GF has 2013 leased Elantra with 215/45R17 tires. She wants snows and TireRack suggests 195/65R15 tires and steelies, to save money and better in snow.
Comments?
Comments?
smaller snow tire size?
- Thread starter Donald
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As long as the manufacturer of the Elantra lists this particular size as an alternate size, I don't see why not.
The manufacturer will only list one size or two.
As long as the calipers can clear a 15'' wheel, I'd do it.
As long as the calipers can clear a 15'' wheel, I'd do it.
The brake caliper clearance is the only thing to worry about?
If the load rating is right, you should be fine.
Narrower is of course better in poor weather because it bites through the water, snow, and slush better.
Narrower is of course better in poor weather because it bites through the water, snow, and slush better.
I've ever seen ads from retailers here with wheel and tire sets that have lower load ratings than the OEM tires. Unless you carry aggregates in the trunk with sumo wrestlers, it's hard to overload tires on a sedan. I ran tiny 13" tires on the Neon for years without issues as they were never close to being overloaded. Just great deep snow and slush performance. Those 15" ones from the tirerack sound great, I would run them without a second thought.
Originally Posted By: Donald
GF has 2013 leased Elantra with 215/45R17 tires. She wants snows and TireRack suggests 195/65R15 tires and steelies, to save money and better in snow.
Comments?
Pretty sure the base-level Elantra comes with 195/65R15 tires, so it should be fine. Unless Hyundai tacked on much bigger brakes or lowered the car a bunch or whatever---but I doubt it.
There have been at least two threads here from folks looking to replace the OE 17" rubber on the "sporty" Elantra. Seems strange that Hyundai went that big and low-profile even for the sportier trim. Less than an hour ago I was out in my Saturn in Electra. The upside to narrow, high-profile, well-siped T-rated tires became clear more than once....
GF has 2013 leased Elantra with 215/45R17 tires. She wants snows and TireRack suggests 195/65R15 tires and steelies, to save money and better in snow.
Comments?
Pretty sure the base-level Elantra comes with 195/65R15 tires, so it should be fine. Unless Hyundai tacked on much bigger brakes or lowered the car a bunch or whatever---but I doubt it.
There have been at least two threads here from folks looking to replace the OE 17" rubber on the "sporty" Elantra. Seems strange that Hyundai went that big and low-profile even for the sportier trim. Less than an hour ago I was out in my Saturn in Electra. The upside to narrow, high-profile, well-siped T-rated tires became clear more than once....
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
I've ever seen ads from retailers here with wheel and tire sets that have lower load ratings than the OEM tires. Unless you carry aggregates in the trunk with sumo wrestlers, it's hard to overload tires on a sedan. I ran tiny 13" tires on the Neon for years without issues as they were never close to being overloaded. Just great deep snow and slush performance. Those 15" ones from the tirerack sound great, I would run them without a second thought.
I still would not go lower on the load rating. Even if you don't have people/things in the car, a lower load rating tire will not deal with the extra heat you're generating. That will lead to reduced life and a possible blow-out. Not worth it to save a few bucks. In some states, you'll fail the inspection.
I've ever seen ads from retailers here with wheel and tire sets that have lower load ratings than the OEM tires. Unless you carry aggregates in the trunk with sumo wrestlers, it's hard to overload tires on a sedan. I ran tiny 13" tires on the Neon for years without issues as they were never close to being overloaded. Just great deep snow and slush performance. Those 15" ones from the tirerack sound great, I would run them without a second thought.
I still would not go lower on the load rating. Even if you don't have people/things in the car, a lower load rating tire will not deal with the extra heat you're generating. That will lead to reduced life and a possible blow-out. Not worth it to save a few bucks. In some states, you'll fail the inspection.
I would look for even higher profile 195 75 15s.
Originally Posted By: andyd
I would look for even higher profile 195 75 15s.
Good luck finding tires in this size.
I would look for even higher profile 195 75 15s.
