Dry Grip: very good grip with stiff side walls. Sharp handling.
Wear: wear is just ok. Considering that the swift sport is rather light. Tires are about done with 3mm left after 60000km. Don’t want to risk going down to wear bars as torrential rain is quite common here.
195/50 R16 Tyres
Everything we know about the 195/50 R16 tyre size: 148 owner reviews covering 1,901,337 miles of driving, and EU label data for the tyres you can actually buy in it.
- 148owner reviews
- 1,901,337 milescovered on them
- 475tyres made in this size
The quick answer
| Season | Owners' pick | Owner rating | Latest test winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Toyo Proxes CF2 7.2 Current version: Toyo Proxes Comfort | 96% from 3 reviews | - |
| All Season | Landsail LS388 AS 6.1 | 60% from 3 reviews | - |
Owner picks are the highest weighted owner score in 195/50 R16; test winners come from the most recent independent test conducted in this size. The full evidence is below.
The best rated 195/50 R16 tyres
Rated only by drivers running this size. Each tyre needs at least 3 reviews in 195/50 R16 to be ranked; the order weights a tyre's score by how many reviews back it, so one glowing review cannot top a table.
Summer tyres
The highest rated Summer tyre in 195/50 R16 is the Toyo Proxes CF2 - 96% from 3 owner reviews in this size. The current tyre in that line is now the Toyo Proxes Comfort.
| # | Tyre | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed | TR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Toyo Proxes CF2
Replaced by Toyo Proxes Comfort
|
96% | 3 | 28,320 miles | 7.2 |
| 2 |
Dunlop Sport BluResponse
|
92% | 4 | 2,027 miles | 7.8 |
| 3 |
Continental UltraContact UC6
Replaced by Continental UltraContact UC7
|
90% | 3 | 67,000 miles | 8 |
| 4 |
Infinity Ecosis
|
86% | 4 | 6,500 miles | 4.8 |
| 5 |
Goodyear Eagle F1 Sport
|
86% | 4 | 29,500 miles | 8 |
| 6 |
Accelera 651 Sport
|
84% | 4 | 8,500 miles | 6.7 |
| 7 |
Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE004
Replaced by Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005
|
83% | 3 | 55,932 miles | 8.3 |
| 8 |
Yokohama Advan Sport V105
Replaced by Yokohama Advan Sport V107
|
82% | 4 | 73,000 miles | 7.7 |
| 9 |
Continental Sport Contact 2
Replaced by Continental SportContact 7
|
81% | 4 | 41,000 miles | 7.5 |
| 10 |
Dunlop SP Sport 01
Replaced by Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
|
78% | 3 | 80,495 miles | 7.1 |
| 11 |
Toyo Proxes TR1
|
69% | 4 | 58,500 miles | 6.8 |
| 12 |
Michelin Pilot Primacy
|
61% | 3 | 59,000 miles | 7.6 |
| 13 |
Bridgestone Turanza ER33
|
63% | 5 | 140,760 miles | 6.8 |
| 14 |
Continental Premium Contact 2
Replaced by Continental PremiumContact 7
|
64% | 8 | 95,695 miles | 7.5 |
| 15 |
Kumho Solus KH17
|
55% | 3 | 28,527 miles | 7.2 |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tyres →
All Season tyres
The highest rated All Season tyre in 195/50 R16 is the Landsail LS388 AS - 60% from 3 owner reviews in this size.
| # | Tyre | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed | TR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Landsail LS388 AS
|
60% | 3 | 19,000 miles | 6.1 |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best All Season Tyres → Test winner: Goodyear Vector All Season 4
TR Score is the tyre's overall Tyre Reviews rating out of 10, built from independent test results and every owner review of that tyre - not just the reviews from this car. The owner rating column is this car only.
195/50 R16 EU tyre label data
EU label values are declared for each individual size, so the figures here are exact for 195/50 R16 rather than a range across a model. 335 tyres carry label data in this size. The most common load index is 88 (up to 560 kg per tyre). Speed ratings on offer: W (270 km/h), V (240 km/h), H (210 km/h), T (190 km/h), R (170 km/h), Q (160 km/h). 137 tyres in this size carry the 3PMSF severe snow marking.
