mhoran89 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Currently I am running the stock 2.5i premium rims. I have horrible stock Bridgestone tires on my car, size 205/60/16. I am set on getting 4 snow tires for the winter. I would really like to get my hands on a set of Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3's, however they do not come in my size. Would I be able to run 205/55/16 snow tires without any problems? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDII Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 yes it's width that you're concerned with not height width/height/diameter Need forum help? Private Message legGTLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoran89 Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 yes it's width that you're concerned with not height width/height/diameter Thanks. I would rather run the stock size, however the tire is more important than the size. So the overall size of the tire is just going to be a tiny bit smaller (not as tall)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDII Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 yes. Need forum help? Private Message legGTLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glitched Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 use this popular tire size calc to get better details http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html Also technically the height in width/height/diameter is a ratio, not a direct measurement example 205/60 = height is 60% of width, so your sidewall is actually 123mm tall and a 205/55 = height is 55% of width, so your sidewall is actually 112.75mm tall and since it's a ratio, You can even try and play around with the width measurement to try and minimimze the size difference. for example 205/55/16 and 225/50/16s are nearly the same height And stepping down one measurement in height is ok, but your speedometer and odometer will be slightly off, use the calc above to determine how much. I've ran different sized tires than stock tires and most of my previous gen winter beaters, where i would try to get skinny and tall tires for that tiny bit extra snow performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark5032 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Actually, the height of the tire is very important to consider. The proposed 205/55/16 is going to add another 3% error on top of the 1-2% error that these cars seem to have from the factory already. The tread width of this tire is also 1/2" wider even though the cross sectional width is the same as the 205/60/16 size (wider tread= generally worse in the snow). Will changing to this tire size throw off vehicle speed sensors enough to mess with ABS and stability control systems?...probably not. Just keep in mind that when your speedometer says 70, you are probably only going 66. There are plenty of excellent snow tire choices in the 205/60/16 size, and I am not sure what you are expecting to gain here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoran89 Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 use this popular tire size calc to get better details http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html Also technically the height in width/height/diameter is a ratio, not a direct measurement example 205/60 = height is 60% of width, so your sidewall is actually 123mm tall and a 205/55 = height is 55% of width, so your sidewall is actually 112.75mm tall and since it's a ratio, You can even try and play around with the width measurement to try and minimimze the size difference. for example 205/55/16 and 225/50/16s are nearly the same height And stepping down one measurement in height is ok, but your speedometer and odometer will be slightly off, use the calc above to determine how much. I've ran different sized tires than stock tires and most of my previous gen winter beaters, where i would try to get skinny and tall tires for that tiny bit extra snow performance. Actually, the height of the tire is very important to consider. The proposed 205/55/16 is going to add another 3% error on top of the 1-2% error that these cars seem to have from the factory already. The tread width of this tire is also 1/2" wider even though the cross sectional width is the same as the 205/60/16 size (wider tread= generally worse in the snow). Will changing to this tire size throw off vehicle speed sensors enough to mess with ABS and stability control systems?...probably not. Just keep in mind that when your speedometer says 70, you are probably only going 66. There are plenty of excellent snow tire choices in the 205/60/16 size, and I am not sure what you are expecting to gain here. I use that tire size calculator all the time ... thanks though. I have decided to go with stock size tires. I am going to run an 18 inch wheel with summers come the spring so I really only feel like getting the car aligned once every six months or so when I swap them out seasonally. I am just partial towards Michelin tires since I have had great success with them. I have also noticed my speedo is off by about 2 mph at 70 now. Would it be advisable to recalibrate the speedo every time I change from winter to summer tires and vice versa? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark5032 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Michelin does make good tires, and I honestly think it seems a bit odd that there are a few reviews on tirerack saying the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 tires are so terrible in snow. Sometimes I think comments like that are put there by fanboys of other brands. I wouldn't think you would need to get your car aligned twice per year. There is no way to calibrate the speedometer for different tires sizes that I'm aware of, so it's best to stick to OEM tire diameters, or slightly taller like for instance a 215/55/17. If you switch back and for and have very similar tire diameters, you won't need to think much about how fast you are really going, or worse, explain it to someone else who you let drive your car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhoran89 Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 Michelin does make good tires, and I honestly think it seems a bit odd that there are a few reviews on tirerack saying the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 tires are so terrible in snow. Sometimes I think comments like that are put there by fanboys of other brands. I wouldn't think you would need to get your car aligned twice per year. There is no way to calibrate the speedometer for different tires sizes that I'm aware of, so it's best to stick to OEM tire diameters, or slightly taller like for instance a 215/55/17. If you switch back and for and have very similar tire diameters, you won't need to think much about how fast you are really going, or worse, explain it to someone else who you let drive your car. True that. That sucks we cannot adjust the speedo. I am super picky about alignment anyways. The second the car pulls or the wheel isn't straight it starts bugging me. I had the x-ice 2 tires last year on a fwd Pontiac Grand Prix GT and absolutely loved them. I would blow by jeeps and other suv's w/ goodyear wranglers like it was nothing, even when my front bumper was serving as a plow. I couldn't get stuck if i tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rs6er Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Reviving this thread for another reason. Wife has 2011 Leggy 2.5i LTD. Previous car was 2007 Impreza. I bought 205/55/16 Dunlop Snows for the Impreza. I'm thinking about buying a set of 16" steelies to run these tires on her Legacy. Outside of the speedo/odo error, any reason why I shouldn't do this? I'd like to save as much $ as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROK Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I just had mounted 205/65r/16s on the oem alloy wheels. And I think this is the ultimate snow solution. Very happy with the DS3s. But it is 60° outside right now. Still happy my snows are mounted though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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