Tire question
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 13
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From: Lincoln, NB, Canada
Tire question
I was very happy to see a forum based on Hondas. Any way, I just have a couple of easy questions.
I have 2000 Honda Civic Sedan with 185/60/14 tires. That said, winter will be on it's way shortly, and my summer tires are almost balled. I wanted to go with 15" winter rims and tires. However, I don't want to loose any hight.
Would 195/60/15 fit, or would they be too big and throw off the spedometer? I would't mind a little more hight without messing up the spedometer.
What would be the best snow tires?
Thanks in advanced.
I have 2000 Honda Civic Sedan with 185/60/14 tires. That said, winter will be on it's way shortly, and my summer tires are almost balled. I wanted to go with 15" winter rims and tires. However, I don't want to loose any hight.
Would 195/60/15 fit, or would they be too big and throw off the spedometer? I would't mind a little more hight without messing up the spedometer.
What would be the best snow tires?
Thanks in advanced.
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From: Chicago
Re: Tire question (Maple_Tiger)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Maple_Tiger »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have 2000 Honda Civic Sedan with 185/60/14 tires.</TD></TR></TABLE>
That size is too small. Your car came from the factory with 185/65-14 tires. Maybe you just typed it wrong?
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Maple_Tiger »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">winter will be on it's way shortly, and my summer tires are almost balled. I wanted to go with 15" winter rims and tires. However, I don't want to loose any hight.
Would 195/60/15 fit, or would they be too big and throw off the spedometer? I would't mind a little more hight without messing up the spedometer.
What would be the best snow tires?</TD></TR></TABLE>
First, I would consider which tires you want to go on which wheels. I'm not sure if you've given this any thought. Most people like to put their summer tires on their biggest, nicest set of wheels, and put their winter tires on their smallest, crappiest set of wheels. And if you have to buy a set of steelies, used 14" steelies are easy to find (see the Hondamarketplace forums), but 15" ones aren't. So you might want to consider getting winter tires for your current 14" wheels, and getting a decent set of 15" wheels for a new set of summer tires for next spring. Just a thought.
On your car, the best 14" size (which will maintain the accuracy of the speedometer/odometer) is 185/65-14, and the best 15" size is 195/55-15. (195/60-15 is too big.) There are a lot of excellent winter tires on the market, and most of them are available in both these sizes. They tend to break down into two groups:
a) tires that have the very best traction on snow and ice, but have so-so ride and handling on days when it's not so cold; examples include the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50, Dunlop Graspic DS-2, and Michelin X-Ice. (The Tire Rack calls these tires "studless ice and snow tires".)
b) tires that have good traction on snow and ice and in cold, although not quite as good as the previous group, but they also have very good ride and handling characteristics on days when it's not so cold; examples include the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22, Dunlop Winter Sport M3, and the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2. (The Tire Rack calls these tires "performance winter tires".)
The choice between these two categories depends on the climate in your area, how much highway driving you do in the winter, how much you care about ultimate snow/ice grip versus ride comfort, whether you have another vehicle to use in the worst of winter, etc. Oh, and the tires in category (a) are usually significantly less expensive than category (b), which may be important. For example, I want the best snow/ice traction and I don't mind sacrificing some ride comfort and handling for those three months a year (mid-December to mid-March around here), and winter weather here in Chicago can be fairly nasty, so I have category (a) tires. But your priorities may be different, and you might be better off getting the category (b) tires.
The best category (a) "studless" tires, IMHO, are the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50. These tires have a "multicell compound" in the outer half of the tread, which acts like a sponge to soak up the moisture which melts when you drive on snow and ice. They really grip much, much better than other tires on those surfaces. Granted, they cost a bit more than, say, the Dunlop Graspic DS-2. But keep in mind that one set of winter tires may last you 6-8 winter seasons, if you drive on them 2-3K miles per winter, so you won't need to buy another set for many years.
That size is too small. Your car came from the factory with 185/65-14 tires. Maybe you just typed it wrong?
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Maple_Tiger »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">winter will be on it's way shortly, and my summer tires are almost balled. I wanted to go with 15" winter rims and tires. However, I don't want to loose any hight.
Would 195/60/15 fit, or would they be too big and throw off the spedometer? I would't mind a little more hight without messing up the spedometer.
What would be the best snow tires?</TD></TR></TABLE>
First, I would consider which tires you want to go on which wheels. I'm not sure if you've given this any thought. Most people like to put their summer tires on their biggest, nicest set of wheels, and put their winter tires on their smallest, crappiest set of wheels. And if you have to buy a set of steelies, used 14" steelies are easy to find (see the Hondamarketplace forums), but 15" ones aren't. So you might want to consider getting winter tires for your current 14" wheels, and getting a decent set of 15" wheels for a new set of summer tires for next spring. Just a thought.
On your car, the best 14" size (which will maintain the accuracy of the speedometer/odometer) is 185/65-14, and the best 15" size is 195/55-15. (195/60-15 is too big.) There are a lot of excellent winter tires on the market, and most of them are available in both these sizes. They tend to break down into two groups:
a) tires that have the very best traction on snow and ice, but have so-so ride and handling on days when it's not so cold; examples include the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50, Dunlop Graspic DS-2, and Michelin X-Ice. (The Tire Rack calls these tires "studless ice and snow tires".)
b) tires that have good traction on snow and ice and in cold, although not quite as good as the previous group, but they also have very good ride and handling characteristics on days when it's not so cold; examples include the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22, Dunlop Winter Sport M3, and the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2. (The Tire Rack calls these tires "performance winter tires".)
The choice between these two categories depends on the climate in your area, how much highway driving you do in the winter, how much you care about ultimate snow/ice grip versus ride comfort, whether you have another vehicle to use in the worst of winter, etc. Oh, and the tires in category (a) are usually significantly less expensive than category (b), which may be important. For example, I want the best snow/ice traction and I don't mind sacrificing some ride comfort and handling for those three months a year (mid-December to mid-March around here), and winter weather here in Chicago can be fairly nasty, so I have category (a) tires. But your priorities may be different, and you might be better off getting the category (b) tires.
The best category (a) "studless" tires, IMHO, are the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50. These tires have a "multicell compound" in the outer half of the tread, which acts like a sponge to soak up the moisture which melts when you drive on snow and ice. They really grip much, much better than other tires on those surfaces. Granted, they cost a bit more than, say, the Dunlop Graspic DS-2. But keep in mind that one set of winter tires may last you 6-8 winter seasons, if you drive on them 2-3K miles per winter, so you won't need to buy another set for many years.
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Lincoln, NB, Canada
I just got back from Canadian Tire with four 15" winter rims. That said, I'll go with what you said, "195/55/15".
Your right, I typed it wrong lol.
I'll take a look at the Bridgestone Bizzak - I live in Canada lol.
Thank you for the reply nsxtasy - I appreciate it.
Your right, I typed it wrong lol.
I'll take a look at the Bridgestone Bizzak - I live in Canada lol.
Thank you for the reply nsxtasy - I appreciate it.
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Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 23,478
Likes: 2
From: Chicago
Re: (Maple_Tiger)
No problem. BTW...
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Maple_Tiger »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'll take a look at the Bridgestone Bizzak - I live in Canada lol.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Make sure you note the difference (clarified in my post) between the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 and the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22, so you get the right one (the one you want).
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Maple_Tiger »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'll take a look at the Bridgestone Bizzak - I live in Canada lol.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Make sure you note the difference (clarified in my post) between the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 and the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22, so you get the right one (the one you want).
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