The Conti OEM needs replacement after 38K miles. Looking at the tire rack survey for Grand Touring All-Season the HP are rated 2nd from the ninth place Conti. The 175 OEMs got me though snow and ice storms but I will have to move to 185 or 195 for the HPs. Would the 185/60 be ok at 23.7” OD with less squirm than the 65s? Or just jumping to the 195/60-15 be tolerable in the snow? Thoughts would be appreciated. Is anyone running the Altimax HP in the above sizes? Thanks!

 

I've found this chart to be helpful... sounds like you can do the 185/60...a 195/60 is a bit bigger (bout 1/2") but would also work just fine. Im running oversized tires at the moment (16's though), and its not a big deal.... go too big and you face worse gas mileage, poor acceleration, and possible rubbing

+-----------+-------------------+
| TIRE SIZE | DIAMETER |
+-----------+-------------------+
| 195/55-15 | 23.44in (595.5mm) |
| 205/40-17 | 23.46in (595.8mm) |
| 215/50-15 | 23.46in (596.0mm) |
| 215/45-16 | 23.62in (599.9mm) |
| 195/50-16 | 23.68in (601.4mm) |
| 185/60-15 | 23.74in (603.0mm) |
| 215/40-17 | 23.77in (603.8mm) |
| 205/55-15 | 23.88in (606.5mm) |
| 215/35-18 | 23.93in (607.7mm) |
| 175/65-15 | 23.96in (608.5mm) |
| 225/45-16 | 23.97in (608.9mm) |
| 205/50-16 | 24.07in (611.4mm) |
| 225/40-17 | 24.09in (611.8mm) |
| 225/35-18 | 24.20in (614.7mm) |
| 195/60-15 | 24.21in (615.0mm) |
| 205/45-17 | 24.26in (616.3mm) |
| 215/55-15 | 24.31in (617.5mm) |
| 195/55-16 | 24.44in (620.9mm) |
| 205/40-18 | 24.46in (621.2mm) |
| 215/50-16 | 24.46in (621.4mm) |
| 185/65-15 | 24.47in (621.5mm) |
| 215/45-17 | 24.62in (625.3mm) |
+-----------+-------------------+

NOTES:

• Stock fitments are highlighted

 

If you want your tires for 4 season use you are going the wrong way is sizing. Narrower is better than wide for snow/ice. Narrow gains you some advantage in winter, but it loses that advantage the rest of the year.

All seasons are a huge compromise. For what it is worth you might want to consider a dedicated snow tire. The difference in performance between all season & winter tires are huge.

 

According to http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html, the 195/6015 would be very close to the stock 175/65 in diameter, minimizing speedometer error. My dad just bought those Generals for his car, but doesn't have enough time on them to comment on their performance.

 

[FONT=Arial]Thanks for the quick responses. I understand that going wider is not the best for snow, ice or mileage, but not many selections in the 175 size. I have an AWD vehicle to drive under severe conditions so I won’t jump to dedicated snow tires; I would if this was my only car for winter transportation. It’s trying to understand the compromise when looking at a better rated tire on a chart and determining what an increase of 10 or 20 millimeters will do as far as flotation. Would the lower rated tire that’s narrow out perform the higher rated fat tire in snow?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Thanks. [/FONT]

 

On my first R50 Cooper, when in the market for winter tires there were no 175/65R15 tires available, I opted for 185/60R15. Drove that car for 5 winters with the 185/60R15 and they performed great. I would not hesitate to use that size again, it's about 1/4" shorter (roughly 2%) than stock 175/65R15, whereas a 195/60R15 is about 1/2" taller than stock.
Get the best tire you can...

 

Thanks! I have a vote for the size, a vote for dedicated snow and a pending for the Generals. I should pull the trigger this weekend. I'll let you all know what I get.

 

I have Pirelli Winter p-210 Snowsports, 195-60r15 (H rating)mounted on a cheap set of 15" alloys (Primamax-Tuner).

This size fits fine with no clearance issues with my standard S Brakes (GEN1, 2005 S)

The size works well....within 1.5% of stock if I remember, and the 15" rims and tires saved a couple hundred bucks when I bought them . Also it makes the ride a bit softer (helps save the car and the driver) over those winter frost heaves and potholes!! This size is also pretty light and gives the car a playful/tossible feel if you will!!
There are better snow-tires out there, but the price was right, and in the rain or on dry road these tires still ride/handle pretty well for a snow tire and are quiet! Width wise...for an S these tires do pretty good IMO.

For my warmer season tire I got the General UHP's, which are made by Continental now.....my set was from France......I almost got the tires you are looking at in the 16.....but decided against the lower speed rating/performance on an S (I did buy an alternate size for my 16' rims) and I am Very happy....good everyday tire, good milage etc. General Tire has come along way from its days of being the blue-light special at K-Mart!! I guess when Continental took the over, they meant buissiness!!

 

Got the General HPs 185/60-15 installed last Monday: what a comfy tire. 600 Miles so far, I took the first hot turn after 200 miles and boy was it squishy. I increased pressure to 37 PSI and the ride firmed up making the turns much better with a compliant ride good for the bad bumpy roads. Overall they are a step up from the OEMs in the Grand Touring All Season class. MPG seems to be holding at 40, normally I get better, but with the lower diameter I find myself enjoying the acceleration, even in 6th gear. I think that the 185/65 would be intolerable for cornering and detrimental for acceleration. I didn’t get to drive these in the rain, but my Son did over the weekend and said that they handled fine. I’ll update when the snow falls!
Thanks for all the input.

 

if u have the money, bridgestone blizzaks ws-60's are great snow tires.

 

When my Conti 175/65R15's wore down I thought I'd go for a better tire just a little bit wider. I selected the BridgeStone Potenza 185/65R15 and got a mild surprise. Yes the ride is a lot smoother, handling is just as good, but acceleration took slightly longer and my gas mileage went from 31.5 MPG to 28.3 MPG. I'm Shocked! I thought MPG would go up not down.

I guess I'm stuck with these now until they wear out, but I'll differently be going back to the stock size. The BridgeStone's are great by the way, and Tire Rack.com has a great price on them.

 

Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
175/65-15 4.5in 12.0in 24.0in 75.3in 842 0.0%
185/65-15 4.7in 12.2in 24.5in 76.9in 824 2.1%
Your gauges are all off by due to the change in tire diamater too....so it might not be as bad as you think....you are actually traveling a longer distance.....
Contentials are almost all low (or at least lower) rolling resistance tires when you actively compare them when you shop...the difference between a high rolling and a low rolling resistance tire is usually about 2% or so....

 

Hows it going so far? I'm debating what to get. My Conti PremiumContact2's are worn & just got a flat. Something gashed the tread & is unrepairable. They gripped ok but wears too fast & seems to be a fragile tire. Only other OEM size tires I'd like are back ordered (Yoko Envigors).

 

OK, I have 58K on my Mini now and the tread on the tires is still good. My best mileage is 48 MPG. No problems with the NH snow last winter; an un-snowplowed on ramp with a foot of snow did prove to be a clearance issue, but no loss of traction.