Selecting Winter Tires is a long process for most, since we spend lots of hours viewing reviews on various makes and models but here is a tip on how to dramatically improve your selection. – Go down in size! –
A thinner tire, increases the pressure the tire “carves” the path its rolling on which means that in snow and rain you get the best possible traction.
Not to mention, smaller sized tires are cheaper so getting a good brand is easier!
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more width is more contact patch is better -> tuv tested
Except that when you change sizes or characteristics of the tires or rims, you throw off the traction computer data. For instance if you change a rim size to 16″, and the computer is calibrated to expect a 17″ rim size, then when it detects a slip at a specific RPM, it’s data is off by a greater RPM of the 16″ rim. The traction computer doesn’t know the RPM increase is due to rim size, not by engine acceleration.
Thanks for this video and great advice.
This is one of the most controversial thing on selecting correct tires.
Wider tires are not necessarily have good grip on most winter conditions as some people think.
There are not so much information about this issue on the net. It is understandable that tire manufacturers wants to sell more rubber per tire that you don’t need (and most probably impair the handling).
TY for the video im a bit late at seeing but TY for posting
Any tests? Everyone can say that is true…
you started saying numbers and never explained them,
So my summers are 185/65R14, i can use 175/65/R14 and have better performance on winter ?
So your saying if I have a 18in rim I can put on a 17in winter tire?
Excellent point. Thanks!
very interesting
I go down one size for my winter tires. I hope other people take your advice.
I went with a 155 80R13, I rock in the snow!
Do you think your family will understand when you come out of the closet?
Yes, going down a tire size is great, but only if your overall tire diameter is close to the original tire’s diameter. Here is a handy online tire size calculator that can do all of this diameter calculation for you:
http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-Calculator
That’s exactly what I did, my 2007 honda came with 17 inch rims, whe are looking at a bad winter for 2015, I bought a 16 inch rims and I’m gonna run blizzak ws80.i guess I’ll be ready.
This is true to a point. Thinner width on tires for packed snow and ice do perform better but only on hard surfaces. Once you go offroad to deeper snow then all bets are off. Offroad you need flotation and that comes with bigger tires. Most people will never go offroad so this is good advice. As for diameter, bigger is always better. A tall narrow tire will always be better then a smaller narrow tire.
This is why standard tires on the old VW Beetles actually performed so well on packed snow but not so good on sand. Sand always needs floatation.
What the fuck every time I post something on you tube this fucking numbers are automatically put in with out me typing it(I&39) I#&39).
When you say narrower tire increases performance are you refering to acceleration in snow? My concern is breaking on icy roads…I’m tossing up between buying winter tires for a Honda CRV in either 225/65/17 or the equivilant diameter but narrower 215/70/16. Either way I’m buying steel wheels to mount them on. Thanks for your help
Here is what you need to know: Usually after a snowfall, there is the harder packed snow underneath the softer fluffy snow on the top. If you drive with wide tires then the car tends to FLOAT over on top of the softer snow and never fully reaches the hard stuff near the bottom. So if you want better stopping ability you have to reach down to the harder ‘PACKED’ snow, that’s why you need those skinnier tires. Unfortunately most people think the opposite way, that’s why you see wide winter tires everywhere.