Replacement Tires Question

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alevasseur14

alevasseur14

Golden Member
Feb 12, 2005
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I need to put new tires on my 96 VW Passat GLX before the lovely Minnesota winter hits again. Problem is, I've been looking for tires at work (I work at a repair shop) and online at Discount Tires and Tirerack and there's only 1 tire that's made in 215 50R15. Normally, I'd go with that but it's an ultra high performance tire that's really spendy and terrible in snow and ice. I don't have a lot of money and would like to have a set of dedicated winter tires but that's just not in the cards this winter.

So, I've started on a quest to find an alternate tire size but I really don't know where to begin. I've asked a friend for advice and he thought I should get a tire in 205 50R15. He explained all the measurements and stuff like that to me and with that size, my speedo wouldn't be off by that much - maybe a mile per hour or so. Either way, I thought I'd ask the collective garage what their thoughts on the matter are.

I like the low-profile tires that are on there now and would like to keep that look, but I do know I'll have to make some trade offs. Discuss?
 
MagnusTheBrewer

MagnusTheBrewer

IN MEMORIAM
Jun 19, 2004
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Do you want to look good or be able to drive in the snow? You don't get to have both on a budget.
 
alevasseur14

alevasseur14

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Feb 12, 2005
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Well, I do get tires at dealer cost and I can put them on myself. So, to answer your question... I still have to say both! Basically, looks are definitely second in line compared to the right tire. I guess I'm asking everyone what size they'd go with if they were in my shoes.

Also, I've driven in Minnesota winters for my entire life so I understand that driving style is more of a factor than how good your tires are - up to a point, of course. I used to have some ridiculous Dayton tires on my '92 Ford Ranger and those things were TERRIBLE in snow. That said, put a load of firewood in the back and I could tail slide around corners all day long! Haha, good times...
 
M

madeuce

Member
Jul 22, 2010
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The dunlop SP winter sport M3s actually rate pretty good for winter/snow.

Have to take surveys on tirerack for what they are though. Pirelli Scorpion ATRs are rated higher than BFG T/A KOs. I put over 50k on each one of them and tirerack data for them is pretty far off track.
 
alevasseur14

alevasseur14

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Feb 12, 2005
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IcePickFreak said:
Handy Link:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html


And I see 3 different All Seasons listed for 205-50-R15 on tire rack?
Click to expand...

It's funny you posted that link. It's the same one my friend gave to me while we were IMing back and forth. I checked out Tirerack in that size and I think I'm going to go with the BFGoodrich's. I should be able to get them 20-30% cheaper than Tirerack and not have to pay shipping or installation. Seems like a pretty good deal. But first - the tie rods...
 
IcePickFreak

IcePickFreak

Platinum Member
Jul 12, 2007
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alkalinetaupehat said:
They're all performance-oriented. You can see this doesn't help with winters in the surveys.
Click to expand...

We're talking year round tires. A lot of us can manage winters with all-seasons no problem, at least on a fwd car.

alevasseur14 said:
It's funny you posted that link. It's the same one my friend gave to me while we were IMing back and forth. I checked out Tirerack in that size and I think I'm going to go with the BFGoodrich's. I should be able to get them 20-30% cheaper than Tirerack and not have to pay shipping or installation. Seems like a pretty good deal. But first - the tie rods...
Click to expand...

Not the same design, but I use to run BFGoodrich Traction TA's on my Grand Prix and it was fine in the winter. I had a 60 mile round trip commute for work every day and only missed 2 days in 4 years due to snow, and that was pretty much because I didn't trust the other people on the road lol, and I didn't want to waste the couple hours that drive would of took.
 
PlasmaBomb

PlasmaBomb

Lifer
Nov 19, 2004
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My best guess would be to look for 195/55 R15 winter tires...

(they are pretty common in the UK at least, therefore not too expensive...)
 
alevasseur14

alevasseur14

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Feb 12, 2005
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Gibson486 said:
I am lost...

You said you need tires for the snow. I see 3 all season tires....
Click to expand...

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I need new tires before winter as the ones on the car right now are almost completely shot. I'm looking for an all season that can do alright in snow but mainly, I just need new tires above anything else. I know I can make due with a decent set of all seasons, it's all I've ever driven with.

I was mainly looking for what size tires you all would recommend. The actual style depends on what we have in stock at work.
 
alevasseur14

alevasseur14

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Feb 12, 2005
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I think I may have found a better solution! I freed up a little bit of money and am going to look at a pair of used 16" rims off an Audi with the same lug pattern as my car. They are basic steel rims with a almost new set of 205 55/16 Blizzaks (!!) on them. I found them on Craigslist the other day and the guy isn't too far from where I work. He wants $400 for them but hopefully I can talk him down a bit.

I'll probably get a new set of summer tires next spring. I'm pretty excited about this, hopefully they are in decent shape!
 
