Staggered winter tires for my MR2

[TinyVoices]

Going to be needing some winters for my 1993 mr2 here soon. I will need wheels too.

The car currently has 16x7.5s on it with a 225/50 in the back and a 205/45 in the front. Hankook Ventus V2 Concept2 tires.

I would like to run a staggered winter setup as well. Probably something in the 15" range but those tires are harder and harder to find in smaller sidewalls like a 50. I believe I can fit most 14" wheels over my front brakes so that is an option as well.

What wheel widths do you think I should go with to ensure a decent ride and tire selection? Maybe 15x6.5 all around? My issue is that I cannot run anything bigger than a 50 series sidewall up front with the 15" wheel in order to not rub the spring perch and there are no winters available in sizes that seem to fit.

What should I do?

 

[UltrafanUK]

It's a real bad idea with most cars or small trucks to use a tyre size that is not listed in the owners manual and in most cases the front and back tyres should be the same size and type. If not the different wheel speeds
confuse the ABS system and can also cause speedo errors.

Most manufacturers will supply a car with a tyre size tht results in the best MPG figures, although some will have the best tyre for minimum braking distance figures. Just to confuse things winter tyres often need to be smaller than the summer ones for best performance.
It's all in the owners handbook!

 

[TinyVoices]

Originally Posted By: UltrafanUK
It's a real bad idea with most cars or small trucks to use a tyre size that is not listed in the owners manual and in most cases the front and back tyres should be the same size and type. If not the different wheel speeds
confuse the ABS system and can also cause speedo errors.

Most manufacturers will supply a car with a tyre size tht results in the best MPG figures, although some will have the best tyre for minimum braking distance figures. Just to confuse things winter tyres often need to be smaller than the summer ones for best performance.
It's all in the owners handbook!


My car has no ABS and had staggered wheels and tires from the factory. No worries there.

The issue is that they don;t make winter tires in many sizes that fit my car no matter the wheel size. Thats where I need help. I have run all kinds of wheels/tires on all kids of cars. Not worried about not following the handbook.

 

[Rand]

195/55-15 Original Front Tire
225/50-15 Original Rear Tire



You may have to just run 195/55r15 all around..
get 15x6.5 wheels.


There are 5 tires in this size available from DTD.

They had rebates of upto 320$ during their labor day sale..(4tire+4wheel)
A similar deal will be during black friday.
Free shipping.

OTOH why drive that car in winter? The salt cancer.....

 

[slacktide_bitog]

The OE tire size up front is 195/55-15 (and the rear is the same 225/50 that you have now)

Could you perhaps do 185/60-15 up front and 215/60-15 in the rear? Because there are some options in this combo:
General Altimax Arctic
Firestone Winterforce
Mastercraft Glacier Grip
Cooper Weathermaster ST2

 

[The_Jeff]

Are you on dry roads 90% of the time? Do you want a "performance winter" tire that's also acceptable in snow?

I personally would forget the staggering and suffer through the winter on a stock size or even 10mm narrower (pizza cutters.)

The wider rear tires you envision won't fall into the ruts your front tires create and will handle much funkier in the snow.

 

[TinyVoices]

Originally Posted By: Rand
195/55-15 Original Front Tire
225/50-15 Original Rear Tire



You may have to just run 195/55r15 all around..
get 15x6.5 wheels.


There are 5 tires in this size available from DTD.

They had rebates of upto 320$ during their labor day sale..(4tire+4wheel)
A similar deal will be during black friday.
Free shipping.

OTOH why drive that car in winter? The salt cancer.....



Only buying from tire rack because I live 5 miles from their warehouse and I don't pay shipping.

 

[TinyVoices]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
The OE tire size up front is 195/55-15 (and the rear is the same 225/50 that you have now)

Could you perhaps do 185/60-15 up front and 215/60-15 in the rear? Because there are some options in this combo:
General Altimax Arctic
Firestone Winterforce
Mastercraft Glacier Grip
Cooper Weathermaster ST2



I have run a 205/50r15 front and that barely clears the perch. Anything taller would rub, how much taller is that tire?

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Originally Posted By: TinyVoices
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
The OE tire size up front is 195/55-15 (and the rear is the same 225/50 that you have now)

Could you perhaps do 185/60-15 up front and 215/60-15 in the rear? Because there are some options in this combo:
General Altimax Arctic
Firestone Winterforce
Mastercraft Glacier Grip
Cooper Weathermaster ST2



I have run a 205/50r15 front and that barely clears the perch. Anything taller would rub, how much taller is that tire?


About a half inch taller than what you have now, but only a tiny bit taller than the stock size

tire calculator

 

[heynow]

Having daily driven my NSX through an entire Vermont winter using studded snow tires, I would NOT want to run a non staggered setup in the winter. I would also suggest you run the same brand and model of snow tire front and back, as I have found that a mid engine car with mis-matched winter tires can cause some very strange handling characteristics.

 

[andyd]

MR2 Thats a little Toyota sports car. Mid engine? Rear engine? I would use a 185 r 75 14 to mount snow tires Will 14" wheels fit over the calipers? If not go with smallest rim that will fit and dont go wider than 185s. You don't want wide low profile snows on anything.

 

[TinyVoices]

Originally Posted By: andyd
MR2 Thats a little Toyota sports car. Mid engine? Rear engine? I would use a 185 r 75 14 to mount snow tires Will 14" wheels fit over the calipers? If not go with smallest rim that will fit and dont go wider than 185s. You don't want wide low profile snows on anything.

185/75 won't even be close to working. It's like an entire inch too tall for the front.