A Best wet grip
48 tyres in this size hold the top EU wet grip rating, class A. The highest scoring on Tyre Reviews:
- Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 All Season 9.6
- Falken ZIEX ZE320 Summer 9.4
- Nokian Hakka Blue 3 Summer 9.1
- Kumho Ecsta HS52 Summer 9
- Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 Summer 9
- Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 Winter 8.9
A Lowest rolling resistance
The most fuel efficient choice: 1 tyres in this size reach rolling resistance class A. The highest scoring on Tyre Reviews:
- Continental EcoContact 6 Summer 7.5
66dB Quietest tyres
The quietest 195/50 R16 tyres are labelled at 66 dB external noise:
- Nokian Hakka Blue 3 Summer 9.1
- Yokohama Advan Sport V107 Summer 8.8
- Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 Winter 8.7
- Dunlop Blue Response TG Summer 8.5
- Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 Summer 8
- Pirelli Cinturato Winter Winter 7.7
Label values come from the EU EPREL database and apply to the EU market versions of each tyre. Wet grip and rolling resistance run from class A (best) to E; noise is the measured drive-by figure. A good label is a floor, not a verdict - the tests and owner ratings above tell you far more.
How long do 195/50 R16 tyres last?
Across 34 end of life reviews in this size, a typical set of tyres was worn out after 19,374 miles. Half of all worn-out sets lasted between 10,000 miles and 27,000 miles.
Distances are self-reported by drivers whose review marked the set as worn out; figures are medians, so a single unusual report cannot move them. Driving style and the car matter more than the size itself.
What does 195/50 R16 mean?
A 195/50 R16 tyre is 195 mm wide, its sidewall is 50% of that width (98 mm) tall, and it fits a 16 inch wheel. That gives an overall diameter of roughly 601 mm.
| Section width | 195 mm |
|---|---|
| Sidewall height | 98 mm |
| Rim diameter | 16" (406 mm) |
| Overall diameter | ≈ 601 mm |
| Circumference | ≈ 1,889 mm |
| Revolutions per km | ≈ 529 |
| Revolutions per mile | ≈ 852 |
Also written as
195/50R16 195/50 ZR16 195-50-16 195 50 16
Figures are calculated from the nominal size. A loaded, rolling tyre runs a few percent smaller, and true widths vary slightly between makes.
What cars use 195/50 R16 tyres?
The cars most often running this size in our owner reviews. Each links to the best rated tyres for that exact car.
Toyota Yaris
13 reviews in this size
Suzuki Swift sport
12 reviews in this size
Ford Fiesta mk7
9 reviews in this size
Honda Fit (Jazz)
6 reviews in this size
Renault Clio 1.5 dCi 86
6 reviews in this size
Mazda MX5
6 reviews in this size
Ford Fiesta
6 reviews in this size
Renault Clio III dci 106
5 reviews in this size
Honda Jazz
3 reviews in this size
Renault Clio III Dynamique 1.2 Turbo
3 reviews in this size
Every tyre reviewed in 195/50 R16
The complete record, including discontinued tyres and tyres with too few reviews to rank, ordered by the amount of evidence. A further 60 tyres have a single review each; they count toward the totals but are not listed.
| Tyre | Season | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental Premium Contact 2 Replaced by Continental PremiumContact 7 | Summer | 64% | 8 | 95,695 miles |
| Bridgestone Turanza ER33 | Summer | 63% | 5 | 140,760 miles |
| Dunlop Sport BluResponse | Summer | 92% | 4 | 2,027 miles |
| Infinity Ecosis | Summer | 86% | 4 | 6,500 miles |
| Goodyear Eagle F1 Sport | Summer | 86% | 4 | 29,500 miles |
| Accelera 651 Sport | Summer | 84% | 4 | 8,500 miles |
| Yokohama Advan Sport V105 Replaced by Yokohama Advan Sport V107 | Summer | 82% | 4 | 73,000 miles |
| Continental Sport Contact 2 Replaced by Continental SportContact 7 | Summer | 81% | 4 | 41,000 miles |
| Toyo Proxes TR1 | Summer | 69% | 4 | 58,500 miles |
| Toyo Proxes CF2 Replaced by Toyo Proxes Comfort | Summer | 96% | 3 | 28,320 miles |
| Continental UltraContact UC6 Replaced by Continental UltraContact UC7 | Summer | 90% | 3 | 67,000 miles |
| Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE004 Replaced by Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE005 | Summer | 83% | 3 | 55,932 miles |
| Dunlop SP Sport 01 Replaced by Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 | Summer | 78% | 3 | 80,495 miles |
| Michelin Pilot Primacy | Summer | 61% | 3 | 59,000 miles |
| Landsail LS388 AS | All Season | 60% | 3 | 19,000 miles |
| Kumho Solus KH17 | Summer | 55% | 3 | 28,527 miles |
| Vredestein Sportrac 5 | Summer | 92% | 2 | 12,150 miles |
| Yokohama BluEarth Es ES32 | Summer | 88% | 2 | 30,000 miles |
| General G Max AS 05 Replaced by General G Max AS 07 | All Season | 86% | 2 | 22,000 miles |
| Three A P606 | Summer | 86% | 2 | 5,800 miles |
| Dunlop SP Sport Maxx | Summer | 85% | 2 | 40,000 miles |
| Kumho Ecsta HS51 Replaced by Kumho Ecsta HS52 | Summer | 84% | 2 | 30,000 miles |
| Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 Replaced by Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 | Summer | 82% | 2 | 45,000 miles |
| Nexen N Blue HD Plus | Summer | 82% | 2 | 18,000 miles |
| Nankang NS2 Replaced by Nankang Noble Sport NS20 | Summer | 80% | 2 | 10,000 miles |
| Nexen N Fera SU4 | Summer | 76% | 2 | 60,001 miles |
| Kumho Ecsta PS31 | Summer | 75% | 2 | 10,000 miles |
| Hankook Optimo H426 | All Season | 71% | 2 | 81,500 miles |
| Continental EcoContact 6 Replaced by Continental EcoContact 7 | Summer | 43% | 2 | 1,040 miles |
Reviews only cover part of the market: 475 tyres are made in 195/50 R16. Browse every 195/50 R16 tyre →
What drivers say about their 195/50 R16 tyres
The most recent owner reviews fitted in this size, in their own words.