K

kornphlake

Golden Member
Dec 30, 2003
1,567
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I hope you've got plenty of clearance in your wheel wells or the tire size is a mistake. Those new wheels are about 1 1/2 inches taller than the stock tires. You will most likely have rubbing issues.
 
alevasseur14

alevasseur14

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Feb 12, 2005
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Apparently, VWs have plenty of clearance in the wells. I'm going to take a look at the rims tomorrow and hopefully he'll let me install the fronts and check it out. Or something. If not, I won't get them.

Apparently, people are even getting away with putting 17s on the B4 Passats. Hopefully it works out but if not, I'll just have to find something else!
 
J

JCH13

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2010
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PlasmaBomb said:
My best guess would be to look for 195/55 R15 winter tires...

(they are pretty common in the UK at least, therefore not too expensive...)
Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking, a 195/55-15 is exact same diameter as your stock 215/50-15 tires. I also happen to have a set of barely-used Cooper CS4 All-Seasons kicking around, 9/32 of 10/32 tread depth left if you're interested...:sneaky:

alevasseur14 said:
Apparently, VWs have plenty of clearance in the wells. I'm going to take a look at the rims tomorrow and hopefully he'll let me install the fronts and check it out. Or something. If not, I won't get them.

Apparently, people are even getting away with putting 17s on the B4 Passats. Hopefully it works out but if not, I'll just have to find something else!
Click to expand...

Putting in a taller wheel is no problem if a lower profile tires are used. If you install a tire that is 1.5" bigger on the diameter you're going to run into big speedo-misreadings, a noticeable drop in acceleration performance and steering response, and possibly dangerous loss of braking ability. Just because you can doesn't mean that you should!
 
alkalinetaupehat

alkalinetaupehat

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Mar 3, 2008
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JCH13 said:
This is what I was thinking, a 195/55-15 is exact same diameter as your stock 215/50-15 tires. I also happen to have a set of barely-used Cooper CS4 All-Seasons kicking around, 9/32 of 10/32 tread depth left if you're interested...:sneaky:



Putting in a taller wheel is no problem if a lower profile tires are used. If you install a tire that is 1.5" bigger on the diameter you're going to run into big speedo-misreadings, a noticeable drop in acceleration performance and steering response, and possibly dangerous loss of braking ability. Just because you can doesn't mean that you should!
Click to expand...

He's looking at a 6% error in speedometer readings. I don't think I would call 3.6mph big, especially if taken into account while driving.
 
J

JCH13

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2010
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alkalinetaupehat said:
He's looking at a 6% error in speedometer readings. I don't think I would call 3.6mph big, especially if taken into account while driving.
Click to expand...

To play devils advocate: 6% doesn't seem big at a first glance, but if you forget it once, you'll go down the highway at what looks like 70mph, but is really 74mph. You get a speeding ticket for X dollars, points on your license, increased insurance premiums, and suddenly 6% could matter quite a bit. It only takes that happening once to cost you a lot more than just buying the properly sized tires.
 
alevasseur14

alevasseur14

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Feb 12, 2005
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I went out to the guys place before work this morning and picked up the tires. They are in nice shape. The guy I bought them from is going to let me put them on just to be sure they fit and will be able to bring them back if they don't. It looks like there is plenty of room in the well so I'm not too worried about it.

I'm going to throw them on tonight after work. I'll post back and let everyone know.
 
alevasseur14

alevasseur14

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Feb 12, 2005
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I've managed to get the fronts on during breaks here at work. Everything looks good. Lug pattern is perfect, hub size is perfect, and there appears to be plenty of clearance inside the wells also.

Here are 3 pictures I snapped really quick. I'm going to get the back two on when I get the time and take it for a quick drive before I take them off and store them until winter.

web.jpg


web.jpg


web.jpg
 
H

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
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JCH13 said:
To play devils advocate: 6% doesn't seem big at a first glance, but if you forget it once, you'll go down the highway at what looks like 70mph, but is really 74mph. You get a speeding ticket for X dollars, points on your license, increased insurance premiums, and suddenly 6% could matter quite a bit. It only takes that happening once to cost you a lot more than just buying the properly sized tires.
Click to expand...
I've never forgotten what the change was from my new tires...
 
alevasseur14

alevasseur14

Golden Member
Feb 12, 2005
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Howard said:
I've never forgotten what the change was from my new tires...
Click to expand...

This is the first time I've had non-OEM sizes on a car but 6 over at 60 seems easy enough to remember.

Got all four tires mounted, road tested, and put into storage at work until winter hits. In the next few weeks I'm going to order the tie rod assemblies for the front and probably do them when putting the Blizzaks back on. It'll be nice to have fresh tie rods and a proper alignment done. The car pulls a little to the left as is and I could certainly do without that.

I like them. My car looks a little bit more like a ninja with them on. That's awesome. :thumbsup:
 
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