Tires, Tires, Tires

[capnblinski]

Folks,

I have an '00 Camry LE w/ the stock wheels with a spec for the tire of P205/65R15, the size presently on the car.

My question is as I am in a snow belt plus drive more on back roads than highway, I am considering using a set of a certain brand's winter-designated tire. Now, the three sizes that the design is available in that most closely match my orignal size
are:


215/60R15

215/65R15

215/70R15


They don't make a P205/65R15.


So, since I want to remain closest in size to the originals, my guess would be the 215/65R15 size.


Whaddya think?

[Yuko]

215/60-15 will be the closest to the overall diameter of the orginial tire. The speedo will read the same but the extra bit of wide will help with traction.

[Tom 2000]

You don't want wider tires in the winter.

http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/...urrentpage=116

[Oceans]

True while wide is good for dry weather traction it hinders you in the snow.

[LynchburgCSI]

Can you not get a 205/60R15?

[pmesfun]

Yeah, get 215/60-15, 205 is too thin.

[Silent Runner]

215-60's will look a little wider, but should only really be used on rims of 6.5-7" to gain any advantage in summer handling capability. Your original tire size will give you the best results under snow conditions. Do you want to stay out of the ditch in the winter, or hang 9/10th's out in the summer while looking a bit (10mm) cooler to yourself. Todays tires have changed dramatically from the past. Allseason/allweather, tires will get you around just fine in the summer if your ok with mediocer performance, less so in the winter. Summer h/p tires are absolutely useless in snow conditions, and full snow tires, in the summer are like trying to run a half marathon in snow boots. You really should invest in a set of steel rims with 205-65-15" winters, for the snow months, then something else to drive in the summer. This will extend your tire life and safety under both conditions to make it financially worth it if you can.

[capnblinski]

Can you not get a 205/60R15?

Umm.. not on the Winterforce. The idea to run these winter tires year-round came from someone here in sw pa. who is running a pair of 'arctic claws' on a taurus year round - his mechanic recommended to put them on. I started to notice some other cars w/ all four snow tires maybe they got something there- more tread on equals longer life vs.. any harshness/handling snafus - the car itself is not driven too much - only up and down some hilly terrain, a few back-roads and a little highway.And in this case it's all about the economics..


Better to having dedicated winter/summer sets though. If not, the best bet for me is a set of general's 205/65R15's sothe car's tires at original specs.
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