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smaller steel wheels for winter?


warwgn3

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Yep I know winter is pretty much over but the early bird.... :lol:

 

My 93 Lumina Euro 3.4 has 16 inch wheels on it and 4 wheel disc brakes. I would like to know what is the smallest steel wheel I can put on the car so I can mount winter tires. I like to go to taller tires with a skinnier track to bite through the snow. My brother has done it with his old cars by using oem wheels from base model cars. For instance his daytona has 16" alloys with 225 series tires in the summer but he puts on 14" steels with 185 series blizzaks on in the winter. He does the opposite of "plus sizing" in order to be sure the rolling diameter remains the same.

 

Thanks.

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Right now I have 15" sawblades (see my pic)

 

205/70/15 ;)

 

Looks like less than 1/2 inch between the wheel and the caliper.. lol

 

Stock tire size is 225/60/16

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you could run all the way down to 14' steel wheels if you wanted, they would have to fit as they came on the base models all the time.

 

i'm persoanlly running 15' steelies with 205/60/15s on them, my speedometer is way off, but i got a great price on the tires, so who am i to complain.

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the 88 Buick's came with 14" rims - not sure if any of the other ones did or not.

 

for the 14" rims they had 215/75-14's on there.

 

I've got a set of blizzaks' for 14" rims, but no rims to put 'em on ... but when I had 'em on my 88 Regal, that car stuck to the road, on snow, ice, and other bad winter weather.

 

--Dave.

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If you want to keep the speedo accurate... go down to 195/75R14 steelies. My 90 Lumina came stock with them. I changed to 215/60R16 Euro wheels because I stopped driving it in the winter.... won't probably ever go back.

 

On my 96 Lumina it came stock with 205/70R15's... and I'll rock them during the winter months. During the summer, I have 95 Monte LS wheels on it and they are 225/60R16's and there are no speedo issues. It's dead on.

 

All these sizes I've mentioned are all OEM sizes on these cars right out of the factory, so if you choose to go this way, you'll be A-okay.

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Here's the tiresizes and how they effect the speedometer, from least difference, to the greatest difference.

 

225/60-16 = 757 REV's per mile (speedo is accurate)

 

185/20-23 = 757 REV's per mile (speedo is accurate)

 

245/55-16 = 758 REV's per mile (speedo will read 0.1% too fast)

 

215/75-14 = 755 REV's per mile (speedo will read 0.3% too slow)

 

335/25-12 = 761 REV's per mile (speedo will read 0.5% too fast)

 

215/70-15 = 751 REV's per mile (speedo will read 0.8% too slow)

 

205/70-15 = 767 REV's per mile (speedo will read 1.2% too fast)

 

215/60-16 = 771 REV's per mile (speedo will read 1.8% too fast)

 

195/75-14 = 790 REV's per mile (speedo will read 4.6% too fast) (factory size for J-bodys by the way)

 

 

I think someone didn't do any research to see how far the different tiresy will effect the speedometer.

 

if you want to keep the speedo accurate, you should do the math first, rather then listening to someone who obviously doesn't know what they are talking about, but I shouldn't have to point out which tire size is the most inaccurate.

 

--Dave.

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Here's the tiresizes and how they effect the speedometer, from least difference, to the greatest difference.

 

225/60-16 = 757 REV's per mile (speedo is accurate)

 

185/20-23 = 757 REV's per mile (speedo is accurate)

 

245/55-16 = 758 REV's per mile (speedo will read 0.1% too fast)

 

215/75-14 = 755 REV's per mile (speedo will read 0.3% too slow)

 

335/25-12 = 761 REV's per mile (speedo will read 0.5% too fast)

 

215/70-15 = 751 REV's per mile (speedo will read 0.8% too slow)

 

205/70-15 = 767 REV's per mile (speedo will read 1.2% too fast)

 

215/60-16 = 771 REV's per mile (speedo will read 1.8% too fast)

 

195/75-14 = 790 REV's per mile (speedo will read 4.6% too fast) (factory size for J-bodys by the way)

 

 

I think someone didn't do any research to see how far the different tiresy will effect the speedometer.

 

if you want to keep the speedo accurate, you should do the math first, rather then listening to someone who obviously doesn't know what they are talking about, but I shouldn't have to point out which tire size is the most inaccurate.

 

--Dave.

 

Are you referring to me as in I don't know what I am talking about? I'll go take pictures of the stickers in the doors /trunks of all the cars stating tire sizes.

 

I can also scan the original dealer brochures to prove where I got my information.

 

I cannot speak for all Wbodys... but I can speak for Luminas:

 

All Luminas 1990-1994:

Steel wheels: 195/75R14's

Aluminum wheels: 215/60R16

 

Luminas 1995-1999

Steel wheels: 205/70R15's (includes 00-01 fleet vehicles as well)

Aluminum wheels: 225/60R16

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All Luminas 1990-1994:

Steel wheels: 195/75R14's

Aluminum wheels: 215/60R16

 

I can easily call you an idiot now.

 

"all luminas 1990 - 1994" that would includ the Z34, which came with 225/60-16 -

 

LOL ... I can't help but laugh at you now.

 

what a BOLD statement from someone who once again, shows AGAIN they don't know what they are talking about.

 

--Dave.

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I cannot speak for Z34's as I cannot find my 1991 book... Don't start with me about base/Euro models... they came with the two sizes I mentioned. I took that directly from the 1990 brochure I have and that goes for all 1990-1994 models. I cannot honestly talk about Z34's as I really don't know about THEM in particular.

 

With that in mind, I won't be posting in this thread anymore. warwgn3 please feel free to PM me if you have any other questions... or for that matter I might be willing to part with my 195/75R14 steelies with tires. Please let me know.

 

Enough of being degraded. There was no need to respond like that, dude.

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Holy crap chill out people. :? The car has 225/60-16's on it.

 

 

I go here to calculate what tire would be best to fit in a 14" wheel, if it does fit at all.

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

 

 

If those 90-94 steel wheeled luminas used 14" wheels I really need to know if they used 4 wheel disc brakes.

 

My brother got a nasty suprise a few years ago when he discovered his old 1988 Daytona cannot fit 14" steels on the back. They fit on the front fine but did not clear the caliper on the back. It came as a suprize to him because he was able to fit steels on the back an 89 Daytona just fine. (Also 4 wheel disc, but a different design.) That's why I am trying to make sure about the Lumina.

 

Sheez, arguing in front of the n00b... don't fight peeps, we're all riding on this planet through space together... :wink:

Thanks anyways... :)

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