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Hey guys, around 2015 I bought my first car and did not know much. I thought my car's trim was an Ex while it was actually an Lx. So when it was time to buy tires, I put in ex in the costco's search bar and the tires they gave me were all 205/55/R16 when my tires should've been 195/65R15. The thing is, I actually did check the load index which states 205/55/R16, so I figured it would be ok. I can't remember my thought process at the time. Maybe I did see that the original tires were different size but thought it would be ok because of the load index. The techs okayed the installation, and I've been driving for 3 years or so with these tires, so I can't imagine it being that bad. Can anyone explain to me what are the possible consequences of going up in size like this? I've just started learning how to work on my car, unlike before where I would just let a tech do the work, so that's why I've only noticed now.

Edit- It was so long since I have changed my tires that my memory is very blurred. Now, when I think about it, maybe I did check the number on the older tires too, and they did match the new. But considering I brought the car from the dealers new, there's no way they would use different tires than oem spec, right? So I've just search up my vin number, and it said the car wheels come in 3 sizes with 205/55/R16 being one of them. That make sense, otherwise, how would I have installed those tires on those wheels. Costco was showing me that my car can only used 195/65R15, which confused the hell out of me. Still, I would still appreciate any inputs from you guys over this debacle.

 
Rep Power: 125

As long as the overall wheel diameter is within 3% of the original, you won’t have any issue. I was running 17’s on my Civic for years.

Costco, for legal reasons, will not exceed the 3% rule, but they will put different size tires if they fall within 3%. Other places don’t care.

 
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Would going up tire sizes like that affect mileage or the car in anyways?

 
Rep Power: 125

It would affect a bunch of things. Fuel economy, handling, powertrain (extra effort needed to move the vehicle meaning more wear), etc.

 
Rep Power: 223

You cannot put a 16 inch tire onto a 15 inch wheel. You must have already had 16 inch tires, unless you replaced the wheels at the same time.

Those two sizes have nearly identical diameters anyways.

 
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Ya, that's what I thought. I didn't think that I was that dumb not to check my original tire size before buying Because I couldn't remember, I freaked out when I checked the Costco's recommended tire size, which only had 195/65/R15. However, when I inputted my vin into the vin decoder, it told me that the size 205/55/R16 was an optional size, which my dealer had probably equipped on my car.

 
Rep Power: 366

there is a sticker on the door jamb with this information.