How bad is it to put smaller tires on?

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Voltmaster

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Hey,

My accord's size is 195-65-15
How bad is it that one tire would be 185-65-15?

I want to replace one tire and price difference is 30 bucks @ discount tire for the tires i want.

Yay nay? they wont do it ?
I shouldnt do it? or what.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Just one tire? No. Get a used one of the same size to get you by.


what about two?

I have one that has low tread problably going to be replaced in 3-6 months ( lots of summer driving for me ) , if its going to save me 30 bucks per tire , i will do both today.
 
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Never put a smaller tire on...or more specifically, never mount a tire with a load index less than what is required for the car. A 185/65R15 will likely have a lower load index than a 195/65R15.

Most tire shops won't do it. And you open yourself up to potential lawsuits if you get into an accident where there is personal injury (for running an under-spec'd tire). For 30 bucks, there's simply no reason not to use the correct size and load index.
 
But, if the load rating of the smaller tire (X2) is less than your GAWR, and X4 is lower than your GVWR, you're not going to hurt anything by dropping one size. For instance, my old GMC has two LT225/75R16D tires on the front axle & is supposed to have 245 10-ply or "E" rated tires on all 4 wheels-because they'll never be on the rear of the truck where the heavy loads are, they work just fine.
 
Yes, they should work fine in practice, but there's a risk to using under-spec'd tires. What I'm suggesting to the OP is that the small reward (saving 30 bucks) isn't worth the risk.
 
It's unlikely that a 195/65-15 to 185/65-15 is going to have more than 20 pounds difference in load rating.

As long as you replace all 4, there will be no negative affects. You may feel a slight decrease in handling as an Accord is a pretty heavy car for a 185mm wide tire.

It won't have the "right" size tire, so most tire shops won't touch it.
 
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Originally Posted By: Miller88
It won't have the "right" size tire, so most tire shops won't touch it.


That's going to be your biggest challenge. I was amazed when I put two new front tires on the "Bluesmobile" back in the fall. Went to three different shops because the first two simply refused to do what I asked them to do. Finally, (at Walmart of all places) they agreed to put two 205/75/14's on the front even though there are two 205/70/14's on the back. I had to sign a waver that if anything happened, (like loss of control on a wet road), I would not hold them accountable.
 
The main concern I would have reducing your speedo and odometer accuracy since you're sticking with the same aspect ratio.
Now if you went with a 185/70 tire the rolling circumference of the tire may be closer.

I would check your speedo accuracy now with a GPS on your worn 195/65 tires. In all likelihood it overstates your actual speed.
If that's the case going with 185/65 tire will just make the situation worse.
 
Originally Posted By: Voltmaster
Hey,

My accord's size is 195-65-15
How bad is it that one tire would be 185-65-15?

I want to replace one tire and price difference is 30 bucks @ discount tire for the tires i want.

Yay nay? they wont do it ?
I shouldnt do it? or what.


I would want to atleast stick to the same size (even if smaller) on the front or back, tires.
 
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...or what...

Since the only issue seems to be money, why not check used tire shops for a "pull-off" tire ...a like-new tire that was replaced when someone did the opposite of you, by getting bigger tires...for about $30 out the door

The tire is the only thing between you and the road...don't play with off-sized smaller tires...
 
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I agree that going smaller is never a good idea. If the manufacturer thought they could get away with a smaller tire (it would cost them less, too) then they would have spec'd it.

Will something catastrophic happen? Probably not, but do you REALLY want to take that risk? If so, then cancel your home and health insurances, too...you'll PROBABLY never need them either.
 
Originally Posted By: Voltmaster
Hey,

My accord's size is 195-65-15
How bad is it that one tire would be 185-65-15?

I want to replace one tire and price difference is 30 bucks @ discount tire for the tires i want.

Yay nay? they wont do it ?
I shouldnt do it? or what.


I would never go lower than what is on the label on the door.

The vehicle designers did not throw darts at labels on the wall to see what size tire to use.
 
There's a chance the base accord takes 185s, we could look it up on tire rack for example. My saturn s series takes from 175/70/14 to 195/60/15 with load ranges from 84 to 88 depending on equipment; the huge tires are grossly overrated on that car.

But if one is buying small to save money on NEW tires, this negates most of the advantages of new tires. The treadlife warranty won't be in effect. They won't be "so safe you can sue others if you have issues." Other peoples' comparisons based on properly loaded vehicles will be off base.

If there's a $30 difference there must be some unique quirk to the tire you're looking at. Either it's cheaper than dirt and on clearance and the cheapest of both your sizes or there's a yet-not-considered brand in your proper size that doesn't directly compare.

And if you have small tires on one axle it'll screw up your ABS and steering geometry/ alignment.
 
What year Accord?
Some models came on 185s, some on 195s, even though the GVWRs were about the same.
Our '97 LX came on 185s, while our '99 LX came on 195s.
The difference is around 3/8", so as long as load rating is adequate to GAWR with at least a 10% marign, I can't see a problem.
I would avoid mounting two different tires, whether section width, profile or even brand and model on the same end of the car, though.
 
Don't sweat it...the difference is insignificant as long as you do two on the same axle.

Just take your old ones off, take them to discount tire and have them mounted, bring them home and put them on. No questions asked.
 
I would be OK with putting two smaller ones on the front axle. It would only promote a bit more understeer and help keep the fronts from aquaplaning slightly. The actual tread width on the road might be identical anyways.
I've run everything from 13" 155/80 snows to 15" 205/50 DOT R-compound's on the Neon and the fundamental balance of the car doesn't change much and the car was happy with any of them. For autocross I have put stickier tires on the front and with stock suspension settings, its still hard to get alot of oversteer, but I wouldn't recommend putting the stickier tires on the front for just driving on the street.
The OEM size is fine of course, its a good compromise for what the engineers and accountants think is a good tire. Optimal? Maybe for the average driver on the average road in the average weather?
Another point is that on some rwd cars with staggered sizes, they allow 4 snow tires of equal size. OVERKILL's M5 for example.
 
Never go smaller. Go bigger yes. Insurance companies CAN deny coverage if you go smaller or change speed rating lower than what came on it. I've been a tire salesman for 14 years.
 
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