Not really, I just test-fit my leftover Blizzaks on my new 15" Voxx rims--they look pretty tiny on there, but they still look decent, and it should settle a little bit.
The tires cost me nothing (they were on the old Protege5), and I got 4 wheels, mounting kit with Gorilla splined lugs, and hubcentric rings for under $400 delivered. Just because they're snow tire doesn't mean they have to look bad.
Why would you get something so vastly different over the OEM size? It's really going to mess with your suspension geometry not to mention your transmission, odometer, and speedometer.
A 195/55/15 would make your speedometer read 8% to fast.
the S model came factory with a 195/65/15... when i went to my 215/50/17's the overall tire diameter was only half inch in difference... at 30MPH difference between the two tires is about 1 MPH... in my case fast.. when i show 30MPH on the speedo.. my actual speed is 31 MPH....
Comparing the 195/55/15 to the 195/65/15 the difference is 3/4 inch overall tire diameter.. which at 30 MPH is about 1.2MPH difference...
As far as being 8 year old tires... that is getting kinda old, but as long as they were stored correctly, out of the sun and the elements, they should be ok..
For reference..
195 x 55% = 107.25mm
107.25mm divided by 25.4mm = 4.22 inches + 15 inch rim = 19.22 inches
19.22inches x 3.14 gives you a rollout of 60.35 inches per tire revolution
for the 5 speed cars... (if i remember right in 5th gear with a 3.85:1 axle ratio at 30 MPH indicated on the speedometer is 506 axle revolutions per minute..)
so 60.35 inches x 506 = 30541 inches divided by 12 = 2545 feet per minute
2545 divided by 5280 = 0.48 Miles per minute x 60 = 28.92 MPH meaning with these tires over his stock tires his speedo will read about 1.5 to 2 MPH fast.. which is negligable...
as far as suspension geometry and handling... it shouldn't handle any differently than an S model with 15 inch factory wheels/tires.. it wont handle as well as his 17's.. but.. still should be quite drivable.
and with the narrower treadface.. they'll handle snow better than the 17's..
Also, with those tires being smaller diameter then stock size, you're actually close to the ground then before...which may not desirable in heavy snow.
One other thing. The OP mentioned paying for the tires 8 years ago.......so are the tires 8 years old?? If yes they should not be used. 6 or 7 years is about the max you want to go with any tire before the rubber compound starts to break down. Those tires might not be safe to use on any car...
Tires were checked over by my local Bridgestone dealer before I had them mounted--this shop does all of my tire work, and has for years. Rubber is in very good condition, zero signs of dry rot, still plenty of tread life left, wearing very evenly. Thanks for your concerns, but I trust my tire guy.
I have a 66' Mustang that when tires were new could take left turns at 35+ miles an hour and only chirped when hitting the tape stripe at crosswalk (modified suspension).
After 10 years of VERY low miles and ALWAYS garaged the tires LOOKED perfect but had the traction capabilities of wet ice. I would still take it out and do some safe panic stops to test. Can't hurt. Just sayin'.
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