Just recently had to buy new tires for my gf's 2008 Honda Fit Sport. I was in a rush at a tire store and the salesperson said the original owner of the car had the wrong size tires on it. The car had 195/65R15 tires on it but the salesperson convinced me that Honda recommends 175/65R15 tires, so I decided to go with those. I didn't realize the salesperson was wrong until the tires were already on the car. Are these tires safe to use on the 2008 Honda Fit Sport? What should I expect to be different when using these tires? Thanks for any help

 

To clarify stuff a little just in case you're unaware, the first number in a tire size is the metric width of the treadblock. The second number is the height, and it's presented as a percentage of the first number (Example: 195/65/15, the height is 65% of 195mm. 195x0.65=126.75). Next is the wheel height which is given in inches. it can be converted to metric to get an idea of the total height of the wheel with installed tire. 1"=25.4mm (Example: 195/65/15, 15x25.4=381mm, 195/65/381 or 195/126.75/381.) Combine wheel size with the tire height and we get our total metric height for that assembly, 126.75+381=507.75mm.

Still with me?
The new tire size you got is still wrong (175/65/15 = 175/113.75/381) though less so than your former tires. Its' total assembly height is 494.75mm.

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Stock sizing for the 15" wheel on an 08 is 195/55/15 (195/107.25/381). Total assembly height is 488.25mm.

That's all talking height. taller tires equate to poorer acceleration, poorer braking performance, less stability, but higher top speed and a less bumpy ride if properly inflated.

You also lost a lot of width, and i'd personally advocate for getting it back as it enhances braking, steering stability, and traction at the expense of fuel economy, acceleration. Although I have a 2012 fit, which is a different generation, I found that the narrow 175 or 185 tires that came with the car easily lost traction in the rain, so they had to go.

You should be able to get the tires exchanged at any point within 30 days as that's the standard ride quality complaint window for most tire manufacturers, but I'd go as soon as can to avoid hassle. An added benefit of switching back would be a more accurate speedometer.

EDIT: You can keep the new tires you got if you'd like. I worry about stuff like braking in the rain, but they sound close enough to specifications to be okay to drive. Oh, I should mention that your 15" wheels are likely wider than the base model's 14" ones which come with 175mm treadblock tires, so the 175mm tires may be a little stretched on your current wheels. This counteracts the benefit of increased sidewall height, potentially negating the smoother ride part. It may also further instability just a little bit. Stretched tires (tires too narrow for their wheels) is a thing in the drifting community. They like rigid assemblies with minimal grip. Also increases likelyhood of scraping wheels when parallel parking.

 

Congrats to Pyts for a very thorough and well stated explanation of the tire issue. The only thing I would say is why not go back to the tire store and insist they install the correct size tires for your car since they made the mistake? Have them install the correct tire size which is 195/55/15.

As explained by Pyts, you now have tires that are too tall and too narrow. The stock height 23.4" vs. 24.1", stock sectional width 7.9" vs 6.9", and stock tread width 6.6" vs 5.3" are all off. Basically the height of the tires will throw your speedometer off some, and the lack of width on the tires will affect traction and stability.

 

I took your advice and called the tire store and they agreed to replace the tires. I will be replacing the 175/65/15 tires with 195/55/15 tires. Thank you both so much for taking the time to respond with such thorough explanations!

 

Normally, on the door sill, there is a sticker that state the tire size, tire pressure and a some other information. So next time a tire store tells you something stupid, you can reply back with the right information.