Tyre size 195/50/R16 TW 180.
I daily drive a 2004 NB Generation Mazda MX5 between the beginning of March and the end of October. Fitted these tyres near the start of March and have daily driven them around 12,000 miles / 19,000km since then (so over around 7 and a bit months). I drive mainly 50mph/80kmh back roads 20 miles to work each way and regularly like to go on road trips to some excellent fast winding roads. I also do the odd track day.
The good:
- Dry grip: These NS2Rs have INSANE grip for a road tyre once the outside temperature is above around 10 degrees celsius. The hotter the outside temperature the grippier they get and my god do they have tremendous grip! Once the temperature drops below 10 degrees like any summer tyre they do tend to lose grip but never become scary.
- Wet grip: For a semi slick TW 180 tyre I was very nervous before I bought them about wet grip but I genuinely had nothing to worry about. Drove on motorways with wipers on their 3rd setting at 60mph/100kmh in a recent storm and they held up very well. General day to day driving in normal rain conditions is absolutely safe (once again below 10 celsius results may vary) and I'm very pleased.
- Wear: My NB MX5 has the 1.8L VVTI engine with 140hp and weighs around 1,100kg. Wear is very good. Starting tread depth of around 6.6mm went down to 4.5mm after 12,000miles. Very happy with it. If you have a more powerful and especially heavier car your wear might be worse so keep that in mind.
- Steering Feel: My MX5 has hydraulic power steering and the steering feel and steering weight has gone up noticeably with these tyres most likely due to their super stiff sidewall, they feel amazing.
The Bad:
- Noise. Interior road noise at 50mph/80mph isn't great with a persistent drone starting at those speeds and growing the faster you go. Not the end of the world though as my car is loud and I just turn up the music haha. If you like a quiet tyre keep this in mind.
TLDR;
Love the Nankang NS2R. AMAZING dry grip, surprising wet grip, very low wear, and the tyres give amazing feeling and weight to the steering. Downside is they're noisy past 50mph/80kmh.
I will DEFINITELY be buying again!
OE tyre supplied on MX5 ND 1.5.
Steering feedback was really good as well as dry grip, but please note that the car was at 6000 miles (10000km) when i purchased it so i don't really now how these V105 performs when they are new
Dry grip on spring-summer days was very good, but these tyres loves to have a little bit of heat in them to perform accordingly
I did one track session and they held up well, no roll over, sidewall is pretty firm for an UHP tyre. When they let go, they start to squeal a little bit and you can feel the limit without them being snappy or dangerous. Really enjoyable behavior
Of course it's not a dedicated track tyre but they are fun if you just want to enjoy your car without being too serious/competitive about it
Wet grip is average and not really on par with modern UHP tyres (think PS5 or GYA6) but it is kinda expected, these tyres have been released a long time ago now.
Wet grip is acceptable if you drive according to weather and road condition, but they do not feel to have a lot of safety margin
They can be a little bit jiggly on poor roads but not that bad overall
At the end of their life (more or less 2,5mm) , dry grip was still very good but wet performance started to become a little bit sketchy despite temperature being around 20°C. I lost the car twice, one time on a big puddle and one time just accelerating straight without being reckless so i throw them away after that
Can't comment on winter use cause i have dédicated winter tyres but i guess they should not be that great
Mileage done : 16000 miles or 25000km with one rotation front to back done
In short : very good dry grip, sharp steering response, wet behavior is average at 50% of their life and pretty bad at the end
Will buy again because 16' tyre size suck and it will not get better
Simply superb tires they're perfect in every way other than being an absolute pain to fit on the tire machine. No matter how much tire lube we used the beads wouldn't pop unless you 85psi in them, which is getting up there!
