My fit came with 185/55/r16 tires which are on back order. The tire place talked me into 190/50/R16. Will this affect my gas mileage? Is this safe? Someone at work suggested that my speedometer will be affected. Is this true? I have 30 days to return them, should I?
Check your old and new tire sizes using this calculator:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
Using your tire sizes your speedometer will read 1.3% fast.
…and the ride will be harder, and the wheels will be more subject to damage from potholes.
Affect your gas mileage?
The difference between tires - meaning make and model - has a far, far greater effect on fuel economy than tire size has by itself.
As long as the tires don’t rub on any part of the car you should be OK. In a parking lot get the car going about 20 mph and make some turns moving the steering wheel fully to the left, and then to the right. You can go in a circle and build some speed, if you don’t hear any rubbing noises that’s good.
Your speedo might not have been exactly perfect before, many new cars are off a bit. Now the next time you see a radar “Here is your speed” sign you can check your speedo reading against the number flashed up on the sign.
As far as mpg, your new tires might be a bit better, worse, or the same as before. Size isn’t a big issue here. Tire sidewall flex, tread design, hardness of the rubber compound, and other qualities designed into the tire have more impact on mpg than the size. Since the Fit is a small car and lightweight the tire change might affect mpg more than on a bigger car, you’ll just have to see for yourself if there is a notable difference.
You can also check speedometer accuracy with a GPS. Compare the speed on a highway to the measured speed on the GPS. If you don’t have one, maybe you can borrow one from a friend.I’d do it on a long, flat stretch of road.
VDC, usually I’d agree about lower-profile tire problems, but here he’s keeping the sidewall height about unchanged, so no major change in ride or damage problems, I’d think.
Texases
I am aware that he is going from a 55 series to a 50 series.
My opinion is that the original tires were already somewhat prone to ride and damage problems, and that the slightly lower-profile tires will be somewhat more prone to these problems.
These tires are so close in size that I suspect you will detect no difference at all…
Tire stores are simply running out of shelf-space. The number of different size tires being used today has become ridiculous…Nobody other than a few warehouse operations can stock them all…
A check of the Tire Rack website shows the 185/55R16 to have a 24" diameter. The website does not list any 190 width tires so I’m assuming a typo. The 195/50R16 has a 23.7" diameter. The difference is only 1.25%, if the new tires are not rubbing I wouldn’t be too concerned.
Wet grip may diminish due to the wider footprint, so be careful in the rain.
Next time, try for 185/60/16 instead…