What's the real world verdict on running 195-60-R16 Snow Tires?

The brand new stock 17" all season on my All4 worked OK in deep Tahoe snow, and I will be buying a dedicated set of winter wheels. I am considering going with stock sized 195-60-R16 winter tires. What experience have you had with 195-60-R16?

Do they handle OK for normal driving? on dry pavement? Rain? (The majority of the winter and the majority of the trip up to the mountains in California are "summer" conditions.)

Sierra Nevada mountains get large dumps of marine snow that warrant having a dedicated snow tire and backup chains. There's also a legal (and practical) need to have snow chains/cables in your possession even with AWD and snows tires (I've had the need to use chains on AWD cars a handful of times over the years during extreme conditions). Very minimal clearance for even cables on the front with the stock 17's.

 

i am running 205/70R16 dunlop grandtrek sj6 studless ice & snow, all-terrain tires on my all4, they are not rfs

the 195/60R16 has an OD of 25.2 inches, .7 inches less than the stock tire size of 205/55R17 or 225/45R18, why would less ground clearance from a smaller tire be good in snow?

the tires have an OD of 27.3 inches and fit with no rubbing with my oem sport suspension, even with 4 200 pound guys in the seats and 2 more 200 pound guys sitting on the boot edge ... they are 1.4 inches larger than my oem 225/45R18s giving me an extra .7 inch ground clearance in snow

they are unstoppable in deep snow, tested up to 12 inches and very grippy on ice compared to all-season tires ... my all4 is better in the winter than my 97 sonoma 4x4 ... they are very good on dirt roads and mud too

they stick amazingly well on dry cold roads and when they do slide it is very predictable and easily controlled, same in the rain

they are no noisier than my michelin pilot super sports

after 2 seasons use covering ~7,000 miles i measured 3/32 wear from the new 14/32 tread depth

 

I assumed the "stock winter tire" would be the same in external dimensions other than width. You are correct about the difference in height/outer diameter. I imagine that would mess with speedometer/odometer as well.

The theory is that the narrower tire digs into the snow/ice better .. .especially good for avoiding sideslip in the snow/ice.

The narrower tire also allows much more clearance on the front in the rare instance you need chains. Might get away with using cables for a short distance/low speed with the 205

The following chart suggests that a 195-65-16 is the best match (0.1" larger) ... but that size is rarely made.

http://beta.mcgrefer.com/v2/compare/...ompatible/size

 

chains?

going thru 12" of unplowed snow without chains was no problem at all

205 is narrower than my oem 225 tires

my speedo is reading .6 mph under my actual speed with the 205/70R16 tires ... also with my 225/50R18 michelin pss tires my speedo is spot on my actual speed

 

Yes, in almost all situations AWD plus snows will get you through it. Not always though. Over the years I've used chains/cables on AWD with snow tires a handful of times when snows+AWD alone were not enough. Clearance is nice, and it's one factor. I don't have the sport suspension, so I get 0.4" extra clearance.

In California, sometimes the roads have R3 controls and they will not let you pass without chains. When this happens, the skiing is very nice and worth the extra effort. Not everyone likes to chase the storms up the mountains.... Rare, but it happens. http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/chcontrl.htm

 

Bumping an old thread..

Just wondering what size you went with as I have a set of snow tires(205/55/16) from my e90 BMW that I was going to use this winter; which are also .7 inches smaller. Any issues other than having slightly higher rpm level at same speed etc Thanks

Beau

 

I went with 205/60R-16 Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D. These are not run flat tires, so I have a expando mini spare in the trunk (from a Mercedes) with an adapter plate, pump, and repair kit. This is covered elsewhere in the forum.

Last winter was not the best year to test out new tires in deep snow, but they worked very well in what snow we had. They also drive very well in all conditions. Much better than 17" OEM run flats.

If you're looking at tirerack, don't go through the "winter" tire picker. Do a general tire search and then narrow down by performance category. For some reason the winter search only comes up with all seasons.

FYI, also bough Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 RFT for my wife's care. Very happy with that and would love it if those were available by the time the Mini's wear down.

 

Great to hear, thanks for the update..