[Lotus]

Hi!

Maybe some Insighters may help me. It would be my first winter with my little Insight 2000 and I would like to have more information about tire dimensions. For now, my summer tires are P175/70/14. Someone is offering me free excellent winter tires but the dimensions are P195/75/14. Would it be possible on the Insight? And, if yes, how it would affect driving and fuel economy?

Thank you for your help!!

Lotus

 

[bfivelover]

I'm not sure about the tires, and I don't know where you are located, but in the four winters I've driven my Insight in WV and Virginia, I've used nothing but the OEM tires and have had no problem. Others will tell you that winter tires are a must, but in my experience, they are not.

 

[Lotus]

Thank you for your fast answer!! I'm located in Quebec, Canada... the winter is kind of rough

 

[elbo]

Salut Denis,

I live in the province of Quebec as well. Bridgestone makes blizzaks that fit the insight. They are expensive but i have found well worth it.

cheers

 

[Lotus]

Merci Elbo!
Thank you so much for the hint !
I was wondering about the dimensions of this set, but if it does'nt work out, I sure will follow your advice !

 

[Guillermo]

165/65R14 OEM Insight tires have a diameter of 22.4"
195/75R14 tires have a diameter of 25.5"
That tire is too big for the Insight, there is a high probability that it will rub.

See this tire calculator link to play around with tire sizes:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

I recommend the following winter tire sizes that will fit the Insight:
165/65R14 (with 14" civic rims)
175/65R14
155/80R13 (with 13" civic rims)
175/70R13

Blizzak and Kumho makes winter tires in the original Insight tire size.
http://www.tiretrends.com (Canadian online tire store) sells
165/65R14 Blizzak MZ-03 for $126/tire (Canadian dollars)
165/65R14 Kumho KW19 for $70/tire

The Blizzak is a better ice tire but the Kumho is a very good ice and snow winter tire at half the price.

Quebec has the largest percentage of people that use winter tires in Canada for good reason. Winters are fierce there!

 

[Guillermo]

Others will tell you that winter tires are a must, but in my experience, they are not.

With all due respect, using that argument is like saying wearing seat belts are not a must because you haven't found them usefull with your experience (I'm not taking about what the law says).

I respect the fact that as long as it's not legally required to use winter tires some people will never use them because they don't "need" them to drive around. But suggesting to others that are interested in GREATLY increasing the level of safety while driving that they shouldn't bother to use winter tires if very irresponsible. Because you are denying the proven facts that winter tires greatly reduce the stoppping distances on ice and snow and greatly improves the cornering ability of the car in these harsh conditions compared to using all season tires.

I don't consider a smoker to be bad or evil person, but a smoker that tries to talk others into starting to smoke is a different story.

Online forums are helpful and educational when questions are answered by those with above average knowledge in the particular subject.

bfivelover,
I truely hope you are never in a situation where your tires let you down, and getting stuck in snow should be the least of your worries.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Others will tell you that winter tires are a must, but in my experience, they are not.

With all due respect, using that argument is like saying wearing seat belts are not a must because you haven't found them usefull with your experience (I'm not taking about what the law says).

<HUGE snippage>

bfivelover,
I truely hope you are never in a situation where your tires let you down, and getting stuck in snow should be the least of your worries.

I think that we fellow North American's fail to remember that a Canadians experience of "winter" driving" is VERY different than most of the continental United States (except those states near-by / bordering our northern neighbor).

Reads like somebody's on their last nerve today.

I doubt anyone would sincerely "argue" that snow tires in snowy conditions make a huge difference. In my location such conditions are best "rode" out at home. Its not the lack for snow tires, but all the other driver's out there that don't have any skill (or tires ) that _will_ get you into trouble. And tires won't help too much (crunch).

Sincerely,

 

[Lotus]

In fact, we don't really have the choice to have winter tires here... as we have maybe six feet of snow each winter that last 6 months... that's really helpful

I understand that I will have to shop for new ones ! Blizzak and Kumho as Guillermo advice me seems allright, but what a good difference of prices, have someone tried them? :?:

Thank u for your answers!

 

[MikeF]

I bought my Insight in Massachusetts in the fall; after the first snow, I went straight to the tire store to buy snow tires. For the first time in my driving life, I was afraid I couldn't get up a hill; the OEM tires spun on the thin layer of snow. Yes, I'm sure it was the tires and not my driving -- I've been driving in snow for 20 years in lots of different vehicles.

I went with Nokian Hakkapelita 2 in OEM size, and I've been extremely happy. Never had a problem since they were installed. I pu tthem on a set of Civic Del Sol wheels I picked up from the local want ads, and I swap them out in spring and fall.

Good luck!

Mike

 

[Guillermo]

The Kumho KW19 are very good winter tires, I've driven cars with them and it's very close to the grip of the Blizzaks on ice. The Kumhos should be better in deep snow because they have more open directional blocks.
Nokian winter tires are also excellent, but they are expensive as well.

 

[Electric CO]

My Insight wears 155/80R13 tires on in winter (Yokohama Guardex F720 winter tires).

