Just looking for an opinion, or better yet, if someone has a pic if they could post it.

Right now I have some BF Goodrich Traction T/A H's, size 185/65/14. They are on my painted black HX wheels, which I am NOT getting rid of, no way! My girl needs new tires on her HX, mine only have 20,000 miles on them so I was going to give her mine and get a new set for my ride.

I'm not really interested in speed ratings, performance - I've actually been very happy w the tires I've had - they work for what I have to drive in for most of the year.

Aesthetically though, I wish they were a little wider, the civic looks so puny from the back, so I'm between getting:

1. BFG Radial T/As - 205/70/14 - Pros: I like these b/c they are the widest. Cons: Dont know much about the tires, and then again the sidewall is higher, I might not like that look. Might be too wide, I am still trying to maximize my MPG!

2. BFG Traction T/A - 195/60/14 - Pros: Like the tire, wide, maybe will look a little more "low profile" w/o actually being low-profile. Cons: I dont know if it will look any different at all.

Both are comparable in prices, and please no suggestions on other tires I get these for like 50 bucks a pop installed at Costco - I can't beat that, I've been running BFG for years and am very happy w/ the tires, and this is my budget car so I"m keeping it cheap - no auto-x etc...just a good gas MPG cruiser...

Thanks!

 

Hmmm did a little bit more looking around, I think??? the 205s will rub? Can anybody verify that? What about the 195s?

I have a 96 HX, it has H techs and kyb gr2s on it (-1.4 in front, -1.2 rear)

 

205/70-14s are wider AND taller. They will likely be heavier and have more road drag than your current tires. The considerably wider contact patch means that the tire will tend tohydroplane more unless a morewater-funneling tread is used. The taller profile will also mean they will likely have more sidewall roll during cornering, so your handling won't be as crisp. Your mileage may likely drop a little with these. They may be too wide tofit your stock rims properly. They may not even fit your car. My JEEP came standardwith 205/70-15s, which are the same width and only 1" taller.

195/60-14s are slightly wider than stock, while being about the same rolling height. They could be slightly heavier and have slightly more road drag than your current tires. The slightly wider contact patchwith similar sidewall height will likely give you better handling and the slightly increased tendency to hydroplane can still be more than compensated for by a tread that channels water more aggressively. Your mileage may stay about the same with these. They should fit your stock rims fine. This is the size I run on 14x6 alloys for my '00 sedan. My handling has improved noticeably with the $50-60US Yoko Avid H4S tread that channels water extremely well, and my mileageseems the same (My handling, rain manners, and mileage goals accomplished!).

Keep in mind, given the same tread/carcass, the widerthe contact patch, the more rolling drag and tendency to hydroplane there usually is. The heavier the vehicleis, the worse the mileage tends to be too.Also, the wider the tire is, the wider the rim needs to be to properly seat the tire bead. For a wider look, you would actually want to get wider rims and/or rims with less backspacingtoo.

"Max MPG" and "wider tires" are kind of opposite goals.For mileage, you'd want a skinny, lightweight tire with low rolling resistance...Hence the 185/65-14 stock size. You might be able to find a skinnier tire with a similar height for better mileage and resistance to hydroplaning (175/70-14). They might even be cheaper, and the right tread could work a lot better in snow too.

If you want to maximize your mileage, but also want a "wider look" to the car, one option may be to give up those stock rims you like for something narrower/similar widththat has slightly less backspacing. This would give you less rolling resistance AND a slightly wider stance. Narrower rims may also weigh less. As long as you kept the tires under the fenders, you wouldn't pick up more wind drag and the car wouldn't look "squashed" from the tires sticking out of the fenderwells.

If it were my car, I'd stick with the relatively light rims you've got, but get the same size or skinnier tires. Gas prices are probablygoing to roller-coaster up over the years. Brand loyalty is great and all, but if you shop carefully, you could probably find a similar-priced tire with better traction and wear ratings than what you're running now though. I ran BFG Muds on my Wrangler for years. They last a LONG time, aren't crazy loud, andgrab wellon many surfacesfor a streetable mild mid-price mudder. I didn't think I'd ever switch. The BFG Muds weren't perfect though. Theyreally needed the center lugs siped for wet/snowy streets and they shot up in price over the years. Meanwhile, the growing popularity of offroad comps meant that other mfrs started offering siped mild mudders at competitive prices. On a whim, I tried some similarly-quietTrxus MTs for $30 less per tire and they offer much better traction on wet/snowy streets while performing similarly offroad. They don't wear as long as the BFGs, but I don't put as much mileage on the Jeep as I used to, so it's fine.

Do your research and shop around. I read up a lot on www.tirerack.combefore buying for my Civic. You may find a better tire, a better price, or both. Try not to hit any rim-eating bumps either. That gets expensive.

 

Kommando,

Thanks! Thats funny, I have a Jeep Wrangler as well w/ the BFG Muds! Though I never got them siped, I do like how they take FOREVER to wear down and I just tend to be extra cautious in snow/ice. Though siping them would help...Been running that way for 4 years now w/ no problems. Check Costco for tires, I dont know how much you were paying but I got my 32*11.50 BFG Muds mounted/balanced for $132 a piece.

So concern over hydroplaning is pretty much nonexistent w/ the Civic after driving the Jeep w/ the muds - I'm sure you know what I mean, as the Jeep with the big muds on it loves to catch some water, the civic hardly at all.

So I think I will go with the 195/60/14s, as the ONLY thing I dont like about my current 185/65/14s is from an aesthetic point of view in that they look just a little too skinny for me. I guess I made myself out to be strictly a day to day commuter, which is what I originally bought the civic for, to save gas money from the Jeep, but now I'm slowly yet moderately working on making the HX retain its 40 mpg yet make it a little more fun to drive. Its good to know that this is the size you run as well. There is no way I am going to get rid of my HX wheels though, I spent 7 hours painting those to black to match the car and have received a lot of compliments on them, people think they are aftermarket, so I cant see myself giving those up anytime soon.

Thanks for all the helpful info and the thorough reply

 

I also run the BFG Tractions, I love em (in stock 185/65/14 size). Another great site for information is www.epinions.com. I checked both that site and www.tirerack.com for information before I bought mine.