winter tires , what sizes can i use ??

[spaztastic]

What about for ice? You would think wider would be better for ice... so like something in between? sorry not trying to thread jack!

[simactive]

I guess i am going with p185/75/r14 wintertrac tires and getting them studded for icy conditions.

thank for the info, love wiki. wintertrac w/studs sound good for my honda, it legal here in sault ste marie, ontario canada.

ahah nice nice, many i dunno how TO would like it if we all started to drive with studded tires, cept they pour enough salt, potassium chloride and sand on the groud to kill the northern hemmishpere and cause a flood let alone kill my car. Thank you for oil sprays =

[vinbon63]

a 155 tire would be like driving on a spare 'donut', and I think that the proper tire size for 14" is 185/70-14.

[do2mind]

185/70/14 is the narrowest recommended for that year Accord that still has enough air between you and the pavement... and was the stock setup on the LX and below, I think.

I just bought some 14" Motegi MR-7's for winter to replace the old factory steel wheels, and I have to say I'm pretty happy. I bought them at a local tire chain, but I also saw them at Sears Auto Center. I'm not sure if the warranty will be good if I drive them in winter, but I'd rather live in the moment and have a decent looking ride

As far as tires, I'll go with the conventional wisdom that official snow tires would be the safest bet, especially studded. I've never driven studded tires, so I wouldn't know how much advantage they give... However, I'm a pretty good driver in snow. I can get away with all season radials, but can't guarantee you can do the same. I go with all season radials mostly because I drive 50-80 miles a day, and I wouldn't get much for my money if I had to buy snow tires every year or two, their rated mileage is much lower. I just make sure I get something with a fairly aggressive (at least average) tread, because I live on a fairly steep hill. This year, I went with Kelly Explorer tires.

Doing a little research for this post, I went on the Kelly web site, and it gives 1 to 10 ratings for snow traction, wet traction, etc... for each model of tire. I see my Explorers are rated a 4 in the snow... but the guy who sold them to me said they'd be a lot better than "the cheapest" all season radial. I wonder if other companies have similar ratings to compare traction? In the past, I've always bought whatever was the cheapest all season radial, and I haven't crashed yet. This year, I took a step or two up tire wise, and stayed with the same 185/70/14 footprint to stay nice and narrow for my winter tires, so I should be good. And the Motegi rims still look decent, much better than the boring factory steel wheels with covers.

The EX model, and I think it was optional for other levels... had 15", wider tires... that extra width makes a big negative difference if you've got hills to climb in the snow. Two Thanksgivings ago, my '93 Accord made it out of the driveway after dinner, and some of the other guests with wider 15" alloy wheels (including a 2000-something Accord) were stuck until the driveway could be plowed out (and they even had newer tires than I did).

Okay, enough rambling...

[sd93accordEX]

I'd get 185's. I had 205 15's and swapped to 185 14's and noticed a DISTINCT difference in winter capability. like night and day. i used to get stuck on an inch of snow just trying to go anywhere, but on the 185's. nothing stopped me. as long as i wasn't stupid like some of the people i knew. 'hey, i see a 4 foot drift. i can get thru that.' putz. plus, if ya get true winter tires, it'll be even better. just my $.02.

[sd93accordEX]

if i want to compare tire ratings, i just go to the tire rack.com. they got quite a few to compare. i've been doing that for a while and haven't been displeased yet. of course they are not perfect, but they have definitely got me in the ballpark. i just bought Potenza P009. love em! great all around tire. much better than the hard as a rock 'Badyears'. sliding all over the place, but not anymore. woohooo!

[do2mind]

tires...

Very happy with the Kelly Explorer tires for handling in snow, as far as all season radials go, the best I've driven on.