Hi, I'm a newbie, so ear with me. I searched through the forums, and don't exactly see any answer to what I am looking to find out....I have a '95 integra GSR. I am looking to replace my tires, and was wondering if I must replce them with exactly the samesize as came with the car. The size for my car is listed as 195/55R15. I understand the last 2 digits is the wheel diameter, so I assume there is no leeway on that. But what about the 195? Will a 205 fit with the wheels that came with my Integra? is there a reason to go higher than 195s?

Also, the tire I am thinking about is a Kumho Ecsta HP4 716...$59 from tirerack..anyone have any experiencewith that one?

Zach

 

i believe you can fit the 205's on a stock honda 15" wheel, the extra width of the tire means extra grip and before you buy a tire you need to ask yourself some questions: how much grip do they need to have? how long do they have to last? Do i care about road noise?

after you answer those, we can all give you advice on some tires to consider

 

I have Kumho ECSTA Supra 712's on my stock integra. I got em in the P205 size. They're very grippy and improve overall handling even on a car that has no suspension modifications.

I would say there's no reason not to get tires in the p205 size. They're aren't that many tire choices for the P195/R15 size anyway.

 

TireRack.com has a pretty good explanation of what tire-size numbers mean.

195 is the width in millimeters.
55 is the sidewall height, in percent of width.
Yes, 15 is the rim diameter in inches.

205/55-15 will fit, it's overall tread diameter is a bit bigger than the stock size.
205/50-15 will fit, just a little smaller.

 

just to reiterate, you want to do either 195/55-15, or 205/50-15. i have 205s on my stock 15" wheels. before i go ahead and suggest tires, what are you looking for? longevity? grip? where are you located? do you see snowy winters? lots of rain? need more info!

 

thanx for all of your replies. i live in Raleigh, NC, where we get more rain than snow, but when we do get snow, it tends to lie on the roads for several days, if it is cleared at all. So, i do want some kind of improved traction in wet/snowy weather. I am less concerned about road noise than tread wear, the Kumho's i mentioned carry a 50K mile warranty, so given my driving pattern of only about 8K a year on this vehicle (to and from work only 5 days/wk), i think that's the tire i go with.

One other point that some of you introduced, that now cuases a bit more confusion, 205/50 vs 205/55 vs 205/60? what is important to consider when selecting between those?

Thanx again

Bruce

 

So does this mean you're looking more for a All season tire as opposed to more of a performance tire?

 

yes...hi performance is not important..

Bruce

 

then the 712's earlier wont do
actually look up the avid h4's from Yokohama

 

If you're worried about occasional snow, wider is NOT better. Especially if high-performance is not important. Go with the 195/55-15 stock size.

205/50 vs. 205/55 vs. 205/60 DOES make a difference. The outside, overall tread diameter is different. 205/50 is smaller than stock, 205/55 is bigger. But 205/60 might even rub??

In your first post, you mentioned TireRack. They've got survey results on their website, you can look for snow traction along with other stuff.