Another tire size question

[Grace]

Hi again,Thank you to everyone who responded to my last post. I have another tire size question. Presently on my Vibe GT are 215 50 17s. If I want to keep the present rims, can I put a narrower, taller tire on them? Will the same rim accept a 205 55 or 60 17? There seems to be plenty of clearance. I'm thinking about winter & a narrower tire for traction. I asked this question at my local Walmart tire center and shouldn't have bothered, the man knew less than I did.Thanks for any thoughts.

[moonstonemike]

Yes you can fit a 205 tire , the 205/55/17 will be slightly taller, but as for the 205/60/17 I dont know if any manufacturers make that size

[Grace]

Yes, but can I put a narrower tire on this same rim?Thanks.

[Kincaid]

Dropping 10mm on a tire width should not make a big difference - but you are exposing you alloy wheels during the winter - not only are they going to get mucked up with rocks/salt/gravel and stuff, but now the tires will be more "stretched" and this will expose the rims to curbing and other road hazards as they are less protected by the rubber donut.Probably better to get some 16" steel wheels for winter duty with your narrower winter tires.

[vibedrivermatt]

yup I agree with Kincaid, getting an extra set of steel wheels is the best thing to do if your able to get get another set. If not than you'd still be doing really well just to put some winter tires on your GT alloy wheels. There should be a definite noticeable increase in grip with those. You shouldn't have to change your tire height or width, just stick with the recommended 215 50 17 tire size. I think the only changes you can make most of the time when going out of the recommended sizes are to go larger. I know some people who like to put studded winter tires on their fronts of FWD cars. You could look into those?