(too bad I can't edit the thread title too)

So I went from 14" phone dials to 15" vert rims and found that the stock size for the vert rims is 205/65/15 but because of what my car originally came with Costco will only warranty 185/65/15. Is this decent for a daily driver, or am I giving up something major here?

 

Oh ya this is for a daily driver so I'm more interested in wet handling than dry. So unless I remember wrong less wide is better for that. I'm just worried the handling will get screwed up b/c something won't fit right or it's too tall or something.

 

Go get the tires somewhere else, they should still cover the warranty regardless of what you buy...

 

I believe there was a speedometer issue too. What size should I get so the speedo reads right? Is the wheel diameter 205mm*0.60 * 2 + 15 inches? If they still say no warranty to whatever size I need, ya I'll think about looking elsewhere. But how often do people actually need those warranties? I'm not gonna do burnouts or anything.

 

205/60-VR-15 was the OEM size on all the cars that came with 15" wheels, not 65 profile as you had in your original post.

 

Ya I know that was a typo. Oops. Tire size for the phone dials I originally had is 185/70-14 btw, if that helps.

Sorry for all the repeated posts but I need to keep going back in forth between calculations, posting and phone calls.

So if I did the numbers right their 185/65-15 or a 215/55-15 should have about the same diameter as my original wheels. Is that right? Will both fit on the vert rims? I'm fine with getting 185/65-15 like they want if it fits and doesn't totally ruin the handling. I know wider is better on the dry but narrow is better on the wet so as long as it's still good enough on dry that's fine by me. This is a daily driver after all. First time buying tires, so I just need to know what will work right without being fugly or a death trap.

 

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

http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

 

Good I/they got the diameter right. So no problems with 185, other than width preference?

 

The phone dial wheels are only 5.5" wide I think vs. 6.5" for the 'Vert wheels. I would think a 185 section width tire would be slightly stretched on the 6.5" wide wheels. You're upgrading to a wider wheel, why not go with the wider tire? You're not going to notice a big loss in wet grip with a 205 or 215 vs. the OEM 185s, and you should experience somewhat better cornering. Just get a quality tire and you'll be fine.

Just curious... I know you've been a regular on this site for years. How is it possible you're only now buying your first ever set of new tires?

 

185 is too narrow. Get some grand touring tires of the appropriate size and contact patch width shouldn't be an issue. Street/summer tires are usually what get scary in the rain. The stock vert tires are 205/60-15. The difference between 185 and 205 is not enough to gain any significant improvement in wet weather handling, and the side walls will look stretched

 

So all this for a Costco Warranty?

Tire warranties are marketing tools. If you need to collect (and they let you collect) generally the balancing, mounting and NEW WARRANTY will be added to the prorated price on the replacements. You won't really save anything on the warranted replacement-you just get locked into buying tires again from the same company.

The only time a warranty works out is if you have a road hazzard damaged tire.

My advice is to to Tirerack.com. Buy some tires, have them shipped to a local approved mounting partner. I have bought my last 5 sets of tires from Tire Rack. Great deal, great information, huge selection, a very useful testing program and a rating system that lets you derive information from sometimes thousands of drivers that are using the tire you are considering for purchase.

 

you can get road hazard from tire rack, but I think you have to purchase a new tire then get reimbursed or something

I had road hazard on my tires and 3 months in got a saws all blade right in the sidewall, new tire no problem

most local tire shops will give you a warranty, my little mom and pop joint does not even charge me to plug or patch any flat I give him or rebalance because I buy some tires from him once in a while

 

True about tire warranties being a bit of a waste most of the time. In the countless sets of tires I've bought over the years, I've never made a road hazard claim for a replacement tire, although I have had some nail or screw punctures. Like Rob says, you can get a nail hole patched for free or very cheaply at most neighborhood garages, so don't worry too much about the warranty.

I also like buying tires from Tire Rack though I've had mixed experiences with their recommended installers. Some have been good, some have been downright lousy. One gouged the finish of my wheels and broke off a wheel stud, then a few months later they went out of business. Your local mechanic can probably accept Tire Rack shipments even if he's not listed on the site; ask him.

 

185 is a fine tire size for a 1985 Toyota Corolla, or for a winter tire if you get a lot of snow - but silly skinny on a car as heavy as a RX7. I upped the tire size on my wife's dd Saturn SL2 to 195/60-15 from the stock 185/65's and that's a car that go with 300+ fewer pounds to carry around. Go 205/60 15 in a good tire or 215/55 (the wider size is hard to find). Costco is giving you BS on the warranty, since 205/60-15 was a stock size on these cars. As others have pointed out, the tire warranty is pretty worthless in most cases anyway.

FWIW, I run 225/50-15 r-comp tires on my BBS rims for track duty - and those tires actually are closer to 235 or 245 in measured width vs. the rated number. And even with no tread to speak of, they do alright in water if it's not heavy rain.

 

First car lost to first rain of the season with wet & oily road. 2nd car had wheels upgraded like I said, came with tires. I waited until my first tires wore out before swapping wheels to minimize costs. Been doing most of my upgrades that way, actually. Slowest upgrade schedule in history but the cost over ordinary replacements is minuscule, so overall it's also the cheapest upgrade schedule in history.

I'm thinking of getting 215/55 to match the tire diameter to my old phone dials if that size exists on the brand I want. Still need to call. Ya, I never put much stock into warranties. Only the Garden Grove costco gave me the BS, hopefully the Fountain Valley one won't. If they do, oh well I can sign a waver and they'll install it anyway. I may take a look at tirerack.com to see if it's way cheaper, but Costco is faster and gives free tire rotations for life (easy, I know, but time consuming w/o a lift). That's a lot easier. Unless other places do the same?

EDIT: Looks like I need the stock 205/60 anyway. 215/55 doesn't seem to exist. Eh, 205/60 is only 3% too big. That's 2-2.5mph on my speedo.
EDIT #2: Ya, tire rack saves me a whopping $20 on a set of 4. I think I'll go local.