How much narrower should winter tires be?

Most car experts agree that if you run your vehicle with 17-inch, 18-inch, or even larger-sized wheels during the spring, summer, and fall, you really should consider downsizing your winter set of wheels to 16-inch, maybe even 15-inch, if possible.

Why winter tires are narrower?

Narrower tires put more pressure per square inch on the ground than wider tires which improves traction on ice. That’s why rally cars use narrower tires for ice and snow.

What tire width is best for snow?

A narrower tire does a better job in snow. As a rule of thumb, for winter tires you can reduce the width 10mm, increase the aspect ratio 10 percentage points, and get a wheel one inch smaller — in this case 215/60R16.

How do you know if winter tires will fit?

Winter tire sizes should be based on one of the following:

• Your Vehicle’s Factory Size Tire and Wheel Size.
• The Tire and Wheel Size From Your Vehicle’s Base Model.
• A Minus Size Tire and Wheel.
• Minus Sizing Example for Winter Tires.

Are narrower tires better?

Traction — Having more pressure per square inch or a wider contact area are two options for creating greater traction for your car’s tires. Therefore, narrow tires perform better when the roads are covered with snow, since they can dig deeper into the snow, providing more traction.

Does the width of a tire matter?

Does Tire Size Really Matter? Simply put, the larger your tire, the more of a grip your vehicle has on the road. As a tire’s width increases, it covers more surface area on the road. That being said, a vehicle with bigger rims will often be able to fit larger tires than other vehicles.

Are wide tires bad in snow?

Generally, narrower tires are better in snow and on ice because they are more stable and get better linear traction by penetrating the snow. This is not always true though; on hard-pack snow, wider tires with more sipes are better.

Do you need separate rims for winter tires?

Having a set of wheels (rims) to go with your winter tires is a good idea. It saves the wear and tear of seasonal tire mounting, and makes it easy and much less expensive to do the seasonal changeover. Alloy wheels are lighter for better fuel economy and handling and certainly look better.

Can you go down a rim size for winter tires?

You can go plus-one, plus-two, sometimes plus-three, meaning 18-inch wheels beget 21-inch wheels. You can also go minus-one, minus-two, or minus-three with winter tires, so a 19-inch summer or all-season tire/wheel package becomes 18, 17 or 16 inches with winter tires.

Are wide tires bad in rain?

Wet condition driving — Wide tires are better for driving in wet weather since they have sipes, which help to trap and remove water from the contact surface. Narrow tires have sipes as well, but since they have a smaller surface area, they have less of them.

How wide of a tire can I fit?

As a general rule of thumb, it’s safe to fit a tire up to 20 millimeters wider than stock on the original rim. The actual width of the tire will vary depending on the width of the rim: The tire will expand 5 millimeters for every half inch (12.5 millimeters) increase in rim width.

Are wider or narrow tires better for winter driving?

– In the winter, narrow tires are better under extreme conditions as they provide higher surface pressure against the road. Narrow tires also work better than wider ones in loose snow and slush. Wider tires, for their part, will offer more grip on hard surfaces, Martin Dražík says. What do the tire markings tell us?

Can narrow tires break through snow and water?

When driving on the street in light snow or slush, narrow tires break through the snow and water down to the pavement underneath. If the tires can engage the pavement, the vehicle gets much more grip compared to engaging snow, slush or water. What happens when a tire cannot break through the snow to the pavement though?

Are smaller tires better in snow and slush?

A smaller and narrower tire with a higher profile has better traction in deep snow and slush and is much less likely to aquaplane on the ice and in the rain. Furthermore, the smaller tire cuts through snow more effectively because the weight of the car is pressing on a more focused set of contact patches.

When should you put on snow tires?

Watch the thermometer and use common sense, because no one will tell exactly when to put on snow tires (unless you live in Quebec, where the law dictates that your car be equipped with winter tires between Dec. 15 and March 15.) Winter tires should be narrower than summer models.