Rims

[spotted owl]

I can figure the vac, elect, tranny and just about every other system out, but wheels and tires kill me. I just for some reason have never been able to get my head wrapped around the measurements and this or that about them. Wrangler and Cherokee will work but will and 15" rim work. 235/75/15 or what ever combo of numbers I don't understand what they mean or do. Here is something I have been looking at http://salem.craigslist.org/pts/2403017843.html . besides the balloons that are on the rims can you put a skinnier tire on and have them work alright? Need a different something? If there was a thing for pulling out your hair I would put it right here  X .


Thanks for any help



Owl

[Smitch]

235 is the width of the tire in millimeters
75 is the height of the sidewall expressed as a percentage of the width
15 is the ID of the tire (rim size)

[eaglefreek]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_code
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_sizing

Craigslist links aren't allowed so here is the pic of the wheels in the above link.

[Mechanic]

Don't worry owl, I'm in the same boat as you are. If I sit down with the measurements in front of me and think real hard for 2-3 hours until smoke comes out a my ears, i can figure it out. But I'm not usually into expending that much effort. Lol all i know is, that the last number is the rim size, and 265 75 is approximately equal to 31 inch tall tires.

[El Matador]

My dad has been in the tire business since 1969, so I've picked up the odd tidbit of info here and there.  Still, it was only a few years ago that I finally got this whole sizing thing figured out.

Here's a chart I use frequently, especially useful if you're into older cars (scroll to bottom of page):

http://www.musclecarclub.com/library/tech/tires.shtml

Also, a couple of years ago I created an Excel spreadsheet for tires.  Just plug in the size parameters (for example, 205 75 15) and it calculates the overall diameter of the tire.

[philotomy]

Ive done a google search and I use the miata garage link its simple and shows head on and side veiws with original size and desired size,type em in and it shows an overlapped picture with the differences listed,I like it cause I can type in diff sizes and see what's closest to stock but slightly fatter or slightly taller,anything too big will of course rub and throw off the speedo