Are 15" Rim / tyres legal ??

[Kizza501]

Gents,

I am attempting to measure up my wheel arches in order to correctly purchase new rims and tires for my DRB build.

I am told you can not get tires with a speed rating good enough for registration on a 15 inch rim. Apparently the speed rating for tires is about 185 km/h but for registration you need at least 210 km/h tyres, meaning to get past S.A. stiff rego inspection I will have to go to a 17" rim.

Is this correct? My engineer has suggested there 'might' be a way for him to sign off on 15" and the lower rating tires. Anybody been through this issue?

Also ive been told you need to have whatever rims you get 'stamped' or they must come with certification stating ADR approval. Is this correct? Am I better to buy in Australia for this reason rather than from a US producer direct?

Any help appreciated guys.

K.

[Dimis]

With the number of poor quality tyres that are sold at the local tyre joint, combined with the fact that legally you just can't go anywhere near that speed, I find it difficult to fathom the logic that deems this requirement necessary for compliance or registration

FWIW - I believe my 15inch DOT rated Avons CR6ZZ are "V-rated" which is 240km/h from memory.
So there are probably other brands in that size also rated better than the 185km/h S or T ratings.

Best of luck with it

[Kizza501]

Thanks mate. Its good to discover there is a potential solution for the 15" rim.

I think the hurdle exists because of the territory. They still currently have a no speed limit zone up there. So for an engineer to authorize 185 km/h tires for Australia, then some idiot goes up there and decides to hit 220, blows a tire, kills himself and others...issues and heads roll

thanks again

[Wazza]

I'm not sure some "idiot" hitting 220 is the bit to worry about....modern tyres should be expected to be safe at these high speeds.
I know the speed limit is 110 in many places,but there are a number of times when 200kph PLUS happens.....( eg.Drags )
Not such a big speed on the right tyres.....almost relaxing ...lol

Gotta have the right tyres under you...not just tyres that squeak past the regulations.
Cheers
Warren

[Kizza501]

Absolutely mate. Horses for courses. Im not planning any track work or high speed runs. But if a tire is only speed rated at 185 km/h there is always the risk it can fail at speeds over 200 km/h. Recently watched a world record run for highest average speed over 8 hours and 1 hour into their attempt a tire failed...luckily no major accident, but goes to show anything is possible, even with tired rated at the higher speeds.

[nicho]

Kizza I just private message you

[damage]

Kizza,

Dimis is correct the Avon CR6ZZ are V rated and they make all the 15 inch rim sizes that are perfect for Cobra's.

I just bought a set from the crowd in Sydney and the prices were reasonable certainly a lot better then when I bought 17 inch Kumo's anyway.

[stephen low]

And to back up on the Avons when I looked about 18 months ago, they were the only legally rated tyre I found on 15".

At $600 per corner though I was struggling to get my wallet out and lock in a set.

Keen to hear if the pricing has improved as these are also the stickiest (best gripping) 15" tyres you will get too.

[albanycobra]

Damage who is this place in Sydney? and do you have any pics of the tyres on the car?
I am thinking of changing my 17 rims on the 40 to 15 inch. Looks far better than 17's IMHO.

[damage]

Albanycobra,

Just look at my build thread they're just black donuts no white writing.

Gordon Leven Motorsport was where I got mine from $2,100.00 including overnight freight to Brisvegas.

The last Kumo's were like $800 a corner so I was happy at $500 a corner.

[Kizza501]

Thanks guys, all great information!!!

Any body have a clue about this 'stamping' of the rims to comply with ADR or certification, or is this just an old wives tale?

[Tengu]

Also have a look at the Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial in 15"

[Paintwerks]

Originally Posted by Tengu

Also have a look at the Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial in 15"

Tengu, I think you may mean the ST? That's what I have on my Cobra. I believe the ET are more a drag radial?

[Tengu]

I think you're right Paintwerks. I saw the ETs on the silver cobra that was stolen here on the Central Coast some time ago. Im pretty sure he had those on it for track days too, so I presumed they were an all rounder. My mistake

[Rog246]

Rims as supposed to have DOT (us dept of transport certification or Australian made) as are the tyres but there are lots sold in Australia that aren't compliant.
A lot of stuff sold on EBay is parallel imported AND cheap because it's non-compliant.
15" stuff is hard to get but it is available but the range is limited.
Me I'm going to stay with 17's larger range of Quality tyres and will be for quite a while.
Tyre sizes in Australia will go through big changes in the next few years especially after Holden, Ford & Toyota cease local production.
Our common tyres sizes are unusual in the tyre industry, so we will see much more common Euro & US sizes here.
I work for a Wholesale importer and we have trouble getting 215/65R14's once the most common size in the country-not any more!!

[400TT]

We use Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T as our standard 15" tyre. Great value for money, available locally and a good street tyre.

For people wanting higher performance and willing to pay the much higher price and accept the reduced tread height (faster wear) then the Avon CR6ZZ are a great choice.

Both of these tyres are fully compliant for street registration.

For the wheels, ultimately you may need to provide copies of the testing paperwork to one of the accepted standards. The engineer may not accept just the standard marking being on the rear of the wheel. Just because the wheel does not have standards mark stamped on it does not mean that it is not compliant. If it has a brand and model/part number on it, this can be matched to testing paperwork.

Some of the accepted standards:

• Wheel Industries Association (Australia) (WIA)
• Standards Association of Australia (SAA);
• Technischer Überwachungsverein (TÜV); and
• Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS).

Also keep in mind that your tyre sizes need to be suitable for your time size. The reference for this is the "Standards Manual – Tyre and Rim Association of Australia". All good tyre shops should have a current copy of this manual.

[Kizza501]

Thanks guys on the tire options.

Understand your thoughts Rog, food for thought!

[dhs.buckley]

I just had a look at the speed rating on my 15" BF Goodrich rt and it is H so 210klm,
these could be a cheaper option, but wouldnt recommend if you are going to do track days or drive in even the slightest damp conditions.
also says designed for american, canada and australian standards.