Does the size difference matter when changing tires and rims?
I have a 2007 pontiac g6. The tires i currently have on it are 215/60r16. I got some winter tires from a friend and am wondering if they can b put on my car. The new tires are 225/60r16. They have rims on them already, so im wondering if i can put the new tires with rims on my car, Is the size difference going to matter?
My car has 109400 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hi there. The rim size for you have included are good and the same. The numbers that are for a tire as displayed as the following:
The first number (ie: 215, 225) is the width of the tire tread
The second number (ie: 60) is the side wall distance of the tire, the height of the tire
The third number (ie: r16) is the radio construction and rim size of 16 inches
Your new rims and tires are good just a little wider, of about 1/2 inch. Just make sure that after installing the tires onto the vehicle that the tires will not hit the fender or frame. Other than that, the rims and tires will fit. If you need further assistance with your tire installation, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
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For most vehicles you can save often 100`s of dollars on a set of winter rims and tires by winter down sizing and here`s what your local dealer won`t tell you: `Winter downsizing` is in fact safer & considerably cheaper than using the same original size rim and tire that your specific vehicle uses.
People often assume a larger tire/wheel set up will provide better traction and performance for winter driving. But in fact, a narrower tire with a higher profile (but equivalent overall diameters) combined with a smaller-diameter wheel cuts through snow more effectively.
Even if your vehicle can accommodate the smaller rims with taller tires, the rolling diameter of the tire must match that of the original tire size. The tolerance is typically three percent or less difference, to preserve speedometer accuracy and proper operation of the vehicle`s speed-based safety systems.
Tires are a part of the wheel setup. For instance, your vehicle has a set size of rims, but you can buy different sizes of tires to fit those rims, as long as the middle of the tires is the correct size. That being said, a vehicle with bigger rims will often be able to fit larger tires than other vehicles.
When you have your winter tires placed on their own rims, you are only paying for the balancing and installation of the tires. You will also save money on having to replace your rims in the future. When you use the same set of rims throughout the year, you run the risk of damage caused by snow, ice and salt.
Unfortunately, altering the tire size of a vehicle without thorough and careful consideration is a decision that can really bite. Fitting the wrong tire size can cause damage to a vehicle, and is a real safety hazard as well.
Want to make your car even better in wintry conditions? Get a slightly smaller tire for the winter. It might not be readily apparent, but the wide contact patch that gives you great grip in the dry can be a detriment in the powder.
A narrower tire does a better job in snow. As a rule of thumb, for winter tires you can reduce the width 10mm, increase the aspect ratio 10 percentage points, and get a wheel one inch smaller — in this case 215/60R16.
Generally, you don`t want to go with tires that have a diameter that is more than 3% different from the factory tires.
While it`s fine to put narrower tyres on the front and wider on the back, it`s pointless to put wider tyres on just one side of the car. This would change the weight balance and would mean one side of the vehicle would grip differently to the road when braking. It would change the cornering dynamic, too.
How to make sure that rims will work with tires? Width and diameter are the two factors that determine tire and rim compatibility. For diameter you`ll need to be sure that your tires and wheels are an exact match, e.g. a 215/65R17 tire will only fit on a 17″ diameter wheel.
If you continually use mismatched tires and wheels they will wear out unevenly and can cause problems later down the road. If you choose to drive your vehicle with mismatched wheels the same issues can result. Mismatched wheels will fit each tire differently causing uneven wear and tear.
Having a set of wheels (rims) to go with your winter tires is a good idea. It saves the wear and tear of seasonal tire mounting, and makes it easy and much less expensive to do the seasonal changeover.
You can identify winter tires by the symbols on the sidewall. These are the M+S symbol and the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol, and both are industry standards. So far, the well-known M+S mark was sufficient as a winter tire label.
You should not mix winter and summer tyres. Mixing tyres in this way can make slippery conditions more dangerous and affect how well your vehicle handles, especially if the tyres have different tread patterns and performance features.
