west77

hi,

i just replaced the tires on my 2003 Civic (original P185 Goodyears) with a larger tire (P195 Yokohama YK580). I don't know much about tires, or cars in general, but just thought I would go with a bigger tire for improved handling, and paid more for a 'better' tire.

i was told that using this size of tire was ok, even if the stock tires are P185. driving home from the tire place the car felt different--like it was floating, softer. the car turns more sharply which is nice, but overall the steering sensation is not the same.

is this normal? any risk to the car by choosing these bigger tires? i know this sounds like a dumb question. i think if i could return these i would go back to P185's (whatever brand), but obviously can't.

thanks!

MindBomber

195s are just fine, most of us use 205 or 215.

maxtierney

iTrader: (5)

Wow, you are now just replacing the original tires?

I am assuming you went to a plus zero 195/60-15 tire vs. just widening the 65 series to 195mm. I can't pinpoint exactly why your "steering sensation" is different, but there are a few things that can contribute.

There is a break-in period with tires, a skin needs to be worn off, before you can truly judge a tires handling and feel characteristics. +/-500 miles. Also, tire pressures can be adjusted to better suit the feel, to some extent. Higher pressures (35psi and above), can contribute to that floaty feel, harshnes, vibrations. But will yeild better gas mileage. Lower pressure, by a couple of pounds, say 32psi improves turn in, better handling, less float. But this reduces tread life and fuel mileage. Different tread patterns and compositions (silica additives, sidewall strength, siping, number of grooves, edge design, etc), also affect the feel.

Give it a week or two to determine if you like/don't like the tires. Some tire shops have free replacement (satisfaction) policies for x number of miles, as do some tire manufacturers. Tires are like people. No two are the same. A lot of give and take. The Yokos have better handling and turn in, but give you a weird steering feel. Would you rather have the "normal" feel with the Goodyears, with reduced capabilities? No tire has it all. Performance and feel, less tire life. Good feel and life, little performance. You get the idea. Think of buying tires on the same lines as finding your future wife or girlfriend. Gotta shop around/experiment until you find the right amount of positive attributes, with a few minor quirks you can live with. Once you find "the one", stay with it. That's the keeper!

Good luck.

west77

thanks for the replies!

maxtierney, what did you mean by +0? is that a bad thing?

the only reason we replaced the tires was because the honda dealer said '3 out of the 4' tires we had showed cracks.

it's my wife's car, has only 98K miles and just want to use it for a couple of more years. i used to think the car was not a big deal but i think the quality of the old civics (cloth, plastics) is better than the newer ones (subjective, i know) and i want to make sure it stays in good shape.

when i drove home on the freeway it wasn't just the floaty thing but it felt like i had to keep more control of the steering wheel because it felt more sensitive or responsive. the corollary was that on city streets it was definitely easier to turn.

when i googled yokohoma p195 and honda civic, i got to website with people posting about their various major problems with yokohoma tires (different models and cars), including sidewalls blowing out! so i got worried and imagined my wife driving somewhere and suddenly a piece of rubber flies off...

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i would say wait at least 1k miles before judging, maybe longer. new tires always suck right out of the box. i run 35psi now but it really depends on the tire features. some ive never been able to run above 30 because the ride is so bad.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

if you aligned the car, it make steering lighter too

cja3455

wide tires give you better contact with the ground and better handling, but they are heavier and can affect the acceleration of your car at low speed.
what's the aspect ratio on your new tires ? when the diameter of the tire increase, you car will get faster on highways and you will get better mpg at highways, but your acceleration from a stop will slow down and you will get less mpg in city, think of your tire as an extra gear. The odmeter of your car won't show the right numbers as well since this is tuned based on the original tire size.
Check the last four digit of the DOT number of your tire that tells you the week and year when the tire was manufactured. an old tire is worse than a weared out tire

maxtierney

iTrader: (5)

Sorry for the late reply. Plus Zero basically is increasng the tire width and lowering the aspect ratio while maintaining the wheel size. Not a bad thing.


Stock Tire - P185/65R15

Plus Zero - P195/60R15

P is Passenger
195 is width in millimeters
60 is the aspect ratio (tire height is 60 percent of the tire width or 117mm)
R is Radial
15 is the Wheel Diameter

Also on the tire should be a Heat Rating, A or B, typically. And a traction Rating AA (Wet/Dry), A (Dry), etc.

It's been a while, someone correct me if I'm mistaken.

Check you alignment. A little toe out will make the car feel a little dart-y, but will provide better steering response/faster turn-in. More toe in is better for linear stability (sounds like what you are after), but less responsive. Positive/Negative caster will affect steering effort (more/less, respectively).

This is a general overview, but if/when you get an alignment you can let the technicain know what you are looking for.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

Gj Napoleon. Good to see some people know their ish