Switching from 16" to 13" wheels/tires

[jordway]

I've read (and appreciate!) the wealth of information on wheels/tires in this forum.  At the risk of beating a dead horse, I decided to check and see if anyone has any feedback on my specific plans.

 

I have a 2002 Roadsport SV with the 16" wheels that came on this model.  The Firestone Firehawk Indo 500 205/45R16 tires were brand new in spring 2022 when I started driving the car (I'm 2nd owner), and I've put only ~4K miles on them.  My intention was to wait until I needed to replace the tires that came on the car, then change to 13" wheels.  However, given the deteriorating condition of St. Louis streets, I've decided I need to make the change now.  I'm a twisty backroads driver but I still have to drive on city streets for a bit in order to get out to the good county roads.  I'm sure both the car and my back will appreciate the change.  My wife is not happy because she likes the look of the 16" rims.  But, I've assured her that she will be a fan of 13" as soon as she experiences the ride improvement!

 

I'm switching to 13" Apollos (6" front and rear).  I'm leaning toward Toyo RA1 rather than R888R.  I've seen that a couple of folks have made comments that the RA1s are a bit better on wet roads than the R888Rs.  That, and possibly a bit longer tread life, are the main reasons for choosing the RA1s.  Do any RA1 users have any additional feedback on these tires that's not already been mentioned?  Anyone have any reasons they would definitely opt for something other than RA1s for street driving?  

 

Finally, if anyone has advice on adjusting ride height to accommodate this change, that would be greatly appreciated.

[IamScotticus]

Loosen all suspension chassis points.

Load up the car with full weight, fuel tank, sacks of rice for passengers (return the rice later).

Adjust suspension to clear 5" fully loaded, assuming you may have 5" obstacles where you drive, you may not.

Re-tighten the suspension mountings at that ride height.

Your 7 may look ridiculous at the unlaiden height, but that's the price we pay to avoid damage.

European roads are more favourable to lower vehicles.

Edited April 23 by IamScotticus

[Slonie]

I don't have any points of comparison between the R888R and the RA1, but since you got me wondering I looked up and the RA1 only comes in a 205 section? I was going to say that might be wide for a 6" wheel, but Toyo's own site specifies approved widths as 5.5-7.5, so you're right on. I didn't even know it was an option when I bought the R888Rs, so I'll definitely consider them next time. (I run the R888R in 185/60-13 and 205/60-13 on 6" and 8" wheels on my car)

 

Edit: Also doing some Googling between your current tire and the 205/60-13 RA1s, you're only losing a quarter of an inch of ground clearance compared to your current setup. I know some people would say that every little bit counts but I might just leave it be at that point.

(23.2" diameter -> 22.7" diameter, 0.5" shorter overall so a 0.25" lower ride height)

Edited April 24 by Slonie

[jordway]

Thanks, @Slonie.  I got feedback from Josh at Rocky Mountain Caterham, and he recommended exactly your set up.  So, that's what I'm planning to do.  

 

You're probably right about the ride height.  But, I got under it and measured a couple nights ago.  I'm at 3" front with 1" additional rake in the back.  Thankfully I've never bottomed out, but that's getting really close!