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Bout' time to upgrade the tires. I believe we have 195/60/15. So would something like a 205/45/15 work or what?

 

dont go smaller in height... your spedo will be WAY off

 

205/60/15

 

I m about due for tires, and was wondering, how much will the speedo be off with a shorter tire, perhaps a 50, or 55? The reason is, now that I've got the progress springs and sway-bar on, the car handles great, except at speed, on the highway, you can definitely feel the sidewalls flex, which is kinda scary. Any ideas? I need a tire that's performance oriented, but will perform decent in the winter for now.

 

Go with the BFG Traction T/A's. I'm pretty sure they come in our stock size, and even with the 60-series sidewall they should perform well.

If you go smaller on height, your speedometer and odometer will be off.

 

your dealership should recalibrate it for you...

 

changing the tire diamtere will alwasy throw your speedo out.

But the question is how much? A few percent is of no matter. Anyitng more then 3% is no goo from what I hear.

Go here and you can compare what different sizes will do

http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

 

Excellent site -- Thanks!

 

not neccessarily, most wont want to deal with it, other dont know how lol.

 

Potenza G009 highly recommended.

 

michelin pilot exalto a/s!! I'll never go back to anything. they're pretty cheap and worth every penny

 

So, judging by that calculator, I should be able to go with a 205/55/15, and the speedo will only be 1.4%, which I think is tolerable. That would give me a little bit more of a contact patch, along with a little bit less sidewall.

 

That's the best I came up with using the calculator too.

 

I ll hopefully be ordering some new shoes within the next month, so I ll definitly post up the results.

 

That calculator says my speedo should be almost 2 MPH slow with my 16's on, but every time I pass one of those roadside-radar signs it reads right-on. I know they're not always 100% accurate, but you'd think at least a few of them would read differently if it was off... I'm wondering if my car wasn't actually calibrated for the 16's even tho it didn't come with them?

 

The real test would be to put on your original tires/wheels and check your speedometer against the road-side radar. If it's incorrect then the speedo wasn't calibrated correctly. Having a perfectly calibrated speedo is nearly impossible since tires wear, the circumference changes, and air pressure fluctuates with the outside air temperature.

 

Could you post before and after pics as well? kinda like to see a lower profile tire incase i get new tires...

 

225/50R15 should work if the wheels are at least 6" Wide and they dont have to much backspace. 225/50R15 is 0.3" Shorter than the original 195/60R15. It should effect your speedo by less than 1 mph at 75 mph.

Yokohama AVS ES100 - Best buy in a Summer Tire
Kumho Ecsta AST - Some very light snow use but biased for dry/wet.
Yokohama Avid T4 - All Season

I usually order mine from Tirerack and have them dropshipped to a local installer.

 

On 2006 Cobalt LS are 195/60/r15 and I got 205/60/r16 on the rims. I've read this might mess with the speedometer but will it screw up the computer? What about putting the good ones on the back and leaving the 15's on the front? I bought more brake parts I've been putting off doing since having to bust the first Hub off nightmare. Also have an Alternator to put in. Last thing I need to do is make it even worse but need the tires badly.

 

That link in this thread everybody is talking about doesn't work for me.....wonder why - says "service unavailable" I don't care about the speed so much as I'll use your ideas about finding a speed sign, but I do about messing up the computer and having it not run. Will it ya think, and if the tires I put on do that can I go back and be ok? AAAhhhh!!!???