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Old 10-10-2014, 09:25 AM   #3 (permalink)
elhigh
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Hi,

Looking into skinnier tires for my Volvo took me down a similar path. Then the car was rear-ended so I dropped the subject.

For the sake of your bearings, try to keep the center of pressure in about the same place as it is now. I read some horror stories Fiat X1/9 owners shared, seeking to improve their vehicles' handling only to munch the bearings in short order. They went big without keeping the other geometries correct.

I think it's called "offset." It tells where the wheel's centerline is in comparison to the surface that mounts to the hub. Find out what the factory specs are for your wheels, and then look for skinnier wheels with a similar offset.

If your speedometer reads high, you can also shop for a taller wheel, which ought to open up taller tires which will, in turn, slow your speedo down. This is the expensive way to correct your speedo, but it does work. Some tall/skinny combinations can be hard to find but not impossible; some specialty retailers carry 15" 145- and 135-section tires for VW. You would want to do some research before going to that extreme, however.

Those caveats aside, I'm with you. 205s on a Corolla is an awful lot of tire, and if you're just puttering back and forth to work is a lot more tire than you really need. Besides, living in Colorado you may worry a lot more about snow traction. In my experience, tall skinny tires are a better bet in snow.
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