# Does size really matter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [January 11, 2008, 7:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/does-size-really-matter/9270 "2008-01-11T07:21:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brookeinak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brookeinak](https://community.cartalk.com/u/brookeinak)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/does-size-really-matter/9270/1 "2008-01-11T07:21:41Z")
I drive a 2005 Nissan Sentra with winter tires but they’re not cutting it on these icey roads up here in Alaska where I live. My friend has 4 studded tires she’s willing to give me, but we don’t know if they’ll fit. My tires say 195/60/R15 and her studs are 205/70/R15. Will those fit on my car? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/1/d/1d47c66a543aa6c5a7873bb2320858f978ff52ed.png) [@system](https://community.cartalk.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/does-size-really-matter/9270/2 "2008-01-11T07:51:43Z")
> Size does matter? Absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![mr\_josh](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mr_josh/32/3008_2.png) [@mr\_josh](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mr_josh)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/does-size-really-matter/9270/3 "2008-01-11T07:55:31Z")
It’s possible that they will. The diameter is correct (R15 = 15"), but the studded tires are a little wider (205mm vs. 195mm). Assuming the wheels on your Sentra are wide enough, the studded tires will fit just fine. Your tire dealer -the person who will have to swap them- can tell you if your wheels are of the correct width. ---
**Author:** ![edb1961](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/edb1961/32/122_2.png) [@edb1961](https://community.cartalk.com/u/edb1961)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/does-size-really-matter/9270/4 "2008-01-11T14:27:59Z")
The width shouldn’t be a problem, however the overall diameter of the 205/70/R15 is going be much larger because of the higher aspect ratio (i.e. 70% of 205 = 144 mm vs. 60% of 195 = 117 mm is the tire height). To put it another way, the overall diameters of the 195/60/R15 and 205/70/R15 tires are 24.2" and 26.1" respectively. There may be clearance issues with the wheel wells. Ed B. ---
**Author:** ![Jad2007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dec6dc/32.png) [@Jad2007](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jad2007)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/does-size-really-matter/9270/5 "2008-01-11T15:33:46Z")
Further to what Ed B said, your diameter will be 7.92% greater with those 205/70 tires, and [1010tires.com](http://1010tires.com) doesn’t recommend going beyond 3%, smaller or larger than your originals. They claim if you go beyond 3%, you face the risk of brake failure. Not sure what the reasoning is behind that, maybe someone here can explain? ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 3:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/does-size-really-matter/9270/6 "2008-01-11T15:38:39Z")
Is it icey roads or snow…For snow you want a NARROW tire…NOT A WIDER tire. ---
**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/does-size-really-matter/9270/7 "2008-01-11T15:49:44Z")
It can’t hurt to call Nissan regional headquarters, customer service, and see what they have to say. Actually, they’ll transfer you to the Technical division but someone there usually knows the answer. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/does-size-really-matter/9270/8 "2008-01-11T18:28:29Z")
[www.carbibles.com](http://www.carbibles.com) is a good website to learn about tires and tire sizes. I would not recommend going with a tire that much larger on a Sentra. My suggestion is to look up consumer feedback on the 1010tires and tirerack websites. Look for something in a winter, well siped with a complex tread pattern.