Larger wheels and tires change the suspension angles and could even affect your transmission`s gear ratio. In some cases, brakes, especially anti-lock brakes, are affected. You may need to make suspension and brake changes to compensate for these problems.
As a general rule of thumb, it`s safe to fit a tire up to 20 millimeters wider than stock on the original rim. The actual width of the tire will vary depending on the width of the rim: The tire will expand 5 millimeters for every half-inch (12.5 millimeters) increase in rim width.
Having a set of wheels (rims) to go with your winter tires is a good idea. It saves the wear and tear of seasonal tire mounting, and makes it easy and much less expensive to do the seasonal changeover.
Yes, you can use bigger rims as long as you fit a lower profile tire in order to maintain the original overall wheel diameter. Known as a plus one fitting, it is a very common practice among car enthusiasts and is offered by most manufacturers as part of their performance package option.
it`s unusual, but you can do it. you need to use taller tires to keep the overall diameter the same. and you need to make sure the new tires have the same speed rating or higher than the factory ones.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Does the size difference matter when changing tires and rims?
ANSWER : Hi there. The rim size for you have included are good and the same. The numbers that are for a tire as displayed as the following:
The first number (ie: 215, 225) is the width of the tire tread
The second number (ie: 60) is the side wall distance of the tire, the height of the tire
The third number (ie: r16) is the radio construction and rim size of 16 inches
Your new rims and tires are good just a little wider, of about 1/2 inch. Just make sure that after installing the tires onto the vehicle that the tires will not hit the fender or frame. Other than that, the rims and tires will fit. If you need further assistance with your tire installation, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
Read Full Q/A … : Does the size difference matter when changing tires and rims?
I need to know about tire size.
ANSWER : If you are wanting to change all the tires to a different size then I would recommend putting the replacement next to the correct tire to see the difference in height and width of the tire. You will see that the tire you want to install is a lot larger of tire than what you had. It is not advisable to install an incorrect tire size on the vehicle. You may want to try and trade them in for the correct size tire for your car. The incorrect tire may rub on the fenders and effect the steering and handling of the vehicle. It will also cause the speedometer to not be accurate and transmission to not shift correctly.
Read Full Q/A … : Does the size difference matter when changing tires and rims?
Hello I recently hit a pothole and damgaged a rim I had. I had to replace with all new tires and rims. I first got stock rims then
ANSWER : A road force balancer is meant to check tires for pull in one direction or another and balance a tire up to about 60 mph. Some tire balancers will check tires for higher speeds. You may have an imbalance that most machines cannot measure if it comes in after 65 mph. You can see if there is a shop near you that can do high speed balancing? You may have a front axle that is causing the vibration also. I suggest installing the original rims and tires on the front only to see if problem is still there and if so have the front axles checked for damage and replaced if any damage or looseness is noted.
Read Full Q/A … : Does the size difference matter when changing tires and rims?
Can I replace my 225/45R18 tires with 215/55R17 tires? The 215’s are what ALL tire sites say are original factory size
ANSWER : I owned a 2008 Sonata and currently own a 2015 Sonata Sport 2.0T Limited. With your generation as well as my 2015, the Sonata with the 2.0T engine has larger brakes so the 18 inch wheels make more room for them. Since yours is a 2.4 Limited, it only has the 18 inch wheels for appearance as all 2.4 ltr versions whether Base or Limited, have the same size brakes. I do not recommend a 215mm section width with the 18 inch wheels. The ride and handling will deteriorate badly. If you are sticking with the 18 inch wheels, then stick with the 225/45R18 tires. You can most certainly change down to the 215/55R17 tires AND wheels. Any 17 inch wheels listed for the Base, SE, GLS, etc will fit fine. The ride and handling will be different. It will ride a bit smoother as you are increasing the sidewall aspect ratio – 55 vs 45%. The will also be narrower – 215mm vs 225 mm. It may not grip as well in dry weather but you may notice a little better traction in wet and snowy conditions as there will be more weight concentrated on a narrower tread area. Your speedometer may be slightly off however. The average overall diameter of a 225/45R18 tire is 25.9 inches. So that makes for roughly 802 revolutions per mile. The 215/55R17 will have an average diameter of 26.3 inches and approximately 790 revolutions per mile. A slight difference that may only cause your speedometer to be off by 1-2 mph. On the up side, you may get a slight bump in miles per gallon. The taller tire will reduce engine rpms at highway speeds slightly. So if you are willing to reduce the wheels from 18 inch to 17 inch, then go ahead with the 215/55R17 tires. If you are keeping the 18 inch wheels, then stick with the 225/45R18 tires.
