Now that the cold weather is upon us here in MA my mind turns towards winter and snow tires. My '04 LX wears 195/60 R15 shoes. Several tire sites recommend using 185/70 R14 snow tires because the narrower girth gives a more optimized footprint and there is a wider selection available in that size. The 185/70 R14 size is listed in the manual for the DX and EX editions. Would there be a problem using this size on my LX (with new rims, of course). I would rather not buy a ready-mounted set only to find that there is insufficient clearance around the brake hardware.

Many thanks in advance for pointers.

 

No problem at all. A good idea as a matter of fact.
Use the FIAA world rally guys as an example.... when they are in the snow and ice, their tires are skinny as all get up!

 

185 will be just fine. thats what my all seasons are on my steelies and autoxing in the snow/ice was great, good amount of traction. with snow tires it'll be pretty nice.

 

Yeah the tires will be fine, but I think your question is really about whether or not the 14" wheel will fit over your calipers, right?

If your car ahs the same brakes as the DX, you should be OK

 

That's it in a nutshell. Do the DX, EX and LX all have the same brake and wheel hardware? I have done nothing to mod the vehicle and presumably neither did the previous owner. A brief perusal at parts.com and thepartsbin.com does not show unique calipers, rotors, drums, etc. for the LX. Still, I'd rather not make an investment in R14 wheels only to be stuck holding the bag in the end.

It is interesting that the narrower aspect and smaller radius is what my Subie wore. But I digress...

 

Alternatively, anyone using 185/65 R15s? Narrower gauge and would fit on the stock rims.

 

I know in previous years the EX/Si have have had the smae brake setup but it was slightly larger then the Dx/Lx and the rest. I am not sure on the 04s though. It isnt a huge difference only a few tenths of an inch.

 

Update to this saga,

So while perusing Craig's List I came across a 185/70 R14 set of barely used snows + 14 x 5.5 J rims offered by a former DX owner. That car was totaled during a snowstorm last year (without the snow tires installed; fancy that). Since the total package price asked was about 1/2 that for a brand new set it seemed like a low-risk chance to try out the smaller rim size (couldresell it through Craigs for similar $$). Short story, they fit without any interference.

So, it can be done.

 

Thanks for the update!