Good luck finding tires in this size.
Originally Posted By: andyd
I would look for even higher profile 195 75 15s.
I wouldn't. 195/65/15 gives an overall diameter only 1.5% off, meaning that the speedo readings will only be slightly wrong, under 1 mph difference. 195/75/15 is more than 7% off, meaning speedo will be slow by nearly 5 mph.
Overall diameter is important for more than speedo settings too. Odometer and torque control are affected.
http://tires.about.com/od/understanding_tires/a/Plus-And-Minus-Sizing.htm
http://tires.about.com/od/understanding_tires/a/Why-You-Should-Downsize-Your-Winter-Wheels.htm
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
I would look for even higher profile 195 75 15s.
I wouldn't. 195/65/15 gives an overall diameter only 1.5% off, meaning that the speedo readings will only be slightly wrong, under 1 mph difference. 195/75/15 is more than 7% off, meaning speedo will be slow by nearly 5 mph.
Overall diameter is important for more than speedo settings too. Odometer and torque control are affected.
http://tires.about.com/od/understanding_tires/a/Plus-And-Minus-Sizing.htm
http://tires.about.com/od/understanding_tires/a/Why-You-Should-Downsize-Your-Winter-Wheels.htm
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: andyd
I would look for even higher profile 195 75 15s.
Good luck finding tires in this size.
That size hasn't been made in a long time.
Originally Posted By: andyd
I would look for even higher profile 195 75 15s.
Good luck finding tires in this size.
That size hasn't been made in a long time.
I run 195-65-15 in winter and 225-45-17 the rest of year on my corolla. What about 185-65-15? My guess is u can run either the 185 or 195 with no issue. As long as the 185 wont exceed 3%. Plenty of tire options in that size and also cheaper than 17's.
Your speedo will be off a couple mph. The 15's are actually. .4 inches taller.
The Miata dot net tire size calculator is a useful tool.
By using it and slightly adjusting tire size, I was able to save $100 on my winter tire package. The tire sizing specification differences were negligible.
However it is a Java Runtime-based application. There are security risks associated with using Java in a browser, and you will probably have to download Java from Oracle. OS vendors (Apple, Microsoft, etc) do not recommend enabling Java in the browser or even downloading and installing it.
Now, I personally have no issue with installing Java on my machines, because Oracle is a trusted vendor and you can disable Java in your browser preferences. So, you could enable it to run the tire size calculator and then disable it, which is a safe way to use it.
There also could be applications on your computer that use Java. Again it's a matter of trust … if you trust the app it's OK, if you don't it's not.
The OS vendors recommend on the basis that you don't have a clue what you're doing. So they do not recommend Java. But it is safe if properly used and configured.
Just a heads-up.
Also note that people confuse Java and JavaScript. There is nothing in common with the two except an unfortunately similar name. Allowing JavaScript in the browser is OK; allowing Java is not unless you trust the page you're using it with.
By using it and slightly adjusting tire size, I was able to save $100 on my winter tire package. The tire sizing specification differences were negligible.
However it is a Java Runtime-based application. There are security risks associated with using Java in a browser, and you will probably have to download Java from Oracle. OS vendors (Apple, Microsoft, etc) do not recommend enabling Java in the browser or even downloading and installing it.
Now, I personally have no issue with installing Java on my machines, because Oracle is a trusted vendor and you can disable Java in your browser preferences. So, you could enable it to run the tire size calculator and then disable it, which is a safe way to use it.
There also could be applications on your computer that use Java. Again it's a matter of trust … if you trust the app it's OK, if you don't it's not.
The OS vendors recommend on the basis that you don't have a clue what you're doing. So they do not recommend Java. But it is safe if properly used and configured.
Just a heads-up.
Also note that people confuse Java and JavaScript. There is nothing in common with the two except an unfortunately similar name. Allowing JavaScript in the browser is OK; allowing Java is not unless you trust the page you're using it with.
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