tire questions

[trevormarsh]

Hello,
I am new to these forums but I have a question.
Just bought a 2002 Protege DX and the spare tire is shot.
The spare is a 14" and the tires on the car are 15". Is this normal or should I look for a 15" compact spare?
Also, I live in Michigan and wonder if I should look at a narrow tire when replacing the existing tires. What size options do I have. It seems like a 195 55 R15 might not work so good in the snow.
Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Trevor

 

[meGrimlock]

the 14" spare is ok since it is only for temporary use. it is not intended as a full size replacement and should be taken into consideration to adjust your driving. there is a 15" spare available for the protege but because the tire size is T115/70 D15 you would still run into the same mis-match problem.

a wider tire has more resistance in the snow, so a thinner tire is better. what is more important maybe is the tread design and tire compound used in the winter tires, which is exponentially better for winter driving than stock all-season tires anyway. there are winter tires available at 195/55R15 and you can just mount those on your stock wheels.