Winter tire setup 5.4% smaller than stock diameter ok?
 

Quick question.

I have winter wheels/tires from my old car I want to use on my new car. The tires are still pretty new, and I don't want to replace it if I don't have to.

Bolt pattern, offset etc are all ok

But, the overall diameter for my winter setup is 5.4% smaller vs my stock wheel/tires.

Other than the speedo being a little off which I can compensate for, any other issues that I should be aware of? There are people with differing views, nothing conclusive.

I know there's an issue with mismatched front/rear sizes. But they'll be the same size all around, just smaller than stock by 5.4%.

You're fine.

Aesthetics aside (the tires are gonna look really out of place, with HUGE wheel well gaps and stuff), how is your ground clearance? With a 5.4% decrease in tire diameter, the underside is gonna be invariably quite a bit lower. You'd want to be extra careful going through speed bumps and such.

An inch and a half isn't going to make HUGE wheel well gaps or scrape you over speed bumps. You will be fine. My winters are about 3% smaller than stock and my summers are about 5%

Generally, its recommended to be within 3% of diameter, it not only changes the speedometer reading but may affect your transmission because the the revolution would be significantly different.

Tire Size Calculator - tire & wheel plus sizing

Wouldn't it effect your traction control?

When plus sizing, it is key to ensure the total diameter of your tire and rim remains the same as your original tires. A variance of more than 3% from your original equipment can cause problems with transmission shift points, which can decrease fuel mileage. It can also confuse braking system computers, which can even lead to brake failure.

Google is your best friend.

But RS = Google/Wiki/Yahoo answers :ilied:

Anyway lol your speedometer will read funnny. I had a set of 5% smaller diameter than oem sizing winter tires/wheels on my 07' TSX and ran it for two seasons just fine, just that the speedometer was I think +3km/h faster or something like that. Nothing else went wrong.

Also check the load index rating. Tires have load carrying limits; your new car might be heavier than your old car and the winters might not be suitable.

The offroad guys do it without any problems.

Yea, from the testimonials from people that have actually done it that i've found online, noone reports any problems with it. All the "issues" that i've read about are all theoretical issues, and noone's actually posted that they've had any of these theoretical problems happen.

No "my traction control didn't work, my transmission failed, my brakes failed, etc" stories... So I was inclined to think that it would be ok.

The new car is heavier, but not by a whole lot I believe. I'm going from a 17" wheel/tire combo to a 16" wheel/tire combo. I think the OEM tires are Korean Nexen tires, and the winters are Michelin X-Ice's. Once these winter tires get worn out, I'll be getting new ones that are sized up, but I think it'll likely be a year or two before that happens. Didn't want to have to get another set yet again.

Thanks for all the input everyone!