Rear tire and wheels for front

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Permalink Reply by mr bad example on August 17, 2008 at 2:18pm

it probably could, if 195's are fine, 205's are only 5mm more for clearance, i'd say it's unnecessary, i ran a metro on 195/50-15's for years and found them more than adaquate (i could out-corner any car under $50,000 on the road)

the smart is 100 pounds lighter than a metro, maybe a better choice would be 185/65-15's, they are standard for the MB 190E and would give the smart "longer legs". they wouldn't have the "low profile" of the standard smart tires or the 195/50's, but they would be less likely to get a flat from potholes or road imperfections, the smart is 1200 pounds lighter than a 190E, these tires would help in the shock absorbsion for the smart, which has limited suspension travel. (living in NE illinois, we have a constant problem with potholes and crappy road surfaces, thousands of cars get flats here each year from potholes, it's even on radio traffic reports, watch out for potholes on...)

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Permalink Reply by 451 Kahn on August 17, 2008 at 11:48pm

Yes you can. Upgrade the rubber in the back. Adding larger wheels in the front will improve braking power also. Staggered look is the way to go.

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Permalink Reply by Tony on August 18, 2008 at 12:11am

Funny opposites... back in about 1990 I owned a rather peppy little VW Rabbit Diesel. Metalic Forest Green. Beautiful red interior. Icy cold AC and 60 MPG. I ran Pirrelis on it, the good ones!! P4 or what ever was going back then. It was of course front wheel drive. I dont remember the exact tire sizes. I just know that I ran the 'stock' size on the rear trailing wheels and up front, I had some rather wide version of the same, 50 or 60 series. I got a lot of odd looks and questions. It handled like a slot car, you could not drift or slide at all. That was my goal. After all, once you got the diesel up to speed, not having to slow down was a plus. I am going to wear out the tires that came with my Smart, then I will probably to the upgrades, rear rim size up front, etc. Anyone have a clue how many thousands of miles I will have to drive to wear out the first set of tires haha.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Roth on August 6, 2009 at 10:40am

Yes and a lot of people are doing it. I put different rims on so I have brand new rear rims for sale without rubber or sensors.
make me an offer. I live in Jacksonville FL

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Permalink Reply by Robert Montgomery on August 22, 2009 at 6:38pm

Robert,
Do you still have the wheels? Are they steel and 5.5 inches wide? I have a Pure and would like to run the same rubber all the way around.
Thanks,
Bob (colorado14er@roadrunner.com)

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Permalink Reply by SATO on August 23, 2009 at 5:49pm

Bobs rims are OEM alloys (5.5"x15) they also have the spokes painted black. He is in our JAXSMART club

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Permalink Reply by SergMadness on August 22, 2009 at 9:03pm

Check out Smart Madness --- we have the factory rear wheels and tires in stock for a very reasonable price. They fit and have been very successful for a number of drivers who wanted to rid themselves of the wandering and 'tramming' the front end does being so narrow.

[url]http://www.smartmadness.com/servlet/the-271/smart-car-wheel-and/Detail[/url]

We also offer a number of aftermarket wheel options, including euro spec BRABUS wheels (staggered 16 fr 17rear)

These are on sale for about 549.99 for the set or about 138 a piece.
[img]http://www.smartmadness.com/catalog/5-twist297_glossblk-smart2.jpg[/img]
[url]http://www.smartmadness.com/servlet/the-263/smart-car-wheels-by/Detail[/url]

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