BS or sales pitch??

[frodotoo]

SO I have a small SUV that my youngest son drives and it need tires...badly. I have a set that came off of a different car but they are not the same size. Vehicle specs call for P235-60-16 and these other tires (in excellent shape by the way) are P205-60-16.

 

I visited my local tire shop and asked if there were any safety issues involved in running this car with the smaller tires. I was told that it's not lawfuil?? to do that and many garages refuse to do so because it open them up to liability. From what I can figure the smaller tires are about an inch (8.07 in vs 9.26 in) narrower and a half inch (4.04 in vs 4.62 in) shorter.

 

He says they will mount them for me (actually dismount from other wheels and then mount on the correct wheels) for $139, and then offered his cheapest alternative new tires as $539 mounted and installed.

 

Any expert opinions out there on the feasability of using the smaller tires? I'm sure there are cheaper tires than what I was quoted, but I really would like to use the tires I have if possible so any and all advice will be appreciated.

[rbig1]

well I am running 215,s on my truck it is supposed to have 235,s the load rating is different and the speedo is off about 4mph. if its a narrow tip over prone car be carefull. but I may be taking a chance. but don't really care.

[Flyinfool]

First thing to look at is the load ratings. If the smaller tires have a lower load capability then I would pass.

If the suv is all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive then all 4 tires must be the same size and brand and model of tire.

 

Your speedometer will read high and you will rack up more miles on the odometer than what is really traveled.

 

You can get a set of new tires delivered to your door for around $350.

I'll bet you can call around locally to find a better deal on mount and balance, or even local tires.

[cowpuc]

I TOTALLY go with Jeff's comment about making sure all 4 of the tires are same/same if its a 4x4 of any type!! If its not a 4x4 than at least make sure that the tires are same/same on the drive axle...

That said,,, I have many many times ran narrower tires on my vehicles during the winter,, especially the 4x4 Suvs/trucks I have ran.. I have NEVER liked the "feel" of wide tires on snow and ice - even on 4x4 vehicles and have many times had to take just the tires and wheels down to the shop and have them switched to get around the "we cant install them on that rig" routine... Even Walmart wont mount "wrong" tires now adays... My "tip over if breathed on heavily" CJ5 wouldnt do squat in the snow and was VERY dangerous with its wide summer tires,,,, narrow em down to 6 inches and it would go like stink..

FroDo,, we have a local shop here who does em out for 10 bucks,,, xtra 8 for balancing,,,,, check around your local small shops and see what ya come up with,, 139 dollars to do 4 tires sounds high...

I am with Rbig,, I would do it BUT I always have been a little goofy....

[MikeWa]

I don't know about the law in your state but I suspect it is not illegal and probably not unsafe. It is common to run a slightly narrower tire in winter. Just make sure the load rating is suitable for your vehicle. Tire stores have become anal since the Ford / Firestone fiasco. Around here they will only put in air pressure equal to the door sticker. No matter that the vehicle came with 2 ply tires on which they mounted six ply tires. They just refuse to respect the sidewall rating. Find a mechanic and garage that are not borderline stupid.

 

Mike

[BlueSky]

Those P205s are 3 sizes smaller that the P235s it requires. The load ratings will be 3 sizes smaller too. I wouldn't do it. It's not worth the risk.

[djh3]

Someone is pulling your leg on the "illeagle" thing. Now the store policey may be a different thing. A year or so ago I found replacement tires for my 3/4 ton truck at Wally World. Thought it was good price about $100 ea. But alas once the fellow saw what they were going on they became $135 or something a piece. Because they would not mount a "p" metric tire on an "lt" rated vehicle. I understand the gvw rating on tire is more for the 3/4 ton tire, but I dont haul anything except me. But its the liability thing. So when I needed a pair of tires for the front this summer, I just went in picked them out and carried them out the door. Mounted them up myself and poured in dyna beads.

You may check out one of yout used tire shops if you have any, they may mount them up for you.

[Angelo]

Coming from someone that has worked in that industry most of my working career I can tell you for sure that it is not illegal but you don't want to do it. That is a drastic drop in tire size that is going to change (noticeably) the handling characteristics of that truck. Also, the load rating of that tire is going to almost certainly be for a passenger car as opposed to an SUV which can cause issues all in itself. Buy the correct tires for that SUV and eliminate any chances of problems.

[kevin-vic-b.c.]

You know.... I have an old 93 Dodge Dakota truck with about 150,000 miles on it that we bought for my son to drive. When he said he wanted to go to Saskatchewan, where they actually do have something called winter, I went out and dropped about $800 on a good set of tires for the old pig of a truck. I bet I could not sell the truck for that now but you know..... the kid drove that sucker back and forth 6 times and never did he get a flat tire.

tires $800 .... peace of mind very expensive .... my son....... Priceless ..... bank of Mom and Dad.... always broke

[slowrollwv]

I have run smaller tires on cars several times in the past with no problems. I even went two rim sizes smaller than what the car called for once. The car was a 66 Pontiac GTO had 215-65-15 on the front, I put 165-65-13 on five lug chevyII rims and put them on the front of that GTO. Got them installed for free cause the guy at the shop bet me they would not go on the car.

[etcswjoe]

When I lived in Florida I was told the same thing but when asked to show me in writing or give me the reference nobody was able to.

 

I don't remember if it was on this site or not but I recall someone saying they lost a lawsuit because of changing the OEM equipment (think it was lights or reflectors) so that may be something to consider even if it is not illegal.

[bongobobny]

Besides the load rating, MPG will go down meaning more money for gas which will eat up your savings. Also I would suspect the SUV would handle like crap with smaller tires...

[saddlebum]

235 to 205 is approx a 13% decrease in tire size and would throw your speedometer out by that much, increase fuel consumption by that much.

If it is a 4 wheel drive all tires need to be the same size and construction type and preferably the same brand. Mainly the tires individual revolutions per mile should be same if you are forced to mix brands but should at least be the same per axle.

In the case of 2 wheel drive they only need to be the same per axle but still the same construction type.

Tall narrow tires are better in snow than low or wide tires. and pay attention to the load rating stated on the tire to ensure it is sufficient for the vehicale.

Is it legal? that may depend on individual states/provinces. Here in Ontario it not illegal.

[BlueSky]

It may not be illegal but if one of those tires blows out and causes an accident that hurts someone, it makes you more liable and you will be sued. You won't be able to blame Firestone for that one. And speaking as someone who has been sued due to my son's car accident and feared that I would lose my home and everything else I owned for about a year before the case was finally settled you don't want to go through that. My insurance co. mishandled the case so badly that they ended up paying 2 1/2 times my coverage to settle the case. I hired my own separate attorney and he was prepared to sue the insurance company if they didn't pay the settlement due to their mishandling. They ended up even paying for my private attorney. I was lucky to get out of that one unscathed financially.

[Venturous Randy]

Many years ago I had a 240Z that I was running about as big a tire that I could get on the back of the car and clear everything. I went to a local tire dealer and he got out his book and the only thing he would talk to me about was the same size that came on the car. It did not matter to him that I was running a warmed over 350 Chevy engine in it and probably needed a bigger tire than I was running. Nope, he knew everything.

I bought tires somewhere else.

Personally, I have almost always run at least one size larger tire than came on the vehicle. My Infiniti calls for 215-55-17's and I am running 225-60-17's, which are actually two sizes larger.

Randy