Tires for a 2000 Civic Si?
 

Hi,

I just purchased a 2000 Civic Si (my first Honda), so I'm very much a newbie... The car came with semi-old tires, but before I replace them I wanted to get some opinions on what are considered the best tires under the following conditions:

- I live in Canada, so I'm ONLY looking at All-Season tires (for now anyway).
- I want a decent All-Season that also handles well and is fairly quiet.

The size of the tires that are on the car now are:
185/65/14

Is this an appropriate size for a 2000 Si (or should I try another size for better handling, etc....)? What other sizes will fit the factory-installed rims?

Suggestions / Tips ???

Thanks guys!

-Travis

welcome to HAN brotha. I don't know sh!t about all season tires. Otherwise I'd tell you, but I know that there are plenty of people from Canada on this forum so just be patient and I'm sure you'll get the answers.
I live in the southern US so... yeah.
I am pretty sure you could do better tho...

195/60 is a good size, my friend has them on his 00' gsr. kumho ecsta supras a pretty good for your dollar. they have good wet/dry traction.

Check out BFGoodrich Traction T/A H. Look at some other tires at www.tirerack.com

welcome to HAN go to www.tirerack.com and they will give you some good tires at a good price

Thanks for the info....

So even though the current size of my tires are 185/65/14, does that mean I'm not limited to that size?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of having a tire size of 195/60?

Good choice on the Si by the way.
I'd get one of dem if I had a down payment saved up.

I currently have Toyo Proxes TPT that are rated as all season tires. They are decent all around tires in my opinion, but they may be a little noisy. They won't be the best winter tires because of their "sporty" nature but are blocky enough that they should be able to get around. Welcome to the board, you'll love your car!

P.S. - What color Si?

My Si is black. It also has an AEM Cold Air-intake installed..... pretty sweet deal when I saw it for sale. Couldn't let it pass me by.

I read at tirerack.com that the OE tires for an 2000 Si are 195/55-15. The ones on mine are 185/65/14.

What's the advantage of going to the 195/55/15? Or does it even matter?

Thanks.

Well the latter is a little wider, here's the basics on how tires work: 195 tells you the width. Most low-profile tires are 205 or wider.
55 tells you how tall, or how much sidewall the tires have, for example a tire with 35 in this part of the code would be very slim with very little sidewall.
the last set of digits in the size tells you the size of the rim in inches.
Wider is better for grip.

thansk bluetwo... that's some good info...

I just read a bunch of the tech guides at tirerack.com, and they say that wider is not always better in the case of Snow/All-Season tires - the narrower the better... I guess that explains why my current All-Seasons are 185's (and not 195's).

Is it possible that wider is better ONLY for Summer tires?

Another question... I've heard that having a good sidewall is important... but what makes a sidewall good? Does the size of the sidewall make a big difference?

Thogan....the discrepancy you describe is because you're from Canada. I'm assuming you bought a CDM (Canadian Domestic Market) 2000 Si.

I'm pretty sure that:

Canadian Civic Si = U.S. Civic Ex
Canadian Civic SiR = U.S. Civic Si

The 99-00 Civic Si that is frequently mentioned on this forum is actually the SiR where you live.

Somebody else confirm this....but I'm pretty sure.

You're correct... I had no idea about this conversion.

Thanks.

195/50/15 these worked fine for me.

You have the equivalent of a USDM EX. The 195/55/R15 tires won't fit your rims because the stock EX rims are 14's not 15's.

yeah man, it's very possible that tirerack is right about that. :thumbup:
I was waiting for someone to do the conversion from CDM to USDM...
I'm glad I could lay the tire thing out for you. I went around for years never knowing what the heck it all meant until someone took a few seconds to explain it in a way that I could remember it.

Wider is bad in winter because it spreads the weight of your car out over a wider area. When you drive on snow, you DO NOT want to drive on snowshoes - in other words on top of the snow. Skinnier tires have the upper hand in compressing snow into the tread of the tire providing more grip. Whereas during the summer, weight spread over a greater area provides more friction. This extra grip allows for faster cornering, more grip during takeoff, etc. Sidewall is a completely different issue in itself. The easiest way to understand it is with the two extremes. Tires with lots of sidewall have more flex during extreme cornering which translates to a cushier ride but it affects handling negatively. Low profile tires have a stiffer ride and generally handle better. For your purposes, I would NOT recommend changing tire size. Without purchasing different wheels, changing tire size can effect your odometer/speedometer readings. Simply by choosing an all weather tire with sporty characteristics you can see a small improvement in handling.

Hope this helps!

and one of those smart guys said "If we wait until the last minute to do everything, it'll only take a minute."
I forget who that was though.
Sorry totally off subject. The previous signature caught my eye.

thanks nate886... More excellent info.

-cheers