I want to replace the tires on my maxima which I recently bought. The manufacturer suggests using P205 as the standard tires for this class (i.e. GXE) but I noticed that the previous owner has P215 tires on. I assume P215 are a bit thicker and better, higher performance tires.

Can someone tell me what the difference is between using P205 and P215? Is the handling, performance, ride feel, comfort, and look a lot better with P215? Also, most importantly, is the gas mileage effected using a P215 tire which is optional on this kind of car and when P205 is standard?

Can someone recommend me a good tire that won't wear out quick and has good handling and quiet ride and just overall a good tire in some snow and normal day to day driving? I would greatly appreciate all the advice I can get. Thanks,

JM

 

There is a tremendous amount of information on tires on the internet and in the .org.

Such as... http://www.tirerack.com/tires/knowtire.htm

I strongly suggest you do some research and use some SEARCH functions since alot of this has been beaten to death.

 

what is the size of the tire? I think GXE had 205-65-15 as standard and some have 215-60-16. If you've got a 15" tire, I wouldn't change the original spec, since it will throw off your speedometer a bit. Gas mileage will also be worse if there's more tire to turn. I went from the 205-65-15 size to 225-50-17, and that's what I noticed anyway. The grip was a lot better though, with maybe a little bit more of a rough ride with a tad more road noise, but nothing too obscene. A good way to gauge how much your speedo is off is to use this tool...check it out: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Also, when I replaced my tires, I replaced them with Michelin Pilots and never looked back. Good all-season tire, good in snow, good in dry, and on wet. Little expensive though, but hey, your life is riding on these things. Good luck looking for tires.

 

did your car come with 15" steel rims with hubcaps or 16" alloy wheels?

 

my gxe came stock with 215/55R16 tires