Snow tire - size matters?

Forum Sponsor
Lightcycle said:
Another vote for narrower tires.

Going down a size to smaller diameter wheels is great for saving money since the rubber is cheaper, but if you want to cut through snow, narrower width "pizza cutter" tires are the way to go: more weight on a smaller contact patch.
Click to expand...

You need to add GVW into the equation as well, but the general theory is sound.

dsc_9309.jpg
 
On the flip side, going down in rim size and increasing sidewall will negatively impact handling. I was never a big fan of going to my winters from my summers. I could feel the sidewall flex.
 
Agreed, but on the flip side to that the taller sidewall improves ride (shorter stiffer sidewall gets rough in cold weather) and being softer and flexible reduces chance of damage to the wheel from potholes, frost heaves, etc.
daught said:
On the flip side, going down in rim size and increasing sidewall will negatively impact handling. I was never a big fan of going to my winters from my summers. I could feel the sidewall flex.
Click to expand...
 
Best practice is to take your stock tire size (as noted on your door panel) then drop 1" rimsize. You want to keep the diameter the same, any tire dealer will calculate this for you, or use the Tire Size Calcualtor to help match circumference.

The increase in sidewall size will have insignificant impact on clean road driving, but will help reduce with potholes, traction and passing over ice bumps common in the winter.
 
Mad Mike said:
Best practice is to take your stock tire size (as noted on your door panel) then drop 1" rimsize. You want to keep the diameter the same, any tire dealer will calculate this for you, or use the Tire Size Calcualtor to help match circumference.

The increase in sidewall size will have insignificant impact on clean road driving, but will help reduce with potholes, traction and passing over ice bumps common in the winter.
Click to expand...
Why only 1" drop? That would be appropriate on many vehicles but if your vehicle came with 35 or 45 profile tires, I think it is entirely appropriate to drop two or more inches. Or said another way, I prefer winter tires to be 55 to 70 profile (if possible).
 
You might go 2" on 20's or bigger, I like 65-80, 55s won't give you much pothole or ice bump protection.
 
Mad Mike said:
You might go 2" on 20's or bigger, I like 65-80, 55s won't give you much pothole or ice bump protection.
Click to expand...
A common car tire size for 17's is 225 45, so if you want 65, you need a 2" drop from 17. SUV tires start higher profile (normally) so they need less drop.
 
Just go to tirerack and see what they recommend for winter tires. They will display the smallest rim you can get what tires to put on it.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
 
daught said:
Just go to tirerack and see what they recommend for winter tires. They will display the smallest rim you can get what tires to put on it.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I checked one car and it listed OEM sizes. On that car, you can go smaller with no issues.
 
Earlier model CRV you could drop down to 16 inch rim, so 215/70/16. I believe the current models using 16's will cause interference with the calipers.
 
A friend bought some cheap tires and rims. He likes them even though they show him doing 100 when he's really doing 85.

I disagree.
 
It isn't about droppin 1" or 2" automatically....it depends on the vehicle. The stock size for a Corolla tires are 15,16,18" depending on the model.....all of them can ride on a 15 tire.....but none can have a 14". Just look at the stock smallest size for the vehicle and that'll work.....if you have a base CR-V the rims are 17"....go with that and you'll be fine.
 
Finally got some 17' steel rims for my CRV and now lookin for some snow tire. Anyhow, I was trying figure out if I need to get 4 TMPS units for the steel rims. But found out the CRV has indirect tire monitoring system. thank god!
 
justride said:
the CRV has indirect tire monitoring system. thank god!
Click to expand...

Don't put too much faith in those indirect systems. They are slower to react to changes in tire pressure, you may be driving for a while before the system detects a pressure differential. If one of your tires goes flat overnight, it won't warn you until after you've driven for quite a while.

Also, if all four tires lose pressure at the same rate, they will all rotate at the same rate... all the way down to 0 psi... and the indirect TPMS will not throw a fault.
 
Lightcycle said:
Don't put too much faith in those indirect systems. They are slower to react to changes in tire pressure, you may be driving for a while before the system detects a pressure differential. If one of your tires goes flat overnight, it won't warn you until after you've driven for quite a while.

Also, if all four tires lose pressure at the same rate, they will all rotate at the same rate... all the way down to 0 psi... and the indirect TPMS will not throw a fault.
Click to expand...
VW will trigger in ~two blocks at -10 psi. A few km at -5 psi. I haven't tried lowering all at once to see if it catches it. Theoretically it could grab gps speed out of android auto as a check but I have no idea if it does (probably not). I haven't tried driving on a flat tire to see how long it takes.
 
I have 18" summer/stock wheels and 17" winter wheels for my truck.
Going with a narrower winter tire helps with traction.
 
19" summers and 17" winters.
The winters are not as wide but have higher tread-wall height.
 
Last car I had winters on had 225/40/18 summers and 205/55/16 winters.

General rule of thumb is go with the smallest size offered from factory for winter tires that fit over the brakes. Steel is better because it's tougher than alloy and cheaper to replace if it does get damaged.

Narrower contact patch (weight of car isn't as spread out) and taller sidewall (better impact protection on potholes, etc. and more pliable in cold) is better for winter conditions.

Sites like tirerack.com have good calculators to take out the guesswork.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom