Topic: Another first time buyer question

[thomson]

Hi all
I live in Richmond Hill(North of Toronto) and have a 05 Camry SE with All Season P215/60R16. I have a few questions about winter tires

1. Is is better to change the rims in addition to the tires?  
2. should I get the same size as my All season or get '15 instead? I heard narrower tires perform better in winter  
3. Any suggustion which winter tires and where I should get them from?
Thanks all, it's a great forum for Canadian~

[oversteer]

1. Yes for many reasons (makes your life easier, protects your summer rims, less expensive in the long run because you avoid the cost of mounting and unmounting tires, allows you to go with a smaller size assuming the rims clear your brakes) <BR> <BR>2. You heard correctly, just make sure the wheels clear the brakes.

[articsteve]

The reason you want 15" is that they are priced cheaper.  The diameter size of the wheel does not have anything to do with the width.

Go here:  http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

IMO, you don't need anthing wider than 195mm for a Camry.  IMO, 195/75/15 would be best buy.

Like already advised, get the steel rims @ 15inches.  It costs 25 bucks a wheel to dismount and mount and balance a tire. So 4 x 24 x 2 = 200 bucks per year.  That is the cost of a set of steel rims @ 15 inch.

[articsteve]

On second thought, 205/65/15 might be alright as well.

[ericthejet]

1.  Yes it's a good idea and saves wear and tear on the seperate sets of tires.

2.  I use the same size tire and I cannot think of a time I wish I had placed narrower tires on the rims.  Thinner works a bit better but consider your driving conditions and habits first.  I think the off-road crowd considers tire width quite important based on the conditions they experince.

3.  Any quality winter tire will work well compared to the A/S tires.  I use Michelins and they work just great 90% of the time.  CTC has inexpensive winters as well and you may also want to go to one of those epinion websites for particular feedback on tire selections.

[morty]

195/75/15 winter tire could be a very tough find Tire calculator works great, but make sure that you are looking for a realistic tire size.

Size to go with im 15" is the 205/65/15 and make sure you double check any wheels for caliper clearance. Previous years only allowed for 16", but you may be able to fit the 15" on your '05



TireTrends - Get ready for winter!

[oversteer]

quote:

The reason you want 15" is that they are priced cheaper. The diameter size of the wheel does not have anything to do with the width.

Go here: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

IMO, you don't need anthing wider than 195mm for a Camry. IMO, 195/75/15 would be best buy.

This is slightly misleading.  The diameter and the width are most definitely related, via the aspect ratio.  The height of the tire is the width (in mm) times the aspect ratio (e.g. in 195/65/15, the "65" means 65% for this calculation, so that the height of the tire is 65% x 195 mm = 126.75 mm).  The total diameter is the rim diameter in inches (the "15" in 195/65/15) plus 2 x the height.  

I really have never quite understood why metric and imperial units are mixed in tire sizing.  FYI the total diameter of a 195/65/15 tire is 634.5 mm (you convert the 15" wheel diameter to mm).  The diameter of 215/60/16 is 664.4.  The diameter of 205/65/15 is 647.5.  So if you went with 205/65/15  your total diameter would be smaller than stock by 2.5%.  You'll have to ask the experts if that's good enough (it will affect your speedometer and possibly stress some steering components.  Should be ok though).  But, as you have been warned by others, a 15" wheel may or may not fit over the brake assembly so check first.

Narrower contact patch in winter = more psi to "cut through" snow and ice, at the expense of dry handling.  The reason you can't drop to ultra-narrow tires is that you still have to meet the load rating spec.

[safristi]

[articsteve]

Hey Morty; read my LAST post: "On second thought, 205/65/15 might be alright as well."  It was easier than an edit.

Morty says "Size to go with im 15" is the 205/65/15 and make sure you double check any wheels for caliper clearance. Previous years only allowed for 16", but you may be able to fit the 15" on your '05."

What are you dudes smokin at Tire Trends?; 15" have been on Camry's for years.  They are stock for 05 Camry.


Oversteer:

If your going to quote a dude, quote the last thing the guy says on the subject:  "On second thought, 205/65/15 might be alright as well."

The original poster was simply asking if he could run a thinner tire than what came on his unit. Since 205s are stock I doubt Toyota would consider them a handling hazzard.  If I was driving in snow in a Camry I would not blink at a 195 tire either.  

I have a 2002 SIR that usually have 16s with 225s and now I have 14s with 185s for winter.  That's a big leap.  It handles great.

My final recommendation was a 205/65/15 and that is not a thin tire and a 195 is not an ultra thin tire either, but just as I hit the submit button I thought about it again and changed to 205/65/15 which is the Camry STOCKER.

I wasn't "misleading"?  I was just pointing out the tire calculator which is way better than any word description.  I also was trying to save the dude some cash by alerting him to 15 inch steelies and tires.

[morty]

We could use something right about now Did not see your second post. I wasnt meaning to sound as though you were misleading. Just that sometimes the calulator spews out numbers that dont exist.  

Whether the vehicle fits 15" or not will depend on the model. I believe the CE has bigger brakes than the LE. You just want to do a trial fit on the 15" before installing. You are correct in the fact that many models will fit 15", but not all.




TireTrends - Get ready for winter!

[thomson]

oh thanks for you guys so much
I was having exams these days so I didn't have time to visit the forum.
By the time I have finished all the exams (this week) , I am going to shop around

(Message edited by thomson on December 15, 2004)