qwill

Hi
Looking for winter tires & wheel for my P5, I am going through the following dilemna :

· Original size on the Protegé5 is 195/50 R16.
· Its almost impossible to find winter tires of this size.

Alternative size (according to my Mazda dealer) are : 185/65-14 or 185/55-15.
(The slimmer the tire is, the better it reacts on snow …)

I computed the alternative sizes with the help of the miata.net tire calculator, (http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html), and I found that the 175/70-14 size seems to be the better choice :

Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
195/50-16 3.8in 11.8in 23.7in 74.4in 852 0.0%
195/55-15 4.2in 11.7in 23.4in 73.7in 860 -1.0%
185/65-14 4.7in 11.7in 23.5in 73.7in 859 -0.9%
175/70-14 4.8in 11.8in 23.6in 74.3in 853 -0.1%

Is there a reason why they didn’t mention the 174/70-14 size ???

Will these tires fit on my P5 ??
Thanks for your advices !!!
Qwill

shaderman

I bought the Toyo Garit HT's in 195/55 R15 and was very happy with them last winter. They are wider than most winter tires, but the groove pattern seems to really cut through the snow and provide good traction. I was especially surprised with how well they handled ice on the few occations when the roads were complete ice rinks.

My only complaint is that they were a bit pricey.

In the end, it's the driver that makes the difference, but in Quebec, it's certainly a must to have some kind of winter tires, and not "all-seasons".

Cheers,

Eric