Should I fit 205/60/R16 instead of 205/55/R16 winter tires on my Mazda 3 2010 GS

Title says all. I saw some Bridgestone WS90 almost 30$ less per tire if I choose the 205/60 model, while my car should avec 205/55. I’ve read a bit about it and it seems OK, but some people seems to say that I need to check other things too.

I’m a bit lost and a noob with all that. Would it fit live a glove or I should avoid that idea? Thanks a lot !

I would go with the size that is recommended for your vehicle. the bridgestone ws90 is a good snow tire. I got the ws80’s for my daughters car when she was going to law school in Vermont. she loved them. she said when other people were getting stuck she just drove through it. she had a hyundai elantra.

Are you sure of the tire size ? Look at the door plaque to see what is reccomended . I think it might be 205/50/17 . Where are you that you need winter tires as most of the time a FWD vehicle can get by with good all season tires .

I live in Canada so our winters are pretty rough. And yes the door plaque says 205/55/16 recommended. That’s why I wanted to know if it’s safe fitting 205/60/16 on it :slight_smile:

Will you have a 2nd set of wheels for winter tires?

It’s gonna be my only one

That’s an increase in diameter of 20.5 mm (0.8 inches). If you are buying these from a tire dealer, ask them if your oversized tires will work without scraping the wheel well. If you are buying on line, contact the seller and find out if it will work. For on line sellers, I’d only use a big outfit like Tire Rack.

1 Like

Radius is .4” bigger. I think that is not a big enough difference to cause rubbing.
How much do 195/60/16 cost?

Similar to the 205/60-16 one !

I’d personally be most comfortable sticking with the original size to avoid any issues. If you do want to change the size, many people would go a bit narrower for the winter tire, assuming the load index is sufficient.

When it comes to cars, never skimp on two things. Tires and brakes. They are the two most important safety items and saving a few bucks is never worth it. Tires keep you on the road and keep your car’s handling predictable. Brakes make sure you stop smoothly and quickly. Changing tire sizes can have all sorts of unintended consequences from wheel rubs to unpredictable handling and inaccurate speed and odometer readings. It’s just not worth the money saved.

1 Like

Was at tire store a few years ago around May. Owner said any blizzak was $30 each. Was there with kids truck and they had 31-10.5/15 for $30.

explain… was he going out of business? really old tires?
thats way to cheap for blizzacks. they are not cheap tires.

1 Like

There is a price difference, Tire Rack shows $20 more per tire for the P205/55R16 compared to the P205/60R16.

I switched from P185/60R15 to P185/65R15 on my Dodge, I wanted the additional height/road clearance.

Some people are afraid to step out of line. I have the wrong size tires on all of my vehicles, I don’t have E70B14 tires on my Plymouth.

The problem here is that there isn’t a list of what tire sizes fit under the fenders WITHOUT RUBBING (very bad!!).

Your best bet is to seek out a website devoted to your vehicle and see if someone has done this and can vouch for the fitment. I’m sure no one here can say one way or the other unless they have tried it.

1 Like

Quick check if your steering knuckles have upper ball joints, most cars of your era do. Run you hand over the top of the tire. If there is room for your hand under the upper ball joint, then you can go with the taller tires.

You will be fine. My brother just bought 205/60/16 toyo tires for his Mazda3. No rubbing but the speedo is a little off according to him.

I know this is old, but this is for anyone else with a similar question. 205/60/r16 should work fine, as long as they fit the wheel well (and I am pretty certain they will). In fact, a winter tire will perform better with a bit more flotation (lower aspect ratio) in the tire. With the same wheel, you can usually go one size larger in both the aspect ratio and tire (not wheel, so 205 to 215) diameter with no ill effects and perhaps some improvement (going up one size in to 215 and keeping the same aspect ratio increases treat width). Because we often drive unimproved back roads, I increased my pickup from 235/70/r15 to 165/75/r15 and my wife’s SUV from 265/70/r16 to 265/75/r16. Unless you drive like a maniac you won’t notice the difference in dry traction, and you will gain a smoother ride and better rough, wet, ice, and snow traction.

2 Likes

Must be 265 tires, not 165? Maybe that’s his wide, float theory?

OK . I have no idea what that means .