I had 13" Civic steel wheels on for the first winter, then switched the tires on VX rims. Car rides smoother (more sidewall) with the 13'' wheels as well. If I could find another set of VX wheels for summer use, the OEM 14 inchers would be going straight to storage.

Advantages of going to 155/80R13's is their really low price and they have the narrow foot print necessary for good snow and ice traction. More weight per square inch of road contact is the best way to explain it. Stay clear of wider tires in winter. 195 is way too wide for a car of the Insight's weight.

 

[LoNOx 1]

TireRack has Blizzak 165/65/14, they are $65 each with a $50 rebate on a set of 4.

 

[Armin]

narrow tires!

Aside from the diameter problem already pointed out, 195's would be a poor choice for winter tires. Wide tires like that will work like skis! You need enough compression on the snow to get a good grip with the tire.

I use Nokian Hakka 2s in 145/80R13 on 13" steel rims. They work wonders on my steep driveway in snow and ice.

 

[trunkout]

man

i had one chance in the snow before spring
i am throughly impressed by my tires (i think i've said this twenty times now)

 

[Hondaman]

Hello Lotus,

I live in NW Wisconsin and have a set of Blizzaks in the garage for this year. Unfortunatly I do not have them installed yet and had to drive home in the snow at 1:30 Friday morning. I was at the Wilds game and it was AWESOME!!!

Anyway since I still had the stock tires on and they only had 15,000mi on them I wanted to see how they would do in the snow so I drove in the left lane with fresh untouched snow. The snow was probably 3" to 4" max so I fighued what the heck.The car tracked nice except when the assist would kick in and spin the tires. I was driving in 5th at 45 trying to stay out of assist but it would still come on and spin on inclines and deeper sections. When the tires spun the Insight would get a little squirly

One hill I did have a hard time climbing on the freeway because it would spin the tires so easily. I was glad there wan to accumulation by mh house or I would have never made it up that last hill.

I would be scarred to have to drive this thing in deep snow in traffic! My wife tried last year and thought she was going to die because it was really squirrly and the 4x4 would come up on her at 70mph and pass at the last second!

This year should be much better with the Blizzaks especially the iced over bridges where the Blizzaks really shine.

Hope this was helpfull.

Oh, if you are thinking about Blizzaks BY THEM NOW!!!! Last year I waited and they were sold out nation wide before the end of November.

 

[elbo]

Don't forget folks its not just snow we are talking about here. If you live in an area that gets below -10 degrees C, all season tires will be hard as rock and even on a clean road your tire grip will be crap. Where i live we get some -30 degrees C. All seasons are just not an option. My blizzaks have worked great in these conditions and i highly recommend them to anyone living in areas that have long cold winters...at least until the planet warms up.

 

[jmbakerak]

Tires I purchased this fall for winter driving are the Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSI in the Insight size, 165/65x14. They are mounted up on a set of Civic Hybrid rims.

In researching these tires the Scandinavian auto media rates these very high for winter tires. The only models rated higher are not available in North America. In their comparison tests the RSI has better winter performance in all conditions except glare ice where only studded tires outperform them. A favorite tire of this group appears to be the Bridgestone Blizzak. The Scandinavians note that the Blizzak is ‘showing it’s age’ compared to the RSI.

Nokian claims that the RSI has a low rolling resistance, even compared to most summer tires. I had seen LRR claims for the Sumitomo HTR 2000 in a GreenStar tire report so I tried a set in 185/60x14. They were a disappointment with a 15% mileage hit. By the time I’d switched back to the RE92's I’d only put 260 miles on them. My previous tires I used for winter driving were the Nokian WRI all season in 185/60x14. They weren’t too bad with about an 8% mileage hit. The RSI’s have intrigued me since I first noticed them on Nokian’s web site. At first they were only available in Europe, this winter is their first appearance in North America.

Normally I don’t mount up the winter tires until snow hits the road. This year I wanted to get them on to see if the LRR claims were true. Switched out the RE92's today to give the RSI’s my neighborhood coasting test. My neighborhood sits on a hillside and the road in front of my house go’s down for a couple hundred yards with a gentle turn to the left to a level stretch of road, then gently left to an uphill section. I test effects on the Insight by lining up at a spot next to my driveway then letting the car coast through the course, the total distance is 0.30 miles by my GPS. Not very scientific, but I figure the lower the rolling resistance the further the car will roll.

With the RE92's at my usual pressures, 42psi front 39psi rear, I rolled through the course and noted where the car came to a stop. Pulled into the driveway and mounted up the RSI’s. Rolled through the course and.... the RSI’s went further! Total surprise. I figure the RSI’s have at least the same rolling resistance as the RE92's. I know that as the weather get’s colder my mileage is going to go down, but it’s nice to know the tires won’t be the big contributor.

When the snow finally falls I’ll make another post to let you know how they handle the slippery stuff.

James Baker
Anchorage AK
2000 Insight

 

[dice]

good info on the Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSI. Where did you buy them and what did you pay?

 

[Lotus]

Thanks for your advice guys. I have gone for the Kumho Kw-17. They have the best price/rating I have seen. I will let you know when I get them how good I feel they are.