What is the advantage / disadvantage of running the optinal 205/70/14 vs. the standard size 195/75/14's?

My little 300D has good tread on the tires, but they are severely dry rotted. Needs new shoes once I get the little diesel motor running good.
I read reviews of tires on tirerack.com, and looks to me like the General Altimax is the way to go. I am not sure WHAT General tire they build here in Tennessee, but there is a General tire factory just a wee bit down the road from me.

I have no concern for winter weather handeling because if it gets bad outside in the winter, we have a 4wd GMC Envoy that is almost unstopable in snow. ( "Unstopable" could also be a BAD thing! lol !!!! )

205/70 would help improve handling characteristics and would also make your speedometer read just a hair off your actual speed.

I have 205/70's on my 1976 300D.

Michelin's would be a lot better than Generals

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

I would go with Michelins.

I think the differences would be pretty marginal based on size. I've had good Michelins and Michelins I've hated. No experience with General.

195's would be slightly narrower, less prone to hydroplaning, slightly higher real MPG (regardless of indicated speedo accuracy). 146 mm sidewalls

205's maybe better handling, maybe/maybe not better ride, slightly heavier. A little shorter sidewall, so maybe a bit worse looking in the arches due to increased space/gap (tough to say, since it's a tiny difference) 143 mm sidewalls

Which model would you recommend?

I got a set of Michelin X-radials from Costco about 3 years ago. I love those tires, very smooth on the highway and after 3 years show very little wear.

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

The proper size for your car is 195/70 NOT 75,

75-series tires are non-speed rated tires for 'merikun cars only and no European car has ever been fitted with them.

You've obviously chosen General because it's the lowest-price tire in the size you were searching. You'll simply get what you pay for.

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Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles

I run 205 70 14 fronts and 215 70 14 rear on my SD.Cooper tires.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran, deutschland deutschland uber alles uber alles in der welt

I ran Dunlops of this size for about a year with no obvious changes to handling, speedometer accuracy or fuel effieceny. My MPG has dropped a little, but my '77 non-turbo 300D was due for a fuel system cleansing.
Only problem was a broken-belt-blowout, and it was easier to switch to a good donor set of factory size 195/70 r14

The 205 cleared all fenders just fine and looked pretty good I think. Now the 195s seem so small on the w123 body!

Pics of the 205's attached

ignore the mismatched color of my replacement fender

The remaining 3 tires are listed locally:
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/pts/2532500363.html

Attached Thumbnails

   

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1990 300D 2.5Turbo, two tank WVO, daily driver 300,911
1992 E300 gaser, 150k. Parts only, For Sale

[B]1984 300TD Euro 4speed Sold
1977 300D Elsbett SVO single tank Sold
1981 300TD "Silver bullet" 285k ran B100 Sold
1981-5 300D x 5 cars stripped and reused, parts for sale

Other toys:
1995 Dodge 2500 Cummins 12V P7100 Bosch mechanical pump with 2 tank veggieconversion kit, only 120k!
1959 Cadillac Dad's legacy, needs finishing

I have been running 195/75s Michelin X-radials from Costco for some time and love them. The spedos on both my "daily driver" 123s are almost right on, still reading a couple mph slow at upper freeway speeds.

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"