are about 2 3/8" taller than the 50's on HIS cart.

I plan on getting a set for my Precedent just as soon as these wear down a little more, by early summer I am sure.

Check this link for some info on what you want to do!

Link to Tire sizes

[dr.jim.b]

Hey!

You folks are all GREAT! The 205X65X10 tire sounds like it will do exactly what I would like it to do. I'm going to pick out
a nice set of wheels and get these tires mounted on them & shipped to me. Then, after a little grinding in the rear wheel
wells (on that ridge from the mold process), I should have not only a cart which looks a little c-o-o-l-e-r - but, one which
also gives me just a little more speed. This will help when on the designated roadways & cart paths in our golf cart community.

I think I may also upgrade the wiring to a heavier (4 gage) thickness. This may not help too much more - but, I have read
that doing so will minimize heat (amperage) loss & might even give a tad more boost in speed. If I can get this buggy up to
22 or 23 mph, (from its current top of 19.3 mph), it should be enough to enable me to keep up with traffic (so to speak).


Thanks Again! for all of your help and input.