snow tires,, what size

[darrylintoronto]

Hello

I want to buy snow tires for my Protege 5.. stock size is p195/50/16
The guy at the store says I can go with 205/50/16.
The guy at the Mazda shop advises against that size. He says stay with the size the car came with.
When I bought new all weather a few years ago, I went with Toyo Proxies 4 205/50/16 and have had no problems,,,
Can I go the same size with my winter tires? Also,, any suggestions as to a brand to buy. I was thinking of Blizzaks or the toyo garits.
I live in Toronto..
Your input is appreciated.

 

[CTt3P5]

Look into 14" or 15" for winter and buy a set of cheap alloys used or even steelies so you don't have the cost of swapping rubber twice every year.

My current winter set-up is 185/70/14 on Eclipse 14x5.5 steel wheels. Not only will a 14" or 15" snow tire be cheaper than 16" but the narrower width is better for cutting through the snow.

As for the 205/50's I run the same size as do lots of others. There are more choices at the size and the difference at the speedo is negligible.

 

[ganzhimself]

I have a set of 15 inch wheels running 195/55/15's. Pretty much a perfect fit and size difference from stock.

 

[wiprotege5]

If you were going to go with the stock wheel set-up, you would want a thinner tire to cut through the snow better or the stock size.

BUT...

The best setup for winter is to buy a separate set of 15" steel wheels with 195-55-15 tires so all you need to do is swap out wheels for the winter. Tire rack is a GREAT resource for a winter package. I've been using this setup since 2002 with no problems.