On the road in comparison to my old Bridgestone ep150s that used to squeal and understeer very easily, turn in and mid corner feel was a bit numb too.
The es-32s are excellent, takes A LOT harder driving to get them to start squealing, road feel is fantastic they give you so much confidence. Honestly it's like driving a completely different and vastly superior vehicle.
On the road in comparison to my old Bridgestone ep150s that used to squeal and understeer very easily, turn in and mid corner feel was a bit numb too.
The es-32s are excellent, takes A LOT harder driving to get them to start squealing, road feel is fantastic they give you so much confidence. Honestly it's like driving a completely different and vastly superior vehicle.
This review might not be a complete one because the car wasn't driven much and didn't have many chances to get the most out of them.
Grip/Response/Feedback: A couple of times i got the chance to push them a little the feedback on dry was good. You feel what they're rolling over and when they're close to their limit.
Steering response was crisp. No delays, no vagueness. Grip on the dry was good but so is for most tires of that price.
The grip on wet is what matters and it was very good. Much better than the Goodyear Excellence they replaced. ZERO aquaplaning, ZERO loss of grip even at heavy rainfall on the slippery roads of Greece. Very safe feeling.
Two or three times i had to do emergency braking and they performed good. Saved me from a couple of crashes but eventually the driver i share it with did crash the car at the rear of another car, but i don't know the circumstances because i wasn't there. He might have been tailgating him while being distracted. Old men shouldn't drive.
Wear: Like i said, didn't drive that much but after around 16000 miles (26000 kilometers) they still have PLENTY of tread left and despite their age (7 years old) they still feel safe. Still have short braking distance, good response and feeback. The tread doesn't feel hard. The sidewalls are still in good shape. The only cracks i noticed is on the very edges of the tread, at the very top of the sidewall, which i think is normal. No bits and pieces missing.
Comfort: This is where they kinda let me down, although maybe it was a mistake to fit them on a 7J rim. They were borderline stretched. But anyway, on spec pressure (car specs) the ride was rough. They felt more rough than the 45 profile Goodyears. But the response and feedback was better than the 45s. I used to run them on slightly lower pressures to get a better ride.
Would i buy them again? Maybe, but if i do i will go for the 205 or 215, although i'd much rather get rid of the 16x7J rims. Too wide for the car in general.
I have now replaced them with Kleber HP5s and let me tell you that the 205 Kleber is as wide as the 215 Goodyear was. Even the tire fitter was surprised at how wide they are for 205. Very beefy tires and more comfortable than the Nexens, even at spec pressures. We'll see how they will perform because i just fitted them so now they feel great, like all tires feel when brand new and fresh. But they're a PERFECT match for the 16x7J rims.
Grip/Response/Feedback: A couple of times i got the chance to push them a little the feedback on dry was good. You feel what they're rolling over and when they're close to their limit.
Steering response was crisp. No delays, no vagueness. Grip on the dry was good but so is for most tires of that price.
The grip on wet is what matters and it was very good. Much better than the Goodyear Excellence they replaced. ZERO aquaplaning, ZERO loss of grip even at heavy rainfall on the slippery roads of Greece. Very safe feeling.
Two or three times i had to do emergency braking and they performed good. Saved me from a couple of crashes but eventually the driver i share it with did crash the car at the rear of another car, but i don't know the circumstances because i wasn't there. He might have been tailgating him while being distracted. Old men shouldn't drive.
Wear: Like i said, didn't drive that much but after around 16000 miles (26000 kilometers) they still have PLENTY of tread left and despite their age (7 years old) they still feel safe. Still have short braking distance, good response and feeback. The tread doesn't feel hard. The sidewalls are still in good shape. The only cracks i noticed is on the very edges of the tread, at the very top of the sidewall, which i think is normal. No bits and pieces missing.
Comfort: This is where they kinda let me down, although maybe it was a mistake to fit them on a 7J rim. They were borderline stretched. But anyway, on spec pressure (car specs) the ride was rough. They felt more rough than the 45 profile Goodyears. But the response and feedback was better than the 45s. I used to run them on slightly lower pressures to get a better ride.
Would i buy them again? Maybe, but if i do i will go for the 205 or 215, although i'd much rather get rid of the 16x7J rims. Too wide for the car in general.
