Snow tires...go skinny or stay OEM

NYSpeed Automotive
1

I have hear dplenty of times that a skinnier tire is better for snows. Even DTD and tire rack say this…but I want to hear what your .02

Im going to be getting snows for the wifes van and im looking at 2 different sizes. OEM is 235/65 R17 but I can also get 225/65 R17 (no 225/70 R17 available). Im not concerned about the speedo changing 1mph…I am concerned with less rubber on the road. Cutting through snow will be better but what about on those cold dry pavement days. Less rubber on dry pavement = great stopping distance right?

What say you

2

I played this game on the GTO and honestly didn’t see that much of an improvement in the snow going to a narrower tire. Stock was 245/45/17 and I went as low as a 215/50/17 snow for one set. I did notice considerably less grip than the 245/45/17 snows I had when there wasn’t snow. Were the 215’s better than the 245’s in bad snow? Probably a little. Was it enough to give up the extra traction provided by the wider tire the other 95% of the time? Not in my opinion.

3

Stick with OEM. The number of times per winter where you might see a benefit from a skinnier tire are much less than the benefit you’ll get from the proper size tire.

4

Well said ^ Exactly my thoughts as we really don’t get that many days of deep snowy driving around here.

5

I went between 275/40 and 235/50 snows on my g8 in the winter and all around i was happier with the 275s.

6

OEM

7

This is exactly what i wanted to hear…thanks all
:tup:

8

Please explain how a 225 puts down less rubber than a 235 tire at the same tire pressure?

9

its not as wide so less width of rubber on the road…

10

such a small difference isn’t going to mean much unless you’re threshold trail-braking into every turn and looking for the ultimate edge. when people talk about going thin for winter they usually mean going from like 255 to 225 or something more dramatic. at this size brand to brand differences might even mean they end up the same real width. cause that’s a thing. 225 in one brand is not always 225 in another.

11

Eh, it really depends:

This. Tire sizing can be a strange thing. I changed tire brands for my car and kept the exact same “size”. Once they were on the car I actually had to raise the suspension by a whole inch because the real world tire dimensions were so different.

12

I would focus more on the tread pattern, how stiff the sidewall is, and the wear ratings. You will see a bigger difference in those items

X…

13

Last time I checked rubber on the road is measure in area, not width. A wider tire will have a shorter footprint length than a narrow tire at the same inflation pressure. Both “should” have same footprint area. Theoretically a longer footprint will be better at braking, not a wider one. Although I’ve never seen definitive same day testing.

There will be variances between manufactures so this isn’t always true.

14

I try to stay oem, but if there is a good deal, and it will fit my application, I will change size a little bit…

15

I ran a 235 snow on my truck verse a 12.50" and the skinny tires are WAY better.

16

I always go at least 20 or 30 skinnier if I can.

Some of the best cars I ever had in the snow were light and fwd with skinny 14 or 15 in snows. Granted they were light as well.

17

My neon came with 13" wheels that were i think 165s??? Those pizza cutters NEVER got stuck in over 10 winters.