Read Full Q/A … : Does the size difference matter when changing tires and rims?
I bought two new tires and rims to put on my car and I want to know if I can make them fit.
ANSWER : Hi there. Anytime you purchase new tires and wheels that are not OEM options (which this 225/45zr17 is not), you risk creating multiple issues that will impact the vehicles performance such as ABS operation, speedometer, cruise control, and braking.
The standard rule used to be, for every inch in wheel size, you need to decrease aspect ratio (the 55 number) by one (making it a 50-series tire). Width would also increase by one size (to 215 from 205). By having a wider tire on there than is recommended, you also risk having turning radius issues and braking suspension components.
Due to these facts, I wouldn’t recommend putting those wheel and tires on your vehicle. If you were to install them, you’d need to purchase new lug nuts that are snug for that individual bolt pattern. Since we can’t see them; it’s impossible to tell you for certain if the ones you have will work.
If you’d like to know for sure, consider having one of our mobile technicians come to your home to inspect your car and suggest what to do from there.
Read Full Q/A … : Does the size difference matter when changing tires and rims?
Rims and tires.
ANSWER : The minimum recommended rim width for 33 x 12.5R16 is 8 inches. The rim diameter, of course, must be 16 inches. In terms of width, you can use rims that measure in the range of 8 to 9.5 inches with 9 inches being typical. Offset is set by the OEM manufacturer of the vehicle and is designed in based on suspension design, clearances and so forth. If you specify the year, make and model of the vehicle, we will be glad to look up the offset for your application. Offsets are also generally published in vehicle tire catalogs on the Internet and so will be searchable there, too, by year, make and model.
Read Full Q/A … : Does the size difference matter when changing tires and rims?
Advice for winter tires
ANSWER : 205/55R17 may be too tall for your vehicle. A couple of good sources to check size compatibility for your vehicle would be tirerack.com or maybe discounttire.com. Sites like Tire Rack specialize in winter tire packages and is a good source for fitment options. I have personally used Bridgestone and Dunlop snow tires and would recommend either. However, it is highly recommended that winter tires be mounted at all 4 corners. Having different tires with different capabilities not only makes the vehicle unstable, it will effect systems like the anti-lock brakes and traction control. Winter tires perform much better than summer or all-season tires do in ice and snow conditions. Having two tires with good winter traction and two with poor traction will have the anti-lock brake system working overtime. Also, sticking with a smaller tire for winter use is advisable. For ice and snow driving, you want the opposite for summer driving. Wide, low profile tires improve warm, dry weather driving. Tall, narrow, tires provide better control on snow and ice. Consider keeping your stock 16 inch wheels for winter use with winter tires mounted on them and maybe a nice set of 17 inch wheels and tires for summer use. I’ve done that with nearly every vehicle I’ve owned whether front, rear, or all-wheel drive.
Read Full Q/A … : Does the size difference matter when changing tires and rims?
front axle boots are both ripped
ANSWER : Hi there. I’m not sure how we can help you here, but here are a few facts to consider. In regards to having two different tire treads impacting the axle – that is very possible. This is why it’s highly recommended (and with many tire shops, actually policy) to have the same tread pattern on a drive axle (whether it’s front or back). In regards to causing it to tear CV boots, I highly doubt that. That is typically due to excessive wear and tear and exposure to the elements. What you’ve described about that shop is one of the reasons why we have mobile mechanics come to your location to complete several common services, like replacing CV joints, boots and changing oil and filters. We wish you the best of luck to resolve this issue.
Read Full Q/A … : Does the size difference matter when changing tires and rims?