I have now replaced them with Kleber HP5s and let me tell you that the 205 Kleber is as wide as the 215 Goodyear was. Even the tire fitter was surprised at how wide they are for 205. Very beefy tires and more comfortable than the Nexens, even at spec pressures. We'll see how they will perform because i just fitted them so now they feel great, like all tires feel when brand new and fresh. But they're a PERFECT match for the 16x7J rims.
I hate these tires because of their too soft shoulder, even at 2.8 Bar the problem was not solved and the car drifted into understeer, I found that the tires with the factory pressure set for the car 2.3 front and 2.1 rear drive better always sacrificing corner entry but with this grip is really strong, the steering always arrives late when you enter the curve you can't afford to make sudden movements with the steering wheel or they become highly imprecise and when you go fast you tend to correct the steering in the curve, however they lose grip in a very intuitive and linear way and always balanced never aggressive understeer but slip into a slight oversteer that helps to close the curve, the trick to using these tires at their best is to use the steering gently to set up the curves. Terrible on rough roads it seems like the car is coming apart due to how much the shoulder moves and in the wet nothing special they are certainly safe but not excellent, good driving comfort they seem quite quiet. In short, if the tire didn't have such a lousy sidewall, I wouldn't buy anything else, but it's really a flaw I can't overlook for the sake of driving. I can't really judge wear since I drive with a particular camber and toe, but it's already a lot that I'll be able to get two years out of them (excluding winter).
Any judgement exists by virtue of context. In my case, the context is the set of OEM tires that came with my car, the Honda Jazz/Fit, 2018 model in Asia. After 5,5 years of ownership, I went through 2 sets of OEM tires: Bridgestone Turanza ER370 185/55/R16, having driven 47700 kilometers/ 29639 miles. In both cases replacement by necessity; dry rot cracking, due to South East Asian climate conditions. Still plenty of tread left actually. Anyway, the Turanza's were pretty decent, but they felt like wobbly balloons. Okay that's an exaggeration, but I was getting a bit tired of the amount of tire deflection during cornering and the wobbling rake during acceleration. If there was any element holding back this car's potential, it was the tires. So I set out to search for something more sporty - and this turned out to be a tougher challenge than I thought because UHP tires in this small size are hard / impossible to find in the Philippines, even if they do exist in the international market (for example; Continental ExtremeContact Sport). Eventually, I found these Goodyear Eagle F1 Sport tires for about 95 USD per tire, which is actually a rational and proportionally justifiable price for a car like the Honda Jazz on Philippines roads (potholes and all). It has to be said, that despite being wobbly balloons, the Turanza's featured excellent dry and wet grip, plenty within the range of Philippines speed limits (100 KPH) and even beyond that. In that sense, the Eagle F1 Sport had to at least perform equally to the Turanza's in order to not feel disappointed. Although I've only done about 500 kilometers so far (both city driving and expressway) I can safely say the Eagle F1 Sport tires exceed the Turanza ER370's; At the very least they match the dry and wet grip, but more important to me is how they changed the handling. And this brings me to the another aspect of my purchase choice; I went from the Turanza's 185/55/R16 to the Eagle F1 Sport in 195/50R16; This means a diameter decrease of 1.39 percent. This accentuates the stiffer sidewall and it also subtly affects the "gearing ratio" (car comes with a CVT). As intended, cornering feels a lot better now thanks to minimal tire deflection. Acceleration also feels better because the chassis rake doesn't wobble as much anymore front to rear axle. And all of this doesn't deteriorate comfort levels as far as I can tell, even with all the potholes and uneven road surfaces here in the Philippines. UTOG treadwear says 300, whereas the Turanza's said 320; but all of this is meaningless to me now because of the UV intense climate here. In fact, I've just purchased UV protective wheel covers to minimize the impact of heat, dampness and UV rays. For 95 USD per tire, I think the Eagle F1 Sport is the sweet-spot choice for this South East Asian scenario.
Good value for money. They're hard and noisy, so I wouldn't use them again. Keep in mind I was wearing Michelin tires. For cost reasons, I downgraded the quality, and it's noticeable.
Drive on 195/50 R16 tyres?
Review your tyres and help the next driver choose. It takes about five minutes, and every review on this page came from a driver who took them.
Where this data comes from
Owner ratings are submitted through the review form on this site, naming the tyre, the size and the distance covered, and are checked by hand before publication. Test results come from independent published tyre tests indexed by size, and label values from the EU EPREL database.
About the TR Score
The Tyre Reviews Score rates each tyre out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, so you can check a car-specific ranking against the wider evidence.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tyre Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tyres independently since 2007.