Thanks for the reply Jodele! I used the tire calculator on 1010's site and the 195/55 has an overall diameter of 23.44 and the 185/60 is 23.74.

 

If yu have the standard 15" wheels with 55 mm offset there should be no rubbing issues. If you have aftermarket wheels with 42 mm offset the you will probably have an issue with rubbing.

 

You may find the winter tire tests in the latest consumer Reports of interest. Especially regarding oise (Canadians wouldn't care snow stays on the ground all winter but for those of us who only tread on snow occasionally ...

 

5" of snow is 'mild' ? lol there is no way in hell a fit would run 'fine' on
5" of snow on stock tires. i know cause it wasn't able to get past my
driveway last season. lol

took my legacy to work.

 

I agree, even with the car lowered you should be fine. If I can help with the tires let me know.

 

Good deal, I'll be sure to ask for you when I order.

 

As long as you choose a proper size tire to go on the 14" rims you'll improve your winter get-about. The diameter of the tire is not a fuction of the wheel size.
For example, the winter rule is generally to go one size narrower and a slightly larger tire diameter to get maximum traction and ground clearance.
If you have 195/55x15's 23.44)you can go with 185/65x14's (23.46)or 185/70x14((24.2); the latter giving a little more ground clearance while the 185/65x14 are close to stock. If you have 185/55x16's (24.01) go with the 185/70x14's (24.2").
As for brand of tire, check TireRacks performance ratings (use lap times rather than opinion where you can) or check this month's Consumer Reports for their ratings. Winter traction is dependent on tire compound, tire strructure, tread design, and footprint. They are not all the same on any two tires.
good luck.

 

I don't doubt your experience, but I ran in WELL over 5 inches of snow many times last winter on the stock all seasons. In fact, 5 inches most certainly IS "mild" up in this area of BC. I can actually recall a number of days when there was upwards of a foot of fresh snow and the stock tires took me into work and back without much of an issue.

That being said, I'm sure the WR's I picked up will do a MUCH better job, just like they did on my wife's Jetta. I didn't find the stockers THAT bad on snow, but they were poor on ice. You really had to pay attention and be aware of what was going on.

 

i see there may be several different wheels from the boneyard that work. i plan to get 2 or 4 for winter tire mounts. any references you can point me to that list wheels i can use? relatedly, i have the base with 175/65/14 tires and might replace them with a bit larger profile all-seasons (175/70?). thoughts?

 

That'll work as well as 175/65x15's.

 

The four bolt Civic rims work perfectly.

Basically you're looking for a 4x100 bolt pattern, 56.1mm center bore, and something in the +45mm to +55mm offset range.

I'm going to put winter tires on my OEM Fit steel rims, and I have some 15" Civic alloys that are going to get 185/60R15 all seasons.

 

Add to that to make sure the wheels clear the calipers. Some Honda wheels we have don't. Wish I could say which ones fit but we didn't mark which hondas they came off of.

 

pigsinthefit,

Stay with the 175/65R14 for the tires. If you are going to a separate wheel just put on winter tires. The car already has all season tires as OE. If you go this way you should only do it with a full set of four tires. Two winter tires just makes the car very unpredictable in all conditions.
If I can help with the tires let me know.

 

Check out out tech pages for reasons to run 4.

Its always the safest bet

 

Winter Tech - Winter Tire FAQs

Check out the link below. If i can help just let me know.

 

Just took the stock dunlops (195-55-R15's) off the Fit and replaced them with some Firestone Winterforce tires I picked up from TheTireRack. Can you cay night and day? OMG what a difference! The snow we have been getting in Chicago has been terrible and these tires go through it like nothing is on the road. I went with a 195-60-15 size tire as I wanted a little extra diameter. Not only do they fit in the stock wheel well openning better, the ride is a heck of a lot nicer as a side benefit.

I know the tendency is to go with shorter and shorter sidewalls, but since I do not race the Honda Fit, and I want a more comfortable ride rather than getting beat up by every bump in the road, going with the 60 series tire worked out really well for me.

Did I mention that they were on sale for only $43 a tire?


If you drive in snow conditions, do yourself a favor and order these tires!

 

Thank you for the report. They do work much better than an all season tire. If you have never driven on winter tires you can't believe the difference.

 

Ok. I'm confused. I got a 4 snow tire and wheel package for my 2000 Civic from the Tirerack and they really made a difference. They don't seem to have any steel wheels available for my 2009 Base Fit, however. Are there wheels from any other vehicle that would work? I don't want alloy wheels - I've seen what Illinois raod salt does to them.

 

If you still have the steel Civic rims and they clear your brake calipers then just use those. In fact the same tires should fit as well.

 

I put Geo Storm wheels on my Fit for winter tires. 15 x 6 with perfect offset and caliper clearance and a center bore of 56.5 which is just a hair over but the wheel nuts immediately center and support the wheel. Our friend from tire rack may disagree on the use of a centerbore oversize of 0.5 mm but my experience is this is never a problem for someone who tightens wheelnuts properly. Small Acuras have wheels that fit but they are often alloy. 15 x 5.5 JJ I believe. Saturn sedans also have a 15 x 5" wheel that clear the caliper and are good for a narrow profile tire if you need a tall narrow winter tire for deep snow. I don't recall the series or model to make that easier for you, sorry. All the best.