Need advice on winter tire size question.
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Need advice on winter tire size question.
The car in question is an '07 A4 Avant. OEM tires were 235/40/18.
Last winter, in keeping with the "narrower is better for winter" school of thought, I put 225/40/18s on the car in a Blizzak LM25. I was very pleased with the performance of the tires all winter, but that tiny loss in sidewall height meant that all of a sudden my car was scraping in places all over town (including my own garage) that it never had before. I'm sure there may have been other factors involved such as a softer sidewall, but whatever the case, it was irritating to deal with. The car is on coilovers, so I could change the height seasonally but I don't want to do that either. So I've given away my 225/40/18s to my sister for her A3. I was all set to order 235/40/18s for this winter and just forgo the benefit of the narrower tire, but now I'm wondering if a 225/<b>45</b>/18 might do the job. Is this a close enough size? Using a tire size calculator it's only 1% different in RPM from the 40 series at 60mph. What say the tire folks?
Last winter, in keeping with the "narrower is better for winter" school of thought, I put 225/40/18s on the car in a Blizzak LM25. I was very pleased with the performance of the tires all winter, but that tiny loss in sidewall height meant that all of a sudden my car was scraping in places all over town (including my own garage) that it never had before. I'm sure there may have been other factors involved such as a softer sidewall, but whatever the case, it was irritating to deal with. The car is on coilovers, so I could change the height seasonally but I don't want to do that either. So I've given away my 225/40/18s to my sister for her A3. I was all set to order 235/40/18s for this winter and just forgo the benefit of the narrower tire, but now I'm wondering if a 225/<b>45</b>/18 might do the job. Is this a close enough size? Using a tire size calculator it's only 1% different in RPM from the 40 series at 60mph. What say the tire folks?
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Joined: Aug 2000
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Not sure which tire size calc you were using... it's 2.2% difference
Best option in my opinion would be to go with 215/50/17 on 17x7 or 17x7.5 wheel.
If your 18" wheels are 7, 7.5, or 8" wide, I'd suggest the Michelin X-Ice in 215/45/18.
If your 18" wheels are 7, 7.5, or 8" wide, I'd suggest the Michelin X-Ice in 215/45/18.
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 13,105
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Size wise, it's a better alternative...
Both because it's closer to the stock diameter, and 215 is better in snow/slush than 225.
Load rating on the Michelin X-Ice is 89 for that size. I'm not sure what the requirement is for your car.
Load rating on the Michelin X-Ice is 89 for that size. I'm not sure what the requirement is for your car.
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