If I went from a 195/55-15 to a 205/50-15, how much of a wear difference is that in terms of miles on an average all-season tire with 'normal,' mostly highway driving (I know there's a billion variables, but just asking for a ballpark answer) Tire calculator shows .2".

If anyone cares, I'm trying to be a dork and justify/quantify the cheaper price difference of the 205/50 vs. treadwear.

Non-flame responses appreciated!

 

the 205/50 will roll 1.6% more per mile...

if 195/55/15 was $100 and 205/50/15 was $100, you'd be losing $1.60 in wear over the life of the tires.

that is assuming they are the exact same tires.

 

Ya but then the 205 is wider so it has more surface to wear through. Then you have to start considering that with one tire your odometer will over read and thus your car will depreciate slightly quicker. Of course don't forget to consider the changes one tire over the next will have over fuel efficiency both in acceleration and cruising due to their minute difference in size....blah blah blah

To summerize: It doesn't make a difference, things you should consider are over all price, which size is better suited for your rim width and car, and of course if there are different brands/models involved which one is best suited to your needs.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by old man neri &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ya but then the 205 is wider so it has more surface to wear through.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yup. Less of the rolling circumference is in contact with the road at any given time (since the size of the contact patch doesn't depend on treadwidth).

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by old man neri &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">To summerize: It doesn't make a difference</TD></TR></TABLE>



All differences are minor, and either size will be fine...

 

the guy knows there really are a million more variables at play and the difference is sooo small it's a joke

 

Well, I work as a market researcher, so I'm obsessed with these tiny nit-picky things and I look at stats from all angles every day.

I've noticed on a lot of sites that 195/55-15 are a lot of times more expensive that other sizes, sometimes almost by 20-25%, even when a cheaper tire size would use more rubber and materials. That, and driving 100 miles a day to work every day, I want a tire that would that would be more economical for me.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chahsiubow &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well, I work as a market researcher, so I'm obsessed with these tiny nit-picky things and I look at stats from all angles every day.

I've noticed on a lot of sites that 195/55-15 are a lot of times more expensive that other sizes, sometimes almost by 20-25%, even when a cheaper tire size would use more rubber and materials. That, and driving 100 miles a day to work every day, I want a tire that would that would be more economical for me.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Here are the differences:

On cars for which 195/55-15 (or 185/65-14) is the stock tire size, 205/50 will add 1.6 percent error to the speedometer and odometer (which will read higher by that percentage).

205/50 may be a tiny tiny TINY bit better at cornering.

195/55 may grip a tiny tiny TINY bit better when the pavement is wet.

205/50 may give you a tiny tiny TINY bit better acceleration in each gear.

195/55 may give you a tiny tiny TINY bit better gas mileage.

All these differences are very, very small. If the prices are substantially different, then get the cheaper one.

(BTW, I'm not sure how you would even know which one uses more rubber, since one is wider and the other has a larger diameter...)

 

Cool, thanks for all the help.

Well, maybe I'm wrong, but I imagine the tire sizes for other cars (195/60 195/65 195/75 -15... which tend to be cheaper from what I've seen) use more rubber and materials than the 195/55-15

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chahsiubow &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Well, maybe I'm wrong, but I imagine the tire sizes for other cars (195/60 195/65 195/75 -15... which tend to be cheaper from what I've seen) use more rubber and materials than the 195/55-15</TD></TR></TABLE>

The price of a tire is not determined by how much rubber is in it. I would imagine it is mostly marketing, manufacturing set up, manufacturing, and ya, more marketing.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">(BTW, I'm not sure how you would even know which one uses more rubber, since one is wider and the other has a larger diameter...)
</TD></TR></TABLE>

i'm just guessing that at the same psi, they'd wear at the same rate since the contact patch is the same size... it's all complete conjecture. i based my guess on the number of revolutions per mile.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by old man neri &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

The price of a tire is not determined by how much rubber is in it. I would imagine it is mostly marketing, manufacturing set up, manufacturing, and ya, more marketing.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm sure of it, among other things. I'm just trying to placate and over-simplify my distaste for them charging more for the optimal tire size for my car.