Do wider tires increase that feeling of 'stability?' how does it affect steering? (We're talking 175/65R15 vs. 195/60R15)

[lizpat]

This is for a 2012 Honda Fit which came stock with 175/65R15 tires on a 15x5.5 steel wheel (with wheel covers, of course!)

I have since replaced the wheel with an alloy aftermarket wheel (Konig Helium 15x6.5 size) on those same tires.

I wonder if go wider promotes that feeling of 'stability'

The tires current on are Sumitomo P02 A/S in the category "Performance All Season" (rolling diameter 24", weight 17.9 pounds)

The tire I'm thinking about is the Continental TrueContact Tour 195/65R15 in the category "Standard All-Season" (rolling diameter 24.2", weight 16.7 lbs.)
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Addendum: What about steering, do wider tires increase steering radius (= more effort when steering?)

 

[bullwinkle]

Maybe in dry weather-but that "feeling" will disappear in the first heavy snowfall or rain!

 

[Lubener]

if they were to actually fit, your winter driving traction will suffer.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Better grip when turning. Wet depends on the tread design. Snow? Who cares it's an A/S tire. "Stability" is a function of tire type, suspension tuning, and at high speeds aerodynamics.

Note: I'm assuming the tire size in the title is accurate rather than the body of your post.

 

[CharBaby]

YES, in my experience the wider tire has improved hiwy speed stability. Will it improve your city/rural driving stability? Maybe a little bit in turn-in feel. In my particular case, I went from a 205mm-235mm and noticed a very nice difference.

And YES again, the wider tire could or will hurt your snow traction(tire dependent). However, I don't view a 195mm wide tire as being a terribly wide tire. So will it actually hurt YOUR winter traction? Mmm, IDK!

In my opinion, going from e.g., a 195mm wide tire to a 225mm wide tire will seriously hurting your winter traction but not as much when changing from a 175mm-195mm. I mean, it might but, you'd almost have to do a side-by-side comparison with measurements that small. And too, it depends on the car.

Just my 2cents

 

[Lubener]

Better grip when turning. Wet depends on the tread design. Snow? Who cares it's an A/S tire. "Stability" is a function of tire type, suspension tuning, and at high speeds aerodynamics.

Note: I'm assuming the tire size in the title is accurate rather than the body of your post.

Which do you think would have better traction is snow? A thin are wide tire? Your comment "Snow? Who cares it's an A/S tire" is laughable.

 

[lizpat]

YES, in my experience the wider tire has improved hiwy speed stability. Will it improve your city/rural driving stability? Maybe a little bit in turn-in feel. In my particular case, I went from a 205mm-235mm and noticed a very nice difference.

And YES again, the wider tire could or will hurt your snow traction(tire dependent). However, I don't view a 195mm wide tire as being a terribly wide tire. So will it actually hurt YOUR winter traction? Mmm, IDK!

In my opinion, going from e.g., a 195mm wide tire to a 225mm wide tire will seriously hurting your winter traction but not as much when changing from a 175mm-195mm. I mean, it might but, you'd almost have to do a side-by-side comparison with measurements that small. And too, it depends on the car.

Just my 2cents

Your 2 cents are appreciated.

I'm 2 cents richer.

 

[krzyss]

If one really cares about snow traction, or broader winter traction, one buys winter tires. This way you can have wider tires for 3 seasons and dedicated set for winter. By the way if there is no chance of getting to bare pavement wider may be better.

Krzyś

 

[Skippy722]

I think at the size difference you’re talking here, you, and pretty much everyone else, would be very VERY hard pressed to feel any measurable difference from behind the wheel in rain or snow, all else being equal. Tire compound and tread design will have a far greater impact.

 

[40w8]

The 5.5" wheel is near perfect fit for that 175/65, and with a 6.5" wheel the 195/65 is near perfect fit.

You are correct to assume that the 195/65 will feel less slop.

I could tell my 225/40r18 had slop on a 7.5x18" wheel, so I made tire tight with 215/40r18.

Tirerack says wheel size for 195/65r15 is 5.5"-7".

 

[CapriRacer]

Tire size plays less of a role here that the difference between make/model. So it's hard to make generalizations.

That said, if you try to match the load carrying capacity by using a lower inflation pressure, you won't gain more stability - all other things being equal.

If you use the same inflation pressure, you will gain a slight amount of stability.

But if you use more inflation - even without changing size - you'll gain more stability.

