I am wondering what options I have for tire size - currently have 185/55/16. Looking at for winter tires 175/65/15, is that possible? I read able to go up a size down, however the manual says only that size for non-sport models.

Apologies if this has been asked before, I couldn't find a definitive answer.

Thanks in advance.

 

if you buy 15” wheels you can use the same size tires as base models.

 

If you look how tire sizes work, you will see the first number (185) is the tire's width in millimeters, and the second number (55) is how tall the sidewall is, expressed as a percentage of the first number (so the sidewall is 55 percent of 185 millimeters tall. The last number (16) is the wheel size the tire fits on. So, to fit 175/65r15, you would need a set of 15 inch wheels.

There are some other sizes you can fit on the 16" that'll work, like 205/50r16. The tire will be 20mm wider, but won't rub on anything, and is very close to the same outside diameter so your speedo will still be accurate.

 

But for winter tires, you are better with a narrower tire, so it'll be able to "dig" into snow.

With a wider tire, it'll be more slippery.

 

That's great, thanks.

 

For sure, I can see what the options would be, Thanks,

 

Ah, right. Definitely want to go with the smaller size. Thanks for sharing that.

 

I bought bridgestone blizzaks for my subie outback a few years ago. The local tire shop recommended going with skinny snow tires, but then I read an article in either motor trend or car and driver indicated that their testing showed that with current technology a wider SNOW tire is better than a narrow one. You should probably reconfirm this for yourself. BTW I absolutely loved the blizzaks, I couldn't believe the traction in the snow and ice.