Winter tires are wrong size?

[Dahws]

I picked up winter tires that are Nokian and I've noticed my cat handles a lot differently. It seems as if its fish tailing when I turn.

The difference from the stock is its 2055516.

Got these from discount. Confused as to which direction I should turn to next and am looking for some advice.

They said that the performance rating was much different than my stock. The original tires my continental were 300 where add these are rated at 170.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Nix]

Snow tires generally don't have a utqg on them. They also usually have no mileage guarantee since they are a specialty tire for dedicated winter/snow driving conditions where performance is wanted over longevity. They will drive much different from any other tire out there. They are a much softer rubber compound and will perform very differently when the temps drop, which is why you bought them. You are probably feeling the height of the tread blocks as they are usually a lot deeper than a standard all season. This will lead to a feeling of looseness or tread squirm.

Which car in particular do you have? The Si or non-si? I think your tire size is correct. It won't vary much from stock on either vehicle. Maybe a 1-2% difference at most.


LX tire size stock is: 195/65R15
EX : 205/55R16
Si: 215/45R17


If you had an LX and upgraded to 16's your tire size is spot on. If you went from a Si 17" down to a 16" for winter then the 205/55 is off by 1.2%

No matter what you have or went from or to the tire size is correct.

 

[Dahws]

I have the si. It feels really dangerous to be honest.

I'm hard pressed to believe that a car can handles this much differently with snow tires. It feels add if it's swerving.

Is everyone else experiencing this?

I realize this is the first time I've had snow tires. Ever. But i don't know why it feels like this. To be honest it feels dangerous...

 

[Nix]

The tires will change the feel of your car more than anything else. It's the only thing connecting you to the road and you should not try and drive the same on them that you did on a performance all season. You are also feeling the taller sidewall of the tire. It will flex more than a shorter one. It's not dangerous unless you are trying to treat them like hi-po summer tires. They are much much safer for you to drive on in the winter.

You are feeling a combination of the softer rubber, taller tread block, taller sidewall. Your car will drive completely different. It's not dangerous and the tires are not the wrong size.

 

[Michal006]

The wheels are 16 inch? They look really small

 

[webby]

Nix hit the nail on the head. You've got a deeper tread on the new tires, and the rubber compound is much softer in winter tires. They're designed that way to stay flexible when the temperatures drop in snow/ice. Steering side to side will be different due to sidewall height as well.

 

[Rudy@tirerack]

I have the si. It feels really dangerous to be honest.

I'm hard pressed to believe that a car can handles this much differently with snow tires. It feels add if it's swerving.

Is everyone else experiencing this?

I realize this is the first time I've had snow tires. Ever. But i don't know why it feels like this. To be honest it feels dangerous...

A few things to keep in mind. It sounds like you down sized from 17 inch wheels to 16 inch wheels. When doing this because the wheels are an inch shorter the tire is an inch taller in the sidewall. This leads to a softer sidewall and less handling response in dry. 2nd point is the tires are brand new. New tires have still have a mold release compound on them so they come out of the mold without tearing the rubber. This release agent is slippery. It takes about 500 miles of normal driving to wear this off.

3rd point - Winter tires have deeper full tread depths which lead to more tread squirm. 4th point - Winter tires have many more cuts in the tread blocks called sipes. These sipes give many more biting edges for snow and ice traction but causes again more squirm.

Full out winter tires normally feel squirmy. You need to drive more like an average driver when on snow tires and not Spirited. If you can return the tires you can also look to a Performance winter tire which give better handling but sacrifice a little snow/ice traction to get it.

Ultimately the tires will get better as the mold release wears off, they wear a little and it gets colder outside. They are never going to set any handling records. I realize you have had winter tires before but the better the tire is in snow the worse it performs in dry. You may just need to let these break in a little.

 

[Michal006]

 

[Dahws]

The wheels are 16 inch? They look really small

ya they are 16 inch.

The stock rims are 18 inch actually Rudy!

Apparently smaller wheel size is better for the winter so that's why I decided to go for the smaller wheel size so that it performs better and i chose a wheel that I like that still looks good as well.

So overall opinion: Do you guys think that the Nokians that I got 205-55-16 along with the matte black wheel are a good combination? Should I stick with the 16s or go to 17 or even 18 rims?

Good to know I got the correct size and tire. I guess I'll have to keep the spirited driving until after the winter and drive like a normal person

EDIT: attached a picture to show a zoomed out view incase anyone needs or needed it for reference.

I also attached another picture that shows another Nissan with same wheels size LOL.

Just thought it was a funny coincidence.

 

[Rudy@tirerack]

What you have will be best for winter performance. So when it snows you will have the highest levels of traction. But you should no longer driver the car like a sports car. So its up to you but I would stay with what you have. If you can not take the squirmy feel then see if you can return for 17 inch with a performance winter tire.

On a side not check your tire pressure. You can add a few pounds in most cases. This will help stiffen the sidewall a little. Try running them around 36 PSI and see if helps.

 

[Dahws]

What you have will be best for winter performance. So when it snows you will have the highest levels of traction. But you should no longer driver the car like a sports car. So its up to you but I would stay with what you have. If you can not take the squirmy feel then see if you can return for 17 inch with a performance winter tire.

Sounds good. Your the tire expert right?

I'll keep the the 16 inch and switch back to the 18 inch when the time comes.

Ya, I'll do my best to not drive it like it's meant to be driven in the winter :/

Kind of feel bad I didn't buy from tire rack now. You're really helpful.

 

[webby]

the best

 

[Nix]

You'll be glad you have them when it drops 6" of snow overnight. It's amazing the difference. Your braking will still need to be careful and measured but getting around will be much easier for you. Im sure you will surprise a few AWD subarus out there if they run all seasons. The Civic with snow tires is quite capable.

 

[alirules2010]

Winter tires r not performance summer tires !!!!!!!!! Treads alot higher and deeper so more rubber to move around on between ur car and the road dont expect f1 handleing from winter tires !!!!!!! Lol