 

[IndyIan]

Tire Size Comparison

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All things equal, wider tires would increase parking lot steering effort a bit, but not an issue with power steering.
Going from 175/65 to 195/65 is half an inch of radius and almost an inch wider so it might be tight in the wheelwell with stock wheels. Your new wheels extra width makes the tire cross section width even bigger and if the offset is changed it could be worse still. You definitely need a test fit before committing to buying 195/65.
Also you've got a 4.2% change up in the overall gear ratio. If your car is a manual this is probably a good thing, as top gear is always geared way to low in N.A., but if its an automatic, you may find it can't stay in top gear as much and cost you mileage.
If you are running snow tires I'd leave those stock size or narrower if possible as in the deep snow and slush, narrower is better. I ran 155/80R13's on a Sentra and a Neon and people who drove those cars in deep snow were impressed.
If you are going to run all seasons year round, probably a 185/65R15 would be a decent compromise, a good quality tire will be decent in snow, and have slightly better hwy manners, while still fitting under the car.
I switched my Focus to 195/65 Michelin Defender T+H from 195/60R15 Goodyear Eagle RSA's this summer and its been all good, slightly lower rpms on the hwy and a bit better mileage, speedo is now accurate, quieter and bit better ride over choppy pavement, and handling is close enough for the street.

 

[GimmeTorq]

It did help in my Fit although they were different tire brand/model so that probably had more to do with it. The reason I did it was getting more options in terms of brands, tire models and availability. It could affect fuel economy, but I don't regret it.

 

[tasch72]

This is for a 2012 Honda Fit which came stock with 175/65R15 tires on a 15x5.5 steel wheel (with wheel covers, of course!)

I have since replaced the wheel with an alloy aftermarket wheel (Konig Helium 15x6.5 size) on those same tires.

I wonder if go wider promotes that feeling of 'stability'

The tires current on are Sumitomo P02 A/S in the category "Performance All Season" (rolling diameter 24", weight 17.9 pounds)

The tire I'm thinking about is the Continental TrueContact Tour 195/65R15 in the category "Standard All-Season" (rolling diameter 24.2", weight 16.7 lbs.)
----------------------
Addendum: What about steering, do wider tires increase steering radius (= more effort when steering?)

If there was a change in wheel offset from old to new wheels, your scrub radius may have changed, which would affect handling characteristics. A 20mm jump in tire width isn't going to make much of a change in steering radius much. You may lose a little bit depending on clearances.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Which do you think would have better traction is snow? A thin are wide tire? Your comment "Snow? Who cares it's an A/S tire" is laughable.

No comparison vs dedicated winter tires. In any case the OP is moving from a "Performance A/S" to a slightly wider "Standard A/S" tire. Loss of performance due to the wider width could easily be offset by the better tread design.

Typically Performance and High Performance A/S tires use the same general tread design as Summer/HP tires but broken with some sipes(sips?) and blocking with a change in compound.

Example Michelin PS 3+ A/S vs Michelin PS2

A standard A/S tires usually has a unique catch all tread design vs other offerings. This is a Michelin Premier A/S. Notice the additional sipes vs those above?

 

[Kawiguy454]

its only 20mm difference so width increase will be less than that, all else being same you wont notice at all. you want it to feel tighter put a few extra pound of air in.

 

[Dennywires]

Better grip when turning. Wet depends on the tread design. Snow? Who cares it's an A/S tire. "Stability" is a function of tire type, suspension tuning, and at high speeds aerodynamics.

Note: I'm assuming the tire size in the title is accurate rather than the body of your post.

I would think a small wheel base car such as the fit a wider tire with less sidewall could definitely enhance the vehicles handling nature. However snow traction would suffer.

 

[Traction]

An extreme example as to if tires make a handling difference would be, if you could put 176/65-15 tires on a new C8 Corvette, with smaller brakes of course, I'm sure your Honda Fit could almost keep up with it.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I would think a small wheel base car such as the fit a wider tire with less sidewall could definitely enhance the vehicles handling nature. However snow traction would suffer.

True, but he's going for more side wall not less.

113.75mm tall for the 175/65
117mm tall for the 195/60.

IIRC he could decrease the amount of flex in the sidewall by staying with current size but going up in load rating. That would improve tire response..

 

[Dennywires]

True, but he's going for more side wall not less.

113.75mm tall for the 175/65
117mm tall for the 195/60.

IIRC he could decrease the amount of flex in the sidewall by staying with current size but going up in load rating. That would improve tire response..

Would that put his Speedo off?