i need to know whats a good size tire for my car i currently have 195/60R15 but i won a contest for new tires im looking to get low profile tires but dont know how short of a sidewall to go with(keep in mind i live in long island,ny so i deal with potholes/speed bumps daily i was thinking 205/60R15 or 215/60R15. which 1 would be ideal for all year driving with potholes and many speed bumps
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If you are fetting them free, then get 215/50/R15's the 50 series are hard to get and expensive, I do'nt think they make 40's for 15" wheels, but I could be wrong. I have 50's on mine right now, look OK.
and if you didn't know the first number is width the second is hight and the third is wheel sizesigpic
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I'd recommend 205/55/15. I run Kumho Ecsta SPTs in this size.
Here's how a 205/55/15 Kumho Ecsta 712 looks on my car (lowered on Eibachs):
Here's a nifty tool for comparing tire sizes: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
(Yeah, it's on Miata.net, but it works for all sizes, all cars [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/razz.gif[/img] )
A bit about the numbers, using your 195/60/15 stock size as a reference:
195 = the tire is 195mm wide. (Actually there's some variation in this, like a 205 Hoosier is wider than a 205 Kumho, but whatever)
60 = aspect ratio / tire height. In this case, the tire is 60% as tall as it is wide.
15 = rim size (this one's easy).
Note that since the tire's height is measured as a percentage of its width, as the width goes up, so does the height, even if the number doesn't change. Therefore, a 205/60/15 is TALLER than a 195/60/15. If you don't believe me, try it on the tire size calculator I linked to above.
The trick is as you switch to a wider tire, use asmaller aspect ratio. Example:
195/60/15 = 24.2" diameter (stock SC2).
205/60/15 = 24.7" diameter (0.5" taller than stock)
205/55/15 = 23.9" diameter (0.3" shorter than stock)
205/50/15 = 23.1" diameter (1.1" shorter than stock)
215/60/15 = 25.2" diameter (1.0" taller than stock)
It doesn't match up perfectly, due to the limited sizes available, but you can get it close. The shorter the tire, the lower your gearing, the higher your speedo will read, and the lower your ride height (205/50/15 will drop you about half an inch, which is half the difference in diameter).
I've also heard of problems with tires wider than 205 rubbing against the struts. But since actual width it varies between manufacturers, it may still work. Or not.- Justin<br />91 Sentra SE-R, "The Millenium Falcon"<br />91 Miata, "The Otter"<br />ex 95 SC2 (Locutus), 96 SL2 (Silverstreak), 96 SL2 (Apollo), 94 SW2 (Ninja Wagon)
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One time, in mid-March, I hit a nasty pothole and dented both of my winter [crappy OEM steel] wheels on one side of my car. Rather than fix them for another week or two of use, I just switched to my alloys early. This caused a snowstorm to happen so I'd get caught driving in snow on my Kumho Ecsta 712s. Acceleration was all right, but turning was nearly impossible, and stopping WAS impossible.
In other words, don't even THINK about driving in snow on summer tires. [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/lol.gif[/img] Pick up some 15" steelies for cheap and throw some cheap snow tires on them for winter - or mount up whatever tires you're using now.- Justin<br />91 Sentra SE-R, "The Millenium Falcon"<br />91 Miata, "The Otter"<br />ex 95 SC2 (Locutus), 96 SL2 (Silverstreak), 96 SL2 (Apollo), 94 SW2 (Ninja Wagon)
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