 

[TinyVoices]

Originally Posted By: heynow
Having daily driven my NSX through an entire Vermont winter using studded snow tires, I would NOT want to run a non staggered setup in the winter. I would also suggest you run the same brand and model of snow tire front and back, as I have found that a mid engine car with mis-matched winter tires can cause some very strange handling characteristics.


Definitely going to run the same tires front and back and definitely going to be staggered.

 

[JHZR2]

I had a staggered setup on my BMW, merely because I started out with just snows on the rears, became a believer, then got a deal in some narrower tires for the front.

It never quite felt right to me, useable and safe, but not the same as a matched set, which is what I ran three seasons, and with the snows I've used on other cars.

Personally I'd go for the narrowest tire you could find that suits the wheel size and load rating. A narrower OE size is optimal..

 

[IndyIan]

185/65R14 are .2" larger in radius than 205/50R15. Its a pretty common size for 90's econo boxes so you'll find winter tires. I'd try a square setup as is and if its still to loose, disconnect the rear sway bar.

 

[krzyss]

You can run staggered summer and non-staggered in winter, AFAIK.

Krzys

 

[TinyVoices]

Looks like I'm going to try and run Toyota Camry 14s in the front. They are 14x5.5 et45. Will run a 185/60 on them. Nothing 14" works in the back so I'm going to try and find some 15x6's to run 205/60r15s on. Any idea what cars came with a 15x6 steelie 5x114.3 with a 60.1mm hub bore? Seems common enough to find at the junkyard.

 

[wheelman1991]

LEXUS ES 300 1992-03 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS ES 300 1992-97 5 X 114.3 15 X 6 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
LEXUS ES 330 2004-06 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS ES 350 2007-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS GS 300 1993-06 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS GS 300 1993 > 5 X 114.3 16 X 7.5 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
LEXUS GS 350 2007-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS GS 400 1998-00 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS GS 400 1998-01 5 X 114.3 16 X 7.5 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
LEXUS GS 430 2001-07 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS GS 430 2001 > 5 X 114.3 16 X 7.5 12 X 1.5 60.1 M
LEXUS GS 450H 2007-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS GS 460 2008 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS IS 250 AWD, RWD 2006-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS IS 300 & SPORT CROSS 2000-05 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS IS 300 & SPORT CROSS 2000 > 5 X 114.3 17 X 7.5 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
LEXUS IS 350 RWD 2006-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS IS F 2008 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS LS 350 1990-92 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS LS 400 1990-00 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS LS 400 1990-94 5 X 114.3 16 X 7 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
LEXUS LS 400 LARGE BRAKES 1995-00 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS LS 400 LARGE BRAKES 1995 > 5 X 114.3 16 X 7 12 X 1.5 60.1 M
LEXUS LS 430 LARGE BRAKES 2001-06 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS LS 430 LARGE BRAKES 2000 > 5 X 114.3 16 X 7 12 X 1.5 60.1 M
LEXUS RX 300 1998-03 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS RX 330 2004-06 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS RX 350 FWD, RWD 2007-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS RX 400H FWD, RWD 2007-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS RX300 1998-03 5 X 114.3 16 X 7 12 X 1.5 60.1 M
LEXUS RX330 2004 > 5 X 114.3 16 X 7 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
LEXUS SC 300 1992-00 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS SC 300 1992-96 5 X 114.3 16 X 6.5 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
LEXUS SC 400 1992-00 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS SC 400 1991-01 5 X 114.3 16 X 7 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
LEXUS SC 430 2002-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
LEXUS SC 430 2002 > 5 X 114.3 18 X 8.5 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
LEXUS SE 330 1991-97 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1

 

[wheelman1991]

SUZUKI SX4 2007-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.25 60.1
TOYOTA AVALON 1995-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
TOYOTA AVALON 1995 > 5 X 114.3 15 X 6 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
TOYOTA CAMRY 1992 > 5 X 114.3 14 X 6 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
TOYOTA CAMRY CE, LE, SE, XLE, HYBRID 1992-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
TOYOTA CAMRY SOLARA 1999-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
TOYOTA CAMRY SOLARA 1999 > 5 X 114.3 16 X 6 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
TOYOTA CRESSIDA 1989-92 5 X 114.3 15 X 6 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2001 > 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2001-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
TOYOTA MR-2 1990-95 5 X 114.3 15 X 7 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
TOYOTA PICKUP 2WD 1980-95 5 X 114.3 13/14 X 4.5 12 X 1.5 60.1
TOYOTA PREVIA 1990-96 5 X 114.3 14 X 6 12 X 1.5 60.1
TOYOTA RAV4 1996-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1

 

[wheelman1991]

TOYOTA SIENNA 1997-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
TOYOTA SIENNA 1997 > 5 X 114.3 15 X 6 12 X 1.5 60.1 M
TOYOTA SUPRA 1989-97 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
TOYOTA SUPRA 1993-96 5 X 114.3 16 X 8 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
TOYOTA SUPRA, TURBO 1986-93 5 X 114.3 16 X 7 12 X 1.5 60.1 H
TOYOTA TACOMA 2WD EXCEPT PRERUNNER 1995-04 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
TOYOTA TACOMA 2WD EXCEPT PRERUNNER 1995-97 5 X 114.3 14 X 5.5 12 X 1.5 67.1 M/H
TOYOTA TACOMA 2WD, W, OE 15″ 2005-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1
TOYOTA TACOMA X-RUNNER, W, OE 18″ 2005-08 5 X 114.3 12 X 1.5 60.1