I have a 2004 Ford Ranger 4 cyl, 2wd that have 225/70R/15 size tires.

I can get a great deal on a set of 4 winter tires but they are 215/70R/15. That only 10mm or 1/2 inch difference in the width.

The width won't matter so much hey? It's a great deal on a good set of tires.

Thanks!
Digger

 

I'm running 205 tires on my '97, on 14" rims. That's what was on it when I got it, and when I bought the snows, I decided to stay with the slightly narrower tire because it should cut through the snow and down to the pavement a little better.

Keep in mind also that since they have the same aspect ratio (sidewall height relative to treadwidth), the narrower tire will also be slightly smaller in diamter. I don't think it's enough to make a real difference, though.

I'd go for them, if it was my truck.

 

it can make as much as a 5mph diff in speed reading.

 

Hmmm, that about 8kph, not TOO bad though.

So the sidewall height will be a little less, hence a somewhat smaller diameter, 70% of the width so that's 7mm (little more than 1/4") in the overall height of the tire diameter right? That's not so bad......

 

Not from 225/ to 215/ it won't. The difference in diameter is only 2%, so unless he drives 250 mph, it won't be off by 5 mph.

Having narrower tires for winter driving can actually be an improvement, depending upon the snow / wet road conditions.

 

Just found this online http://www.powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi

According to this, the difference is 308km over 15,000km and a 2km/hr difference at 100km/hr

Pfffffttt!

 

You'll be fine with the 215's.. just keep in mind the truck won't perform as well, especially in cornering, but if you're expecting a lot of driving in poor weather conditions, then that won't really matter much anyway.

 

an FTE calculator is in the tech folder

https://www.ford-trucks.com/calculat...php/p-mph_rpm/

Matt

 

That would be 2%.

 

Look on the door sticker, for the factory specified tire size for your model & imo don't use a smaller size tire than recommended.

Using a smaller size tire than specified, can also affect other things like, handeling, load carrying ability, antilock brake calibration, engine rpm, auto tranny shift points, ect.

Depending on where you live, it may also be a safety inspection issue, or even a legal problem, should you be involved in an accident!!!!!

Just some more thoughts to ponder.

 

Yes it may not be recommended, but I'm sure it will work.

We're not talking about high performance driving here, we're talking about getting around in the snow.

 

Running a slightly smaller diameter tire isn't going to cause any harm or throw any of the aforementioned systems for a loop. The transmission may shift at a slightly lower speed and the tachometer won't exactly read what its supposed to for a given speed, but it isn't going to cause any catastrophic problems.

ABS systems only have issues if you mix the size of tires on the vehicle. As long as everything is the same size the ABS system could care less if it was the original sized tires.