Tire size Pros and Cons..

[skulley]

Hi!
I was wondering if anyone could tell me the pros and cons of different tire sizes. I have 13's right now that are in good condition and I was wondering if there are good reasons other than a little lift to upgrading to 14's. Do smaller tires handle better in the snow, off road or for regular street driving? I know quality counts of course, but does size really matter? What about 15's, are they an option for our cars without serious mods? Does size affect gas mileage?

[teranfirbt]

14's are going to have better tire selection in the sizes we need (most econo boxes from the 90's and early '00s use narrow 14" tires).
In terms of handling, narrow tires are better for the snow and mileage, but wider tires will give you better grip in dry and wet conditions. In my opinion, a 185/60/14 would be perfect if you want stock diameter tires. 185/70/14 is a pretty common size and shouldn't give any clearance problems. Bridgestone makes the Blizzak in 165/65/14 that would probably be amazing on a Tercel in the snow.

[Petros]

general rules for tires: narrow will have less drag therefore better economy but also suffer poor stopping, handling and tration, the more tread on the ground on both pavement and off road the better the traction. For the same rolling dia, bigger rims with lower profile tires will be more responsive (less tire flex) but not stop or grip as well on wet roads (the really low profile tires w/really large wheels popular today are only good on dry roads, and have really poor wet performance), really low profile tires are also very vulnerable to side wall damage off road (the tire gets pinched between the rim and rocks). the more open and aggressive the tread, the better the off road and snow grip, but the more noise and wear, and poor fuel economy. Also wide tires will tend not to bog down on soft surfaces such as off road.

And larger rims do not necessarily mean larger rolling diameter, that is a function of overall tire diameter. A taller tire will reduce the engine speed a bit a cruise speed, and improve ground clearance, but will also raise the CG of the car and increase sidewall flex which will degrade handling and body roll in turns.

Also FYI, generaly lighter alloy wheels will improve handing and grip (less weight than steel wheels) and also reduce the flex of the wheel, which will also improve handing and responsivness. But be careful, some alloys can weight more than the steel wheels. The wider the wheels (the rim width) the less side wall flex and the better the feel and handling.

This is why for best handling you want the largest and widest wheel and tires that will fit, but for severe off-road (like the 4v4 rock crawlers) you want large tires with smaller dia rims

some brands of tire will have better grip AND less rolling resistance (better wear and economy) but these rules generally are valid for similar tires of different sizes.

[4wdchico]

I did a bunch of research and ended up going with set of Michelin X tires from Costco in size 185/65-14 on a set of Miata daisey wheels. Got the wheels off CL for $75 for the set. They are good solid alloy wheels that weigh 12.3#, were made by Enki for Mazda and have steel inserts in the lug holes so standard lug nuts can be used. They also have the correct hub pilot diameter for our cars.

The tires are 3.6% bigger rolling diameter and my spedo will show that I'm going 1-1.5 mph slower (checked with a GPS)than I'm actually going across the entire speed range, not too bad a spedo error. The tires have a really good balance of sidewall stiffness for handling and suppleness for a good ride. Consumer Reports reviewed the X radial tires a few years back (Nov. '05) and they came up first or second in all categories and had low rolling resistance also.

I have been told by Costco that these tires in that size have been dropped but Sam's Club shows them for approx. $83 each with a discount coupon from Michelin on a set of four now in effect. Nowhere near as cheap a deal as I got earlier this year from Costco, $257 out the door, but a great tire for the t4wd.

[danzo]

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testSearch.jsp has alot of tech info you might want to check out. Of course they want to sell you tires, but they want to sell you tires that fit your application so you will be satisfied and buy from them again. They are a big supporter of racing programs and have good prices to boot. I have no affiliation with TR, other than using them in the past and am very pleased.

I myself am deciding on 13" tires to mount on my Enkeis in the next few weeks. Good luck and let us know what you skins you go with.

[hberdan]

I've always used 13" stock Tercel wheels with both snows and road tires; these days I have a set of each mounted on wheels so I can change them out as needed. 14's might be a better ride in some respects, but the 13's are mighty inexpensive overall, and seem to wear well. I have a set of Kuhmo KR21s for summer driving and a set of Hankook Winter IPikes for the snow, all in 175/70/13. So far I've not had any problems finding that size; if 13's become extinct before my wagon does, then I guess I'll have to go to 14's; we'll see.

[skulley]

I am picking up a st of Miata daisies on Tues. They are 14" and come with some Toyo touring tires. Not my first choice in tires, I wanted something more beefy, but I have the same tires on my Mercedes and they have done well. When I need new tires I'll go for the Bizzaks or something. In the mean time, anyone need a set of 13" stock steelies with m+S Michellens? I'm in Nor Cal.

[garyfish]

skulley -- I was just down in your area over New Year's... and will be down there again around Jan. 17th. How much tread left on the tires, & how much do you want for the set of stock wheels & tires? BTW, I live up near Eureka.

[skulley]

I'm in the Santa Cruz area, but I could meet you somewhere if you are serious. I would love to sell these to another Tercel owner! So I have them posted on Craig's List for $150 obo. So make me an offer... I'm just trying to recoup some of the money I spent on the other rims/tires. Oh, they have about 75-80% tread left.