I want to order minus size snow tires for my 07 Odyssey LX, which has OEM tires that are 235/65R16. When I go to TireRack.com to see what tires & wheel packages they recommend, they only give me 16" wheels and tires to choose from, even though they say they’ll recommend the minus size snow tires when appropriate.
What minus size tire do you tire experts recommend for maximum snow performance?
You were at the expert tire site and Tire Rack is probably the Gold Standard for tire information .
I’d stick with the 16”. I bet MUCH bigger wheel sizes were optional. Why don’t you want the stock size?
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There may be no 15" wheels that will clear you brake caliper.
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On TireRack and other places I’ve read that by going with a smaller, narrower, taller tire, it’ll perform better in winter than OEM sized tires.
Here’s a summary of the advantages: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=126
Maybe that’s it. Thanks.
you drive thru fresh snow 10% of the time. the rest is smooth hard packed snow and ice. i would want the tire to have as much contact as possible. no need to have a narrower tire. smaller rim diameter? why? you can play with the aspect ratio of tire all you want to achieve your goals
Only if most of your winter driving is in deep snow,
If most of your winter driving is 1 to 2 inches of snow/slush, on ice, or plowed roads stay with original size.
If you wanted to split the difference, I’d stay same height and go a little narrower,
In your case that would be a 205/75R16, that size won’t even affect your speedometer and is 1 inch narrower than stock
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That advice you’ve read is to encourage folks to use the smallest stock rim. I bet lots of your model came with bigger rims. You risk getting the wrong load capacity if you start using non stock sizes.
This seems like one of those lets take something and make it complicated . This vehicle is 13 years old so how much of it life span is unknown. Why not just go to a local tire store , get tires on the vehicle that fit the wheels and if the vehicle dies or is totaled in an accident ( Really do not want that to happen ) then all you have to do is sell the tires .
Narrower tires are still better on hard packed snow. That’s one reason why the original VW Bugs were extremely good in snow. You do NOT need a smaller rim diameter unless you’re drastically changing the width. Too narrow a tire and the vehicle may not be as stable.
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Thanks for the advice and tips everyone! Good points. Yeah, I was just assuming that minus size snow tires were all around better for winter driving, but as many have pointed out, that is only in deep snow – I didn’t read everything closely enough. Also, I heard back from TireRack after sending them a message yesterday and they said the smaller rims/tires won’t work with my vehicle because they won’t fit with the brakes and suspension, so that explains why they didn’t recommend any. I will stick with OEM sized tires!
Sorry - that’s wrong. Narrower tires are better on hard packed snow and slush.
Interesting … thanks.
That’s what I have done for my 1999 Civic: winter tires a little narrower than OEM, with a bit taller sidewall. You’d want to compare overall diameter for any alternatives, and load rating, too. For best winter tires, see tirerack’s and Consumer Reports’ ratings.
If your car came with larger rims and lower profile tires as a feature of a more deluxe model, you can go to the rim that came with the basic car that year and then buy a tire that brings you up to nearly the same rolling circumference. Years ago I had a VW Rabbit GTI and I had a second set of standard rims with appropriate snow tires for the rough winters we had. They were far better; it’s the difference between a sled and a toboggan. Sure, the car’s cornering traction on dry roads was much less, but in the Winter in Central New England there are precious few dry roads, and none without sand all over the place.
MikeiNH and I have both done extensive driving In Norht Central NY between Lake Ontario and The Tug Hill Plateau in daily conditions most of the winter that would have Ice Road Truckers keeping their rigs parked. Most p;aces there get more than 300 inches a year. They don’t get in the record books because the populations are too small for official weather stations. When he says narrow tires are better in the snow, believe him!
It is the same reason that skis or snowshoes keep you on top of the snow. Wide tires have less pounds per square inch on them. Unlike skis you cannot tilt the edges for control. For years the NY State police drove Ford Ltds, Sometimes they drove Mustangs in the summer. At the first hint of snow, they went back to the Ltds.
Even in the milder climate of Western NY, the first cars you see parked on top of a guard rail in the first storm of winter are Mustangs and Camaros. There are real sports cars that are even worse but their owners are not under the illusion that they are all season cars.
@It_s_Me had a good idea except that at least at tirerack.com, there are no winter tires available in that size, but they do have a verity of ice/snow winter tires available in the 215/70R16 size. They would be slightly smaller in diameter and about 3/4" narrower but should work. You speedometer may read 1 to 2 mph higher than you are actually going.
If you need a second set of wheels so you don’t have to keep mounting and dismounting your tires twice a year (recommended), look for a set of 16" steel wheels from an Accord. They will have the correct bolt pattern, hub diameter and offset to fit your Odyssey but be about a half inch narrower to better accommodate this size tire.
If you already have a second set of steel wheels that are the factory size for the Odyssey, this size will still work but maybe a 225/70R16 might be better. It will be ever so slightly larger in diameter but about a half inch narrower.
That is very true, but it is also a good idea to know how to drive in snow, and to have the proper tires.
There was a moderate-grade hill near the exit from the campus of the high school where I was on the faculty. As long as drivers had a decent amount of momentum when they came to that hill, they could climb it, even when it was snowy.
I vividly recall sitting at the stop sign one afternoon, during a light snow storm. On the perpendicular road with the moderate hill, a woman approached in her Monte Carlo, and she suddenly slowed waaaaay down. Then, she tried to accelerate, and while her rear wheels spun, she managed to wind up in the ditch.
But, people learn from experience… or so you would think…
About a month later–during another snow storm–when it came time to leave work, traffic was tied-up on that road with the moderate hill. When I was finally able to make my left turn onto that road, I found the source of the traffic tie-up.
Yup, that same woman, in the same Monte Carlo, was sitting in the same ditch.
Closer to home, during two consecutive winters, one of my neighbors managed to get stuck making the turn onto his street, in his Mustang. Same driver, same turn, same Mustang.
Learning from experience?
What’s that?
friend had a mustang laguna seca with blizzaks. we have very well plowed roads. its snows and the next day 98% of roads are plowed and its just slick driving. he has no issues