Chimaera Standard Tyre Sizes

[tomtomtom521]

Hello, I am looking to buy a 1993 Chimaera 430 without power steering and have been told that the tyres currently fitted are not the standard sizes (wheels are standard). I have searched the forums and various tyre companies websites (using the reg and car details) but they all seem to quote different sizes.
Any suggestions of recommended sizes and tyre makes would be very useful.
Currently fitted are 205/60 ZR15 Front with 225/55 ZR16 Rear

[SILICONEKID343HP]

tomtomtom521 said:

Hello, I am looking to buy a 1993 Chimaera 430 without power steering and have been told that the tyres currently fitted are not the standard sizes (wheels are standard). I have searched the forums and various tyre companies websites (using the reg and car details) but they all seem to quote different sizes.
Any suggestions of recommended sizes and tyre makes would be very useful.
Currently fitted are 205/60 ZR15 Front with 225/55 ZR16 Rear

Maybe that`s an early car , I thought the sizes are more like 205/55/15 225/50/16

[Dungman]

I have 205/50/15 front and 225/50/16 rear on my imolas, which i'm 99.9% sure are standard sizes.

[A900ss]

Dungman said:

I have 205/50/15 front and 225/50/16 rear on my imolas, which i'm 99.9% sure are standard sizes.

Rear is right but front isn't. Daz has put the right sizes above

205/55 15
225/50 16

Some cars came with 225/245 tyres (some say those with PAS but mine has PAS and has the 205/225 combo). Sorry but I don't know the aspect ration for the 225/245 combo.

Good luck.

[tomtomtom521]

SILICONEKID343HP said:

Maybe that`s an early car , I thought the sizes are more like 205/55/15 225/50/16

Yeh it is a 1993 model so one of the 1st Chimaera's I believe.

Thanks for everyones help. Any ideas on the best tyres to get. I read Bridgestone S02 / S03 or Toyo?

[SILICONEKID343HP]

tomtomtom521 said:

Yeh it is a 1993 model so one of the 1st Chimaera's I believe.

Thanks for everyones help. Any ideas on the best tyres to get. I read Bridgestone S02 / S03 or Toyo?

I would stick the Toyo T1R`s on .

Soft compound perfect for a light sports cars and they are directional.

[2020tony]

Fitted 16" wheels to front of my 93 Chim with uniroyal rainsport2. Excellent tyre for all round performance but obviously not so good fro track days!

[SMB]

tomtomtom521 said:

Currently fitted are 205/60 ZR15 Front with 225/55 ZR16 Rear

Sizes changed over the years, when new, the sizes you list are the correct ones for YOUR car, the others listed may have been correct for those cars, depending on age and spec ( power steering etc) I know you are correct as that is the right size for my car, which I have had for 18 years now.

Many people changed to 55 profile fronts when bridgestone stopped making zr 60 profile in that size. TVR swapped sizes during production for the same reason.
Griffith or power steering cars had other specs and over the years people have changed the tyre sizes on a lot of cars as they are told that the sizes are incorrect and should be xxxx based on another car of a different age/spec.

[TA14]

SMB said:

tomtomtom521 said:

Currently fitted are 205/60 ZR15 Front with 225/55 ZR16 Rear

Sizes changed over the years, when new, the sizes you list are the correct ones for YOUR car, the others listed may have been correct for those cars, depending on age and spec ( power steering etc) I know you are correct as that is the right size for my car, which I have had for 18 years now.

Many people changed to 55 profile fronts when bridgestone stopped making zr 60 profile in that size. TVR swapped sizes during production for the same reason.
Griffith or power steering cars had other specs and over the years people have changed the tyre sizes on a lot of cars as they are told that the sizes are incorrect and should be xxxx based on another car of a different age/spec.

Good post.

OP: before you look at any possible size change think about the type of driving that you will be doing.

[tomtomtom521]

SMB said:

Sizes changed over the years, when new, the sizes you list are the correct ones for YOUR car, the others listed may have been correct for those cars, depending on age and spec ( power steering etc) I know you are correct as that is the right size for my car, which I have had for 18 years now.

Many people changed to 55 profile fronts when bridgestone stopped making zr 60 profile in that size. TVR swapped sizes during production for the same reason.
Griffith or power steering cars had other specs and over the years people have changed the tyre sizes on a lot of cars as they are told that the sizes are incorrect and should be xxxx based on another car of a different age/spec.

Thank you for the info. So I will stick with the currently fitted sizes. What tyres do you run? Have looked at Toyo T1R but is not available in these sizes.

[TA14]

You could fit Continental Premium Contact 2 all round.

