Just got a used 2005 Scion Xa, the tires scrape the front bumper when turned fully.
Turns out all 4 tires on the car are 195/60R15 while the OEM stock size is 185/60R15. They also are all different and have different treads, so I’ll replace all 4.
What difference will it make to get slightly smaller tires? Will it cause any suspension, alignment, or other issues? Also, please recommend any tires for this car. I’m in a bone dry hot climate so no snow tires needed. Please give recommendations for new tires also, for long distance cross-country road trips. Thanks for reading and helping
The difference between 185 and 195 is 10 millimeters, approximately 3/8 of an inch which, in a close wheel well would make a difference between interfering and not. Read your owner's manual for the correct size tire, or look on the decal on the driver's side door jamb for the information.
Understood, so I’ll get a new set of 4 OEM tires. What recommendations do you have on a $500 budget?
You might be able to get a set of General Altimax RT43 tires that size around that price point. (Tirerack.com currently shows a set of four at about $456 but you have to add taxes, mounting, and balancing to that which will push the total over the $500 budget.) I've used these tires for years on my daily driver and they are very good mid-priced tires.
Cooper has a good reputation and Cooper "Endeavor" tires are listed at Tire Rack for about $388 for four, but I have no personal experience with them. Online reviews are positive for whatever it's worth.
Cheap tires are to be avoided (especially Chinese-made), but if on a tight budget Wal-Mart's "Douglas" tires are made by Goodyear and are decent (but you won't mistake them for Michelins) - $252 for a set of four. I have Douglas tires on some of my older vehicles that see little use and no problem with them but those cars are used so little that wear is not an issue. (Any tires on them will dry rot long before the tread wears out.) Most Douglas tires are made in the U.S. but the last set I bought was made in Brazil.
Hopefully this gives you a starting point.
Crazy how quickly low prices add up for all 4’s lol… since “cheap” tires net like $300 I got a Goodyear Assurance set for just over $500, in oem size. I now see what they mean by “don’t cheap out.” It’s not a tremendous difference to be fair
What difference will it make to get slightly smaller tires?
Stick to OEM. You don't wanna mess with ABS, speedo/odo, and transmission problems.
Understood, so I’ll get a new set of 4 OEM tires. What recommendations do you have on a $500 budget?
I haven't bought small car tires in a very long time, sorry. All I would say is stick to the major brands, and made in USA if possible.
the tires scrape the front bumper when turned fully.
That’s odd. The difference is the overall diameter is ~ 2%, which shouldn’t matter in your vehicle.
Is the suspension setup fully stock? Is the car slammed (lowered)? Stock or aftermarket rims?
Correct it wasn’t the tire, some retaining clips were missing from that sheet plastic between the tire and bumper. It got fixed Along with replacing the tires
Great! Loose plastic cladding is overlooked so often when trying to pinpoint rattles too. Thanks for reporting back with the fix. All the best! PS. If you don’t mind sharing, which tyres did you end up choosing? What price?
Understood, so I’ll get a new set of 4 OEM tires. What recommendations do you have on a $500 budget?
If you have Costco membership they usually have sales on their tires with free installation. Just checked online and they have Bridgestone, Michelin, BFGoodrich tires on sale and they'll be within your budget. The good thing is they fully stand by the tires they sell.
