Tire size

[2000ProtegeSE]

Hi everyone, my 2000 Protege currently has 185/65/14's installed for winter tires.
I have some 15" rims I want to put on it, but I'm not sure about the sizes it can handle.
I was wondering if a 205/55/15 would fit without problems. It's considerably wider than the 185/65/15, but internet size calculators tell me this shouldn't be a problem.
Any ideas?

[goldstar]

A 205/55-15 wheel/tire combo should fit without interference. As you say, the speedo error is small and will read only 1.755% too slow with this setup (100 actual km/h will read 98.2 km/h). A 195/55-15 tire will definitely fit and give you a virtually identical speedo reading, and overall o.d., as OEM. In either case, the extra tread width and lower aspect ratio will give you some improvement in handling.

Edit: I'm assuming the 15" diameter wheels have the same offset as the 14s. However, if you're planning on using winter tires with the 15" wheels, you might want to choose 195s as some people say that a narrower tread is preferable, for better traction, in snow.

Happy Motoring!

[2000ProtegeSE]

A 205/55-15 wheel/tire combo should fit without interference. As you say, the speedo error is small and will read only 1.755% too slow with this setup (100 actual km/h will read 98.2 km/h). A 195/55-15 tire will definitely fit and give you a virtually identical speedo reading, and overall o.d., as OEM. In either case, the extra tread width and lower aspect ratio will give you some improvement in handling.

Edit: I'm assuming the 15" diameter wheels have the same offset as the 14s. However, if you're planning on using winter tires with the 15" wheels, you might want to choose 195s as some people say that a narrower tread is preferable, for better traction, in snow.

Happy Motoring!

Yeah I'm going to keep the 14" rims with the 185/65/14's for winter driving, and swap them over to the 15"s for summer driving. This way I can get a lot more out of the tires and won't have to re-balance them when they are swapped over.

I work at Wal-Mart automotive and our book says that 195/55/15's will fit no problem, but they do not stock this size. The 205/55/15's are in stock and are the cheapest tire we stock, at $53 a piece.