wider wheels

i drove around the block in some 195/60/r14s and the car was much harder to turn. is this because of the camber or because the wheels are wider?

When i bought my car, it came stock with 195/60/14's. I always assumed that was the base tire for the car. I really don't consider it wide at all. Thats why i bumped my size up when i got rims to 205/40/16. Is your car lowered? Should turn fine with those tires on there, whether it be lowered or stock.

R©

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Originally posted by 1987HondaAccord
i drove around the block in some 195/60/r14s and the car was much harder to turn. is this because of the camber or because the wheels are wider?

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That's really odd, I went from the same stock size as you to 195/55-15 and I noticed a very slight differance in effort to turn. The power steering absorbed most all the increase. Is something up with your power steering?

I noticed a big difference when I got new tires the same size. The old ones had aged enough that they were much harder (with less tread too) and slipped more easily when turning while stopped. Now when I turn while stopped with my new grippier tires my idle drops a noticeable amount from the extra effort the PS system takes from the engine.

I had 205/40/16 on my DX and the steering was not affected in any way by the change in tire/wheel diameter. The problem may lie within your ps rack. I replaced a rack on a customer's car cause although the rack seemed to operate normally, after shutting the vehicle off, he lost a great amount of fluid through the resevoir. Failure inside the rack caused it. Jack the front wheels off the ground and (with the vehicle on), turn the steering wheel left to right and see if there is any resistance like when the wheels are on the ground. Also (if possible) inspect your ps pump, rack and hoses for any moisture. Fluid loss (and/or) pump/rack failure will cause the condition that you are talking about....