Thinner tires, cause any problems?

[salo35]

Hi, it's my first post so be gentle please, haha.

I found a pretty killer deal on some winter tires, the rims will fit my truck but I'm a little concerned about taking such a hit on the tire width, I was wondering if it would be unsafe to drop from:

235/75R/15 ---> 205/60R/15

Sorry if it sounds like a dumb question, I'd rather ask it and sound dumb than either killing myself out there, or passing up a good deal. I know they might look kind of dumb being that thin on a truck, but when your trudging through 2 feet of snow it doesn't really matter anyway as long as there safe.

Thanks!!

 

[martin]

If you look on the side of the tyre there is a weight rating, that will tell you if they will support your truck. I would be more concerned about the diameter. Your stock tyres are about 29 inches in diameter the others are less than 25. When you are in snow the diameter of the tyre makes a huge difference, not to mention that you will be loosing much needed ground clearance.

 

[NVR2FST]

Your speedo and mpg will be affected as well. I wouldn't bat an eye going to a 225 or so, but that tire almost sounds like a car tire.

 

[HAPPY_RANGER_GUY]

Here...check this out, nice tool...

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html

T.

 

[racsan]

its not a bad idea to run a slightly smaller tire diameter in winter, you effectivly change your rear gear ratio, going smaller will lower it say from possibly 3.55 to 3.73 ,if you use weight in the back during the winter months it will help offset the load your creating. yes the speedometer will be off, you may be showing 55 and only actually going 50 (depending on how much of a size decrease you get) anymore i have both sets of tires the same size, that way one of the "other" set can be a spare. my stock spare became the spare for my box trailer.
________
iolite vaporizer

 

[Snowplow]

Look for a 205/75 for the winter months. The skinner the tire, the better it will be at digging through the snow and getting to solid ground for traction. Trust me, they call me snowplow for a reason.

 

[Will]

its not a bad idea to run a slightly smaller tire diameter in winter, you effectivly change your rear gear ratio...

You certainly don't need more torque when you have no traction. It's a common winter driving technique to start out in second gear to help prevent spinning.

I like tall narrow agressive tires for winter. On ice they have a higher loading and stick better, in the yard they dig down through the snow and grab the dirt. Wide ones pack up and spin.