I have a 2004 Camry that has size 215/60R16 tires. I need two new tires installed on the car and I have a set of new high-end Michelins size 205/65R15. My question is, if I purchased a set of 15" steel rims and had the new tires mounted on them would it affect how the car sits and/or handles?
Before you consider anything else, you need to find out whether 15" wheels would provide the necessary clearance for the brake rotors.
Once you have determined the answer to that question, then you need to decide whether to buy two additional tires of the same size, along with appropriate wheels. You do NOT want 15" wheels on one end of the car, and 16" wheels on the other end.
dunno, if the over all diameter of the wheel/tire combination is the same, you may be OK. But definitely not recommended.
Sell the two high end 15 inch tires and buy two tires of the proper size and you will not have to worry about handling problems and still will be able to rotate the tires as needed.
It isn’t clear whether you intend to install 4 new 15 inch Michelin or just 2. Agree with the other posters, don’t mix 15’s and 16’s. If you want to buy a set of 15 inch wheels to install all 4 Michelins, go right ahead. The LE version of the Camry uses 15 inch wheels as standard with 205/65/15 tires.
Two things to consider about buying wheels. They must be the right, width, the right offset and the right bolt pattern. Wheels are not all the same. You MUST buy new lug nuts since steel wheels do not use the same type lug nuts as aluminum wheels.
You can buy new cast aluminum wheels for about $90 each from TireRack.com, and other places and steel wheels for about $60. I’d go with aluminum, myself. They may throw in the lug nuts for free.
So do you really want to spend $300 on a set of steel wheels JUST to use these 15 inch tires?
"So do you really want to spend $300 on a set of steel wheels JUST to use these 15 inch tires? "
Yup!
To me, this sounds like a case of being…Penny-wise and dollar-foolish…
Several Camry models that year offered a choice between 15" or 16" wheels. So I suspect the 15" rims would fit and clear the brakes. But it would be prudent to double check.
The difference in circumference between the two wheels is about 2.2%.
If it were my 16 year old car and I were the primary driver, I would not worry about it, and I’d go ahead and mix them. For a decade or more in my younger years when money was tight, I mixed tires all the time. It never caused a problem over 200K+ miles of driving.
If the car were newer or other drivers involved, I’d assess the situation differently.
Having said that, I do understand and agree with the concern expressed by the others, and would fully support it if you chose to follow their input.
I agree with Volvo. Sell the 15" tires and get the right size ones for the car. It’s almost guaranteed that putting the different size wheel/tire combination on the car will adversely affect handling and stability. How much is impossible to guess.
If it does work well, it’s fine unless you hit a police officer. Then your vehicle will be thoroughly inspected. Other than that, the tires are so different that it isn’t worth the time and money to try them out. If you have to use the space saver spare you will have three different sizes on the car. Typing all this out may be the hardest part, but you never know until, you know.