[Skyedriver]

The OPs tyre sizes ARE CORRECT according to the handbook I have for a 93 car.
I want to go to Toyo T1R and will have to change tyre profile and also speed rating it seems as ZR are not available.
As far as wall/weight rating is concerned did TVR recommend 88, 91 92 or didn't they?

[QBee]

The one key thing for a non-PAS car is not to go any wider at the front. Another owner is complaining bitterly on PH about how hard work his car is to drive for any length of time, and is on 225 fronts.....

The whole speed rating and load rating issue is a minefield. We need a tyre technologist to advise us.

Speed ratings - maximum speed you can use the tyre at:

V = 149mph
W = 168mph
Y = 186mph

Load ratings:

Maximum load your tyre can carry at the maximum speed rating of the tyre:

Load Kg Load Kg Load Kg
65 290 80 450 95 690
66 300 81 462 96 710
67 307 82 475 97 730
68 315 83 487 98 750
69 325 84 500 99 775
70 335 85 515 100 800
71 345 86 530 101 825
72 355 87 545 102 850
73 365 88 560 103 875
74 375 89 580 104 900
75 387 90 600 105 925
76 400 91 615 106 950
77 412 92 630 107 975
78 425 93 650 108 1000
79 437 94 670

Now I find this baffling, as manufacturers seem to completely over-specify the tyres if these tables are to be believed.

My 2 tonne Audi A8 3.0 diesel has 101 Y tyres. All very well, but it doesn't weigh 3.3 tonnes, and as for 186 mph.....

My TVR is presently on 83W fronts and 87W rears, as i like the softer sidewalls on lower profile 17 inch tyres. I am sure they are lower than the factory recommends....but the total is 2064 kg.

So please can someone who knows more than i do tell me if I have got it dangerously wrong? Or if putting V rated tyres on a car i will never get to 149mph would be dangerous?

[FlipFlopGriff]

QBee said:

So please can someone who knows more than i do tell me if I have got it dangerously wrong? Or if putting V rated tyres on a car i will never get to 149mph would be dangerous?

If it was I'm certain the insurers wouldn't accept this as a modification. I have V's front and rear on the Griff.
FFG

[900T-R]

A900ss said:

Rear is right but front isn't. Daz has put the right sizes above

205/55 15
225/50 16

205/60/15 (F) and 225/55/16 (rear) however are the OE sizes for any non-500 Chim built up to 1996. It was part of PWs ploy to make the Chim the marginally softer 'touring' version next to the Griff.

Thing is, if you've still got 205/60s on the fronts in an appropriate speed rating and tread pattern they will be at least a dozen or so years old...

225/55/16s are still very much a commodity in the tyre world, though, and going to the later, lower profile would mean your speedo and odo readings will be 3-4% further off than they already are.

Edited by 900T-R on Wednesday 3rd September 10:35

[TA14]

QBee said:

Now I find this baffling, as manufacturers seem to completely over-specify the tyres if these tables are to be believed.

I know what you mean. I can only thinkl that it's load transfer on a particular wheel when cornering at speed so, a fast corner, full power on when exiting and tone rear corner/tyre takes a lot of load; it's not a full answwer though since the loads are for max speed and you'd do well to develop that load and squat at max speed.

[GinG15]

having seen now that me speed index on my front tyres is wrong. checked for new tyres....unfortunately nne of the typical tyre webshops is listing a 205/55r15 with a speed index higher than V...and now?

for ceretain reasson, which i do not want, nor need to explain, i MUST fit the correct speed index on the ORIGINAL wheels

any alternatives in terms of size, which have the same circumference than the ones listed above?

Edited by GinG15 on Friday 2nd March 22:25

[SMB]

GinG15 said:

having seen now that me speed index on my front tyres is wrong. checked for new tyres....unfortunately nne of the typical tyre webshops is listing a 205/50r15 with a speed index higher than V...and now?

for ceretain reasson, which i do not want, nor need to explain, i MUST fit the correct speed index on the ORIGINAL wheels

any alternatives in terms of size, which have the same circumference than the ones listed above?

a number of tyres available rated at W in that size including bridgestone, which exceeds the original zr classification. Camskill list a selection

Edited by SMB on Monday 26th February 14:53

[SILICONEKID 345HP 12.03]

Don't worry about it ,you won't be doing those speeds ,just tell your insurance company .Mine told me 70mph is the speed limit .

[Brithunter]

What many UK drivers and owners fail to understand that a lot of places have quite draconian regulations on tyres and quite a few specify it must be original factory fitment. This of course causes issues when manufacturers drop these sizes and ratings. They don't care if your car is now unusable ............................. buy a new one then!

Brace yourselves as it will not be that long before the UK is in full compliance with Type approval laws and our classic cars no longer tolerated on the roads.