Hi all, for some reason my 2007 Corolla CE came stock with 195-65-15 tires (I bought the car used, so i dont know if it was 195 or 185 from new... the car had 195's on when i bought it) I always just bought 195-65-15 tires and never thought twice. The 2007 Corolla CE was also sold with 185-65-15 tires and I got to thinking about possibly buying a new set of winter tires and I know that a smaller contact patch may provide better winter performance (more weight per square inch). It will result in my speedometer in being 2% faster than speedometer amount or will it? I guess what I am saying is.. if the car came stock with 185 on some and 195 on others, how would I be able to tell what mine is stock with? What do I need to look for? If my car came stock with 185's than 185's should have no impact on the speedo?
Stock options were:
195/65/15 89S 6X15
or
185/65/15 86S 5X15
Does anyone know what is meant by 6X15 and 5X15? I know 86 is a lower load rating though.
Thoughts and advice please!
A) How do I tell what my car came with originally
B) Is it worth running narrower tires in winter or should i just go with 195's again?
OEM tire size or smaller for winter?
- Thread starter Rolla07
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What does the tire placard on your door or B pillar say? That usually lists the size that the car came with from the factory. Or are both sizes listed there?
I think you might be over thinking it. That's a pretty small difference and I doubt the speedo would've been calibrated differently between the two. Check the door sticker for the stock size.
I don't really think either would work differently in the snow. I'd just go with which size has better tire options, personally.
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
What does the tire placard on your door or B pillar say? That usually lists the size that the car came with from the factory. Or are both sizes listed there?
The factory size for your car (According to Tire Rack) is 185/65-15.
I would stick with that size, since there is really no cost savings with the wider size, and a narrower tire is more advantageous in the snow.
Here's a nice article on selecting sizes for winter tires: https://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=126
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Does anyone know what is meant by 6X15 and 5X15?
So stock size on my door placard states 195, so use 195 or go smaller?
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2023
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
So stock size on my door placard states 195, so use 195 or go smaller?
As narrow as is recommended for your car. Works best in snow.
All the above answers are true in a perfect world.
195/65/15 is more common though and in the "Champiros" I buy they come with a (XL) load rating of 95 which is a lot more than the 185 size comes with. If I get a flat in the middle of winter I feel I'm more likely to find a matching tread in 195 b/c they make more of them.
That all said they have also been MUCH cheaper on DTD sales.
I bought one set for the wife's HHR that originally took 215s under the "skinnier" premise. Now they're remounted on prius rims by virtue of... I already own the tires. Prius started with 185s.
Am I rambling? Just consider both sizes and see what's out there for variety.
Originally Posted By: eljefino
All the above answers are true in a perfect world.
195/65/15 is more common though and in the "Champiros" I buy they come with a (XL) load rating of 95 which is a lot more than the 185 size comes with. If I get a flat in the middle of winter I feel I'm more likely to find a matching tread in 195 b/c they make more of them.
That all said they have also been MUCH cheaper on DTD sales.
I bought one set for the wife's HHR that originally took 215s under the "skinnier" premise. Now they're remounted on prius rims by virtue of... I already own the tires. Prius started with 185s.
Am I rambling? Just consider both sizes and see what's out there for variety.
If you plan on keeping the car for awhile, buy some junkyard 15 x 5 steel wheels that fit your car and buy a set of 185 x 65/15 winter tires for better traction and keep a set of 195 x 65/15 summer tires for better load capacity and handling with dry roads. You will save the cost and hassle of seasonally swapping tires and older steel wheels don't cost much.
Originally Posted By: compratio10_5
If you plan on keeping the car for awhile, buy some junkyard 15 x 5 steel wheels that fit your car and buy a set of 185 x 65/15 winter tires for better traction and keep a set of 195 x 65/15 summer tires for better load capacity and handling with dry roads. You will save the cost and hassle of seasonally swapping tires and older steel wheels don't cost much.
First, I doubt that any reputable tire dealer will install anything other than what came on the car.
Second, believe it or not, the smaller size will cause a loss in fuel economy. I'd advise not going there.
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
What is more important load rating or slight traction improvement?
To maintain load rating and get a skinnier tire you go down one width size and up one profile size. You will actually end up with a slightly taller tire as well but that's a win for winter for clearance and I suspect your Corolla's 4spd auto top gear can pull a slightly taller tire. It seems 185/70R15's don't exist, but given your car was also spec'd with 185/65R15, those would work too. I run this size on my wagon instead of the original 195/60R15 size, and my yoko ig52c in 185/65R15 have an 88 load rating. I have 6" wide rims as well and its fine for the slightly narrower tire.
Originally Posted By: ecotourist
As narrow as is recommended for your car. Works best in snow.
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Personally, in this situation, my priority would be the lowest price, then narrower section width, then overall diameter.
I agree with QP that a 195mm section width is already a fairly narrow tire, so it should be good in the snow. Plus, the 185/65 has about 0.5" smaller OD, which would lower your ride height by 0.25". Which also means your sidewall is 0.25" shorter, making the winter pot holes a little harsher.
If 185/70-15 existed, or you hypothetically had a 14" wheels and could get a 185/75-14, those would be great snow tire options.
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
First, I doubt that any reputable tire dealer will install anything other than what came on the car.
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