My new OEM-size tires: Vredestein Quatrac 5

[nickels]

No way to reprogram em to read correctly? I mean there must be.

You can't just say a 175/65-14 tire is just under a half inch wider than a 165/65-14. It's not that simple with tire sizes. The width is not even the main issue here. A 175/65-14 tire has a diameter of 23". The factory tire is 22.4". Once again the difference isn't much, but those numbers do impact speedometer/odometer readings. Many just live with it.

It's just a very odd tire choice for the U.S. It has nothing to do with it being a 14" tire vs. a 15" tire either. Even the two tire sizes they use on the Mirage don't match perfectly. They could have picked two that did match perfectly like a 175/65-14 & a 185/55-15 (both have 23" outside diameters).

[Top_Fuel]

No way to reprogram em to read correctly?

Well...the answer is yes...and no.

Check out THIS post for an explanation.

[Top_Fuel]

The speedometer difference between 22.4" and 23" diameter tires is almost imperceptible. This chart shows what your speedometer would read if you replaced your Enasaves with tires 23" in diameter...

Speedometer Reading (MPH)	Actual Speed
40	41.0
50	51.2
60	61.5
70	71.8
80	82.0
100	102.5

I have 23" tall tires on my Mirage and when my Scangauge indicates 60mph, my Garmin GPS shows 61mph. It makes me wonder how accurate the speedometer is with OEM tires.

I know that deviating from the stock tire size may still make some people uncomfortable, and that's understandable. But for me it's a trade-off that is worth it.

My primary concern with changing tire sizes is warranty. You can bet your last dollar that if you have some sort of alignment or driveline issue, there's a good chance the dealer will blame it on your non-stock size tires and send you packing. That's BS but I know that's they way they operate. For example... If my transmission blew up tonight, I'd go pick up some OEM wheels/tires from a junkyard before heading to the dealership. There's no way I would roll in on my current non-stock setup. That would just be asking for trouble.

[Fummins]

You could also have 2 identical tire sizes from different mfg that are different diameters. I've seen a lot of variance between mfgs. The dimension tolerances must be pretty loose.

[timw4mail]

You could also have 2 identical tire sizes from different mfg that are different diameters. I've seen a lot of variance between mfgs. The dimension tolerances must be pretty loose.

That really makes me wonder how much that adds up over the lifetime of a car. How many 10s of miles are missing/overstated?

Realistically, though, I guess it doesn't really matter.

[Mark]

I like sticking with stock sizes, but a 3% variance in tire sizes is considered acceptable by most. Since I read 3% on the Internet, it must be true! Seriously, any tire that falls within an outside diameter of 22.4” to 23.0” should be perfectly fine.

Listed below are some common U.S. tires that fall within that range. Just using Walmart as a tire source, I also listed how many tire options are offered.

Tire size, outside diameter, variance, & # of Walmart tire options below -
* 165/65r14, 22.4”, 0%, & 4 options
185/60r14, 22.7”, +1.3%, & 71 options
175/65r14, 23.0”, +2.7%, & 87 options
14” tire options listed on line = 162

* 175/55r15, 22.6”, +0.9%, & 8 options
** 195/50r15, 22.7”, +1.3%, & 37 options
185/55r15, 23.0”, +2.7%, & 40 options
15” tire options listed on line = 85

* factory stock tires
** may require a wider rim with a different offset to work

Mirage stock rims are 4.5” wide.
Rim width = Recommended tire widths below -
4.5” = 145-175
5.0” = 155-185
5.5” = 165-195
6.0” = 175-205

I can see the argument for narrow rims, because using a wider rim adds extra weight. A 14” x 5” rims with 175/75r14 tires &/or 15” x 5.5” rims with 185/55r15 tires would have been a good choice for the U.S. market. The tire variance between the two tires would have been 0%, & the tire options would have been so much better. The two or three tire companies that I prefer don’t even make a 165 width tire for the U.S. market. Many of them start with 175 width tires & go from there.

If they were popular here, the 165/65r14 & 175/55r15 tire sizes wouldn’t bother me. They are not the best tire size choice for a car that is sold in the U.S. As far as appearance goes, I think the skinny 165/65r14 tires look even worst on the Mirage G4 sedans. I look at the G4 with stock tires, & I immediately think that car has puny, little tires on it. Every time I see one, it’s the first thought I have. It doesn’t strike me as much with the hatchback, but that’s just my personal opinion.

On a positive note – If you stick with 165/65r14 tires, you don’t have to spend much time deciding what tire to pick. The choices are already narrowed down for you! For an indecisive person, that may be a good thing!

[Top_Fuel]

If they were popular here, the 165/65r14 & 175/55r15 tire sizes wouldn’t bother me.

I agree. The only other car I could find that ever used a 165-65-14 in the US was a 1st Gen Honda Insight.
Here is a discussion of this tire size on a Honda Insight forum.

The 175-55-15 is only found on the rear wheels of older Smart cars (as far as I can tell).

...skinny 165/65r14 tires look even worst on the Mirage G4 sedans.
I look at the G4 with stock tires, & I immediately think that car has puny, little tires on it.
Every time I see one, it’s the first thought I have.

That's funny...I think the same thing when I see one. There's something about the shape of a G4 that makes the OEM wheel appearance seem really bad.

[azdonw]

I wish Walmart sold the Vredesteins, as it would be $10 more per tire for them to install and perform regular rotating and balancing for them (which I have done every 7000 miles). It doesn't appear TireRack has the rotating deal with there installers.

[wellswebdesign]

can you report on the tread depth of the set you have?

I just checked, and they're at 10/32". I haven't even put 500 miles on them, so that should be pretty accurate for new.

Also, got gas today so I've got a mileage update. 43.3mpg for the tank. Almost exclusively in-town driving, maybe 30-40 miles of that tank was highway, and not much A/C. My commute is 3 miles (1.6 miles at 25mph, 1.4 miles at 45mph) The last 2 days (not work), I've ended with gauge-average 50 and 51mpg. I'm pleased.

[Eggman]

I just checked, and they're at 10/32". I haven't even put 500 miles on them, so that should be pretty accurate for new.

Also, got gas today so I've got a mileage update. 43.3mpg for the tank. Almost exclusively in-town driving, maybe 30-40 miles of that tank was highway, and not much A/C. My commute is 3 miles (1.6 miles at 25mph, 1.4 miles at 45mph) The last 2 days (not work), I've ended with gauge-average 50 and 51mpg. I'm pleased.

Thanks so much for measuring and reporting your tread depth. This will help all who want to stay with the stock size tires. I've added this to the tire comparison chart in post #8. The Vredestein stands out as a good choice in several categories. It's also good to know that handling seems improved in your estimation.

Regarding fuel economy, would you say you have improved, maintained, or lost any? I know it is only one tank but your fuel economy numbers are slightly below your running average according to your forum Fuel Log. New tires are more likely to hurt fuel economy.