mracura

I just bought a brand new TL with the 17" RIMS. I was thinking of buying 16" rims for the winter but I am wondering if I should get the 205/60/16 or the 215/55/16. I know the diameter of the 205/60/16 will offset the speed indicator but it's a lot narrower (8.1" vs 8.5"). Anyone tried it?

kennyc

personally I would go with at least 17" for snow as that is the smallest rim offered by Acura on the TL.

Why don't you...

1. run the oem bare.
2. get snows for the oem rims.
3. buy a set of aftermarket rims with summers.

that way you have a set of summers that you like and a set of winters that you know they're safe for your car.

Tripp11

I was always under the impression that narrower is better when it comes to snow tires/wheels. To me, the 205/60/16 makes the most sense - especially if you live in a severe winter weather area.

kennyc

my concern is the load rating. TL is not designed to run on tires that small and that should be enough reason to offset any benefits of running narrower tires.

mracura

I see other cars as heavy as the TL with the same tires.... This will affect the road handling for sure, but should be much better in snow... (We get a lot of snow down here, New-Brunswick, Canada)... Anyone tried the 205/60R16 for winter?

frenchnew

see my signature on the bottom as I have used 205/60R16 on 16" Acura Steel rims last winter and will use them again this winter.

Steel Rims are better for road salts as they will better withstand it then the aluminium alloy wheels over time. After a few winters with the same allow wheels, the road salts spray have tendency to migrate to the tire sealing bead area and start pitting away at the surface causing loos of tire pressure.

No problems as far as handling the weight of the car. I calculated that the speed error @ 100 Km/H is around 3 Km/h.

A narrower Winter tire is preferable in winter driving condition (Snow/Ice covered roads) and minimize hydroplaning on slushy roads.

Ask your local dealer if they have a promotion coming up in the fall for 16" Steel Rims as I got mine from my local Acura dealer for $50 CDN each last fall instead of the usual $75CDN and this is for new wheels from Acura.

Also there is a another good side to choose 205/60R16 over 215/55R16. The price difference alone for me between the two paid for the new steel rims.

Best regards from somewhere 50Km north of Montreal

frenchnew

mracura

Thanks for the info! How did the VSA system interacts with tires with a different diameter?

frenchnew

No Problems with VSA or ABS.

As long as all 4 tires are of the same size and Overall outside diameter, there are no problems.

best regards

frenchnew

Modeler

I got four OEM TL 17" rims on E-bay for dirt cheap and picked up a set of four Michelin X-Ice (one of the best winter tires out there) on a different E-bay auction for about 40% off the new price. The set had less than two thousand miles on them; in other words, the tires still have the same amount of tread as the new ones.