Tire Size Question

[webbd]

I was at Discount Tires the other day where I usually buy tires. I am going to need some new summer (all season) tires and I gave them my size of P205/75/R14. I have stock rims. The tire people said that I should go with a P215/70/R14 because that wouldn't wear out as fast on the sides. They seemed to think that the 215/70s could handle the car's weight better in corners than the stock size of 205/75. Any opinions here? Would that mess with the speedometer readings?

Thanks,
David
P.S. It's an 86 with the 305 and stock rims.

[rgraboske]

I personally prefer a little bigger tire than was specced from the factory. I've upsized the tires on all of my cars for years.

That said, looking at an online calculator http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html, The size they recommend will be a little taller (25.9" vs 25.3"), and a little wider. You speedometer may read a little slow (2.2% per the calculator).

As long as the price is similar, I wouldn't hesitate to go with the 215/70s

[TrannyMike]

Originally Posted by webbd

I was at Discount Tires the other day where I usually buy tires. I am going to need some new summer (all season) tires and I gave them my size of P205/75/R14. I have stock rims. The tire people said that I should go with a P215/70/R14 because that wouldn't wear out as fast on the sides. They seemed to think that the 215/70s could handle the car's weight better in corners than the stock size of 205/75. Any opinions here? Would that mess with the speedometer readings?

Thanks,
David
P.S. It's an 86 with the 305 and stock rims.

David, go to this website http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp. They have a calculator that's easy to use. Just input the 2 tire sizes and it will give you a comparison that includes tire diameter. I hope this helps you out.

[JBoz396]

According to the Tire Rack website, the 205/75/14 is 26.1" tall, and the 215/70/14 is 25.9" tall. That is a difference of 0.2" or less than 1% of the total height. Based on that, I would say your speedometer will not be affected by much if at all.

The difference in performance will be in the increased tread and section width. The sidewall height will be very close, roughly 0.1" per side. More rubber on the road is always good in my opinion.

If it were mine, I'd go for it.

[TrannyMike]

Originally Posted by JBoz396

According to the Tire Rack website, the 205/75/14 is 26.1" tall, and the 215/70/14 is 25.9" tall. That is a difference of 0.2" or less than 1% of the total height. Based on that, I would say your speedometer will not be affected by much if at all.

The difference in performance will be in the increased tread and section width. The sidewall height will be very close, roughly 0.1" per side. More rubber on the road is always good in my opinion.

If it were mine, I'd go for it.

Hell, that's a couple of good burn-outs worth! Get the 70's :>)

[webbd]

Sweet thanks for the info! I'll go for the 215s this summer then when I get the snows off!

[rgraboske]

Crap, I put the wrong sizes in when I did my calculation