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Change Tire Size on 08 OB ??

1K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  Subpar 
#1 ·
Your thoughts on changing the stock 225/60/16 tires for 215/75/16 on the OEM steel rims.

Smaller footprint little better in snow, and taller for better mpg?

According to tire size calculator I should be OK with fit and clearance. Anybody gone this route?

Also... if replacing OEM valve stems, can I just use non chipped stems? Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Smaller footprint little better in snow, and taller for better mpg?
Narrower is good for icy snow, taller is not good for better mpgs - usually the larger diameter and increased weight will give a mileage reduction... It does give you slightly better ground clearance, which is always a desirable thing in winter. I would go with a 215/65R16 which is the same diameter as the OEM tires.

Choose your winter rubber with maximum traction and handling in mind. You get miserable mileage in winter due to lower speeds in lower gears, winter blended fuel, extended warmup time and other factors which make your engine run less efficiently. Tire choice will be of minimal help, if any.

Is there a reason you want steelies? You can get very nice alloys for less than US$100 each.

You can leave out the TPMS sensors if you don't mind the flashing light - you can hide it with a square of black electrical tape. I prefer flexible rubber stems since they can take a hit from an icy rut or rock and not snap off.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA
 
#3 ·
John.... Thank you for your reply. Living in zone three I understand about the hard rubber in Winter.

I would prefer going slightly narrower for reasons mentioned, but would be fine keeping diameter the same, especially after your comment on lower MPG. Nor do I want to mess up the odometer and related.

The steelies are OEM, I have the entry level package. Zone three is not a friend to alloy wheels, been there done that. Yes I do have rubber stems but they are chipped.

Do you have an opinion on tires. I have always gone with a less aggressive tread over the years on my vehicles.
 
#4 ·
Do you have an opinion on tires. I have always gone with a less aggressive tread over the years on my vehicles.
Are you talking about pure snow tires? I am assuming so.

I really like the Michelin X-Ice tires. With four cars in the family (two teenaged drivers at college) I have two sets of the X-Ice 2 and one set of the latest and greatest X-Ice 3 tires, and I think they are great on packed snow and ice. Not so good in really deep fresh snow. VERY predictable handling on slick surfaces. Decent handling on dry pavement (for a soft compound snow tire). 40,000 mile tread warranty (!!!!) which is practically unheard of for a snow tire. They maintain their grip even when the tread is worn well past the 50% mark.

Check out the online reviews of the X-Ice 3 before you decide on a different brand. Here's a good one - read page 2 for sure:

http://tires.about.com/od/Tire_Reviews/fr/Review-Michelin-X-Ice-Xi3.htm

John Davies
Spokane WA USA
 
#6 ·
I was at Discount tire the other day and wanted to look at the Nitto Motivo ,tire was agressive and looked great but the Manager suggested the New Michelin Defender. From the reviews on tirerack many are using and running it in other snowy states and rated it very high. It is a replacement for alot of there tires and Michelin seems to be really moving forward with change outs of older models. I have Toyos on mine and no problem with the amounts of snow here. I know when I decide to change mine the Michelins would be at the top choice especially with amount of sipes and sidewall.
 
#7 ·
Well...... The Tiger Paws will have to do for a while.

Local tire shop said they would not install the size I wanted as they were not compatible for class and weight of the vehicle. 205/65r 16 would be a bad idea.

However.... Doing all the homework on this subject was worthwhile. I believe the next set will be Michelin Primacy MXV4 at the factory size.

For $700 I will keep what I have for a while, they are doing what I need. Thanks for the replies and the feed back.
 
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