Other 14" tire sizes?

[timw4mail]

So I'm looking into winter tires, and thinking ahead for replacing the OEM tires.

I don't really want to worry about upsizing the wheels. Have people run other 14 tires, that aren't the OEM 165/65R14 size?

[Top_Fuel]

Have people run other 14 tires, that aren't the OEM 165/65R14 size?

Many people who want more alternatives in a 14-inch diameter run 175-65-14.

This is a 23" diameter tire (as opposed to 22.5" for 165-65-14). Your speedometer would be off by 1.5 mph at 60 mph. It's such a small error, you would never notice it. I can't tell you if there are good snow tires in that size or not.

[timw4mail]

My tire math is terrible... is a 185/55R14 too wide?

[Eggman]

This is a 23" diameter tire (as opposed to 22.5" for 165-65-14). Your speedometer would be off by 1.5 mph at 60 mph.

The speedometer is off by that amount in my experience. Using the 23" diameter tire might correct this.

[Top_Fuel]

...is a 185/55R14 too wide?

It's not too wide to fit under the fenders. The question is, will they fit on your wheels.

The factory wheels are only 4.5" wide. 185-55-14 would probably fit on them...but I wouldn't be shocked if the tire manufacturer specified a minimum wheel width of 5"-5.5" for those tires.

[timw4mail]

It's not too wide to fit under the fenders. The question is, will they fit on your wheels.

The factory wheels are only 4.5" wide. 185-55-14 would probably fit on them...but I wouldn't be shocked if the tire manufacturer specified a minimum wheel width of 5"-5.5" for those tires.

The 14" alloys, or the steel ones? I have the alloy wheels.

[Top_Fuel]

The 14" alloys, or the steel ones? I have the alloy wheels.

All Mirage wheels (14", 15", steel, alloy) are 4.5" wide.

edit - Check out this quote from Fummins about 185 tires on the stock wheels:

I haven't had any problems with having 185's on the 4.5" wheel though they are noticeably heavier and do look a little too wide.

See this post: https://mirageforum.com/forum/showth...ll=1#post74283

[ed100]

I put 185-60-14 (22.7 dia) on the stock steel wheels and they worked out great. I bent a rim bad though (pothole) so I have civic steelies and 185-70-14’s (24.2 dia) on the car right now. I’d say that this is about as large of a diameter that this car can use. I’ll be swapping my much nicer 185-60-14 tires to the civic wheels soon.

[Mark]

So I'm looking into winter tires, and thinking ahead for replacing the OEM tires.

I don't really want to worry about upsizing the wheels. Have people run other 14 tires, that aren't the OEM 165/65R14 size?

I would never add width to a tire for snow. NEVER!!!!! Especially on a small front wheel drive car like the Mirage. You couldn’t give me a wider snow tire for free. I’ve been climbing winter ridge roads in southwest Wisconsin for over 25 years. My experience is that skinner tires just bite in better & cuts through the snow easier, too. If I owned a lightweight car with wide tires, I would invest in tire chains instead. Seriously! Personally, I would stick with factory size tires. I would never go wider! Others may have different opinions, but I driven enough on bad winter roads with various vehicles to know adding width to a snow tire on a small car is counterproductive.

I just did a general search of what I saw out there in the U.S. market. If I were buying snow tires today, these would be my top 3 picks. Someone could surely research this some more, but I wouldn’t have a problem with any of the 165/65r14 tires listed below. I would have a problem going with a wider tire, but that’s just me.

Dunlop WinterMaxx WM02 @ tirerack.com for $84.47 with free shipping
Nokian Nordman 7 (non-studded) @ tires-easy.com for $78.10 with free shipping
Vredestein QuacTrac 5 @ tirerack.com for $80.27 with free shipping

I have no experience with the Dunlop snow tires, but I am sure these tires would be fine for winter roads.

I have a pair of the Nokian tires, & I used them on front to climb ridge roads last winter. I was very happy with them. The price today is less than what I paid for them last December. I added these to an extra pair of 14” x 5.5” steel rims, but the 14” x 4.5” factory rims would be a better fit. Nokian has a long, standing reputation for quality snow tires. My oldest daughter now lives in Finland, but I must admit my Nokian snow tires were made in Russia.

The Vredestein tires (European) are all-season tires that may actually do well on winter roads. I’ve only noticed these recently. The reviews for this tire seem very good. It’s worth looking at in my opinion, & I have only seen tirerack.com carry them in the 165/65-14 size. If these were available last winter, I would have considered them for sure.

Keep in mind – the Dunlop and Nokian are not meant for year round use. Thus, some of the appeal of the Vredestein, too. If these tires don’t trip your trigger, I would start looking at 175/65-14 tires. You would be going from a 22.4” diameter tire to 23” diameter tire (which is not a huge difference), & you will find numerous options. As long as 165 wide snow tires exist, that’s the route I am going. I am a firm believer in skinny is better than fat!

[Marklovski]

I think i'm running 185/65R14 winter tires on my steelies. No rubbing.