Tire Time - Change in size from 205/65 to 215/60?

[capnblinski]

My '00 Camry le 5s-fe has the 205/65 - 15 tire size, and factory wheels with the pop-off covers. The tires are mostly worn out and I'm planning on replacing them with the same model tire and manufacturer.

My question to you helpful folks is: The tire also comes in a slightly wider/larger 15" - sized at 215/60. To my way of thinking, I would get a slightly bigger road contact patch and a bit more grip, So I am thinking of replacing in the bigger size. Are there any problems associated in going with the bigger tire? I see in the manufacture's specs that the 215's are 2 lbs. heavier apiece than the 205's.

[Yuko]

Going up to a 215-60 should work fine. I know a few member with 235 and 245 but have to roll their fenders. The down side is the weight as you pointed out and cost are usually higher than the 205. I don't know how much more grip between a 205 and 215 of the same brand. But instead of spenting more on wider tires, why not upgrade the 205 to a better tire? If the price is the same, go for the 215 but it might hurt a bit on MPG. But I have no prove on that.

(funny that the title reads 205 to 225)

[chronoti]

do it, i did it for like 10 years, then i went wider(different rims)

[Tom 2000]

215s will fit just fine without any problems, but I would tend to agree that you might want to consider a better 205 tire.

Your sidewalls will bulge out a tad more with a wider width tire on the same rim. Your cornering may feel slightly softer as a result. There's also a slight increase in tire weight. As your contact patch increases, you have slightly more parastic drag also.

I've had all kinds of tires of in 205/65R15 size.

Q-rated snow tires - Winterforce
S-rated all-season touring tires - Michelin
H-rated performance tires - Falken & General
V-rated high performance tires - Falken

They were all the same size, but that was about it.

V-Rated Falkens had great grip, but wore out after just 35K. Snow traction was next to nil.
H-rated Generals wore fast and lost its grip fast too
H-rated Falkens, which I had siped, were probably the best combination of ride, grip, stability, price and snow traction
S-rated Michelins lasted almost forever (87K miles), but had very little grip
Q-rated Winterforce Studded snow tires were excellent in the snow, but floaty on dry pavement.

[capnblinski]

Hey there folks thanks again. And I got that there title changed.


The existing worn tires are goodyear 'triple treads' in the 205/65 -15 configuration. So, I decide - go with these general 'altimax hp', (mainly based on the price) and design similarity to the gy's. And also that the car drives fairly well on what's left of the goodyears. So I'll likely go with that size of 205/65 -15 and the general's .




http://www.flickr.com/photos/54377513@N04/5557650448/

[molson.david]

^ I'm planning to put 215/65/15 and 2003 camry 15"x6.5 wheels on 2000 camry.
Did they fit on yours?
Choosing between yoko avid touring-S and Pirelli P4. Second one more expensive, but I got them on 2007 camry and like them a lot. 25K on them and still got 50% of tread left.

[Silent Runner]

Changing from 205-65, 15' to 215-60, 15's has been a surprising improvement to my cars handling and ride. I went from H rated Goodyear Assurance tires with an H rating to a cheap set of Nexen (Walmart) tires, that also have an H rating. More grip, quieter, and surprisingly they ride nicer. Less bang thump over harsh impact stuff. I allways thought the Goodyears rode rough... in fact they did. Feels a little sharper in steering responce, but not much. I should note that these tire were both mounted on 15x7, American Racing wheels, and the wheels themselves are about 4-5 lbs lighter than the stock alloys.

[capnblinski]

^ I'm planning to put 215/65/15 and 2003 camry 15"x6.5 wheels on 2000 camry.
Did they fit on yours?

I went with the general hp 215/60/15 size - but am still intrigued on the subject of one wheel size, and five or six tire sizes for that wheel per manufacture.

[molson.david]

ok. I'm in trouble: I ordered 215/65/15 Yoko Touring S and NTB installed tires today on my wife's 2000 Camry. rear tires don't fit and rub on struts...
as a temporary solution I put 3 washers (total thickness1/4") on each stud.there is gap about 3 mm between strut and tires now.
what would you recommend to do:
1.return tires and get proper size. of course I'll loose close to 50% of tires cost.
2.get spacers. I've seen 10 mm spacers on ebay, $80-100+.
do I really need spacers like this
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HUBCE...Q5fAccessories
or two pairs of 5mm spacers will work?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/5mm-H...Q5fAccessories
will studs be fine without center bor support?
3. or just leave washers in place.

any suggestions?

[Yuko]

Originally Posted by molson.david

ok. I'm in trouble: I ordered 215/65/15 Yoko Touring S and NTB installed tires today on my wife's 2000 Camry. rear tires don't fit and rub on struts...
as a temporary solution I put 3 washers (total thickness1/4") on each stud.there is gap about 3 mm between strut and tires now.
what would you recommend to do:
1.return tires and get proper size. of course I'll loose close to 50% of tires cost.
2.get spacers. I've seen 10 mm spacers on ebay, $80-100+.
-
3. or just leave washers in place.

any suggestions?

The washer is a safety issue; may cause the lug nuts to back off. Spacers are your safest bet if you want to keep your wheels because it provides more contact area. Another option is to give the rear wheels more positive camber (outward tilt) which is done with alignment. There not a lot of adjustment but can move the tire away from the strut.

[Safari Wagon]

FYI - on my gen3, the rears needed spacers to avoid molson.david's problem of rubbing on the struts.
(215/60/16 Michelins, Lexus GS300 rims)

[molson.david]

^. I know now...
I bought 5 mm spacers off ebay, but they dont have center hub.
none of 5-6 mm spacers got hubs. only 10 and up.
is it ok to install 5 mm shim type spacers on original studs?
I'm affraid without center hub support wheel gonna break or bent studs at some point.
or it pretty to safe to use them?

[slavie]

How much "spacing" do you need? Is 5mm enough?

The nice thing about the 10mm set is they seem to come with the needed longer studs. so at $80, they aren't that bad of a deal, as 10 studs alone would set you back $25+ (replacing studs isn't difficult - did one myself recently)

Otherwise, your lug nuts have less stud to hold on to. But in any case, leaving the just washers there sounds like a pretty bad idea.

[Silent Runner]

I tried washers on my old 89' 626 Turbo. I noticed vibration from them immediately and took them off right away. Nice cheap idea, but not safe.

[molson.david]

How much "spacing" do you need? Is 5mm enough?

yes, 5 mm is enough.

I tried washers on my old 89' 626 Turbo. I noticed vibration from them immediately and took them off right away. Nice cheap idea, but not safe.

I know washers are not proper fix. I ordered 5mm spacers,
but I'm still worried about studs been strong enough to hold wheel without support of center hub...