I'm looking to replace my stock tires after only 33K miles, and want to go bigger and beefier on the stock 16" rims.

How big can I go on the "E" with the stock rims?

Anyone have Les Schwab tires on their "E" (Western/Northwestern locations only)?

Thanks!

Evenplayn

235/70/16 is what's usually chosen tho you may have to go slightly smaller (225/70/16) depending on tread shoulder design.
Bridgestone REVOs work well at 235/70 but the BFG T/A KO has been reported to rub at that size so 225/70 works better for it.
These seem to be the 2 most popular one up/two up sized AT tires people go with for their Element in the 16" size.

235/70/16 is what's usually chosen tho you may have to go slightly smaller (225/70/16) depending on tread shoulder design.
Bridgestone REVOs work well at 235/70 but the BFG T/A KO has been reported to rub at that size so 225/70 works better for it.
These seem to be the 2 most popular one up/two up sized AT tires people go with for their Element in the 16" size.

Thanks for the info! I didn't think I could go up to 235, but would be stoked to do so! Thanks again.

P.S. I'd still love to hear from anyone with Les Schwab tires.....

I've been riding on 235/70/16's for almost 50,000 miles now (recently mounted my second set) with absolutely no problems. Like I said tho, some 235's may rub, it's all dependant on it's shoulder design. In fact I've noticed that my REVOs will just barely skim along the inner fender wall at one spot. Not really rubbing but more like.......polishing :D the 2" section of plastic. Any larger and it would probably be a noticeable feel when driving. If I didn't happen to inspect the inner panel one day I would have never known it was there.

I run BFGs All-Terrain T/A KO in the 225/75/16 size. They are huge and fill the wheel well nicely with no rubbing. Here are the picts.

If you are thinking Les Schabe then you are probably looking at Toyo ATs. This spec sheet may help you decide.

http://www.toyo.com/tires/tire_specsheet.cfm?id=12

Here is the spec sheet for the BFGs.

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/assets/pdf/all_terrain_ta_kd.pdf

heh, state of jefferson! i still see those signs driving along the 5 on my way to oregon.

i went with 225/70/16 Nokian from tire factory in eugene. this is the largest size that will still fit low-profile tire chains.

no way no how you are getting chains on the 235s. so keep that in mind if you plan on taking it up in the mountains in the winter. even if you don't think you need chains, the police may not let you through without them...

heh, state of jefferson! i still see those signs driving along the 5 on my way to oregon.

i went with 225/70/16 Nokian from tire factory in eugene. this is the largest size that will still fit low-profile tire chains.

no way no how you are getting chains on the 235s. so keep that in mind if you plan on taking it up in the mountains in the winter. even if you don't think you need chains, the police may not let you through without them...

Great point on the chains. Think I'll stick with 225/70's

I have been known to turn around or change my travel plans if chains are required. I grew up in South Dakota and drove for many years in the Black Hills at elevations up to 7800 feet. I lived at 4400 feet and worked in Rapid City at 3200 feet so I frequently drove in snow in the wintertime. South Dakota does not use salt on the roads. Never a problem. Now I live in "sunny" California and I am expected to carry chains in my car. :rolleyes:

Sorry to hijack your threat.

Howdy:

I have Toyo A/T's on my E. I'm in the snow a lot (Tahoe area) and they work great...wearing well, not too noisy and handle nicely.


LC

For those running the big tires, especially 225/75: how much does the larger diameter effect your rpm? Do you note any loss in engine braking, or, if you have the auto trans, any affect on shift points? Odo and Speedo will obviously be off but those are easy to work around...

Matt

When asking about rpms, etc, do you want the theoretical change, or the 'seat of the pants' change? In theory things like that change with the ratio of the tire diameters. If your new tire is 4% larger in diameter, then it will be 4% larger in circumference, and hence rpms will be 4% lower for a given road speed. Torque and engine braking changes will be on the same order (assuming engine power remains the same).

Could you or I sense the difference? That depends. Can you compensate for the 4% change in the speedometer reading? Have you crawled down the same hill with stock tires and the new ones?

paulj

This has been posted before but may help in determining changes in odometer and speedometer with new size tires relative to stock size.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Thanks Paul, I had seen the size changes in percent by searching earlier threads and was asking more about peoples' subjective impressions, whether you really notice a difference. Should have been clearer about that to save people reposting.

Those 225/75s look great!
Matt

whether you really notice a difference
The subjective answer is "yes". Then again, I went with the maximum amount of rubber that will fit inside the wheelwells without a lift. My car "feels" taller and "feels" like it accererates slower. Because it certainly does. As someone pointed out in another thread, the stock Element motor isn't exactly a giant "torque-monster", so even a slight modification will be noticeable (to most people, I'd assume). :-|

After I had 225/70/16 LTX M/S installed on my E, the speedo was more accurate. I also experienced the other benefits mentioned in this thread and am planning to buy my second set soon.

I have since hypothesized that 225 may have been the original size, and that the 215's were supplied instead for some corporate reason (possibly related to the low listed GVWR and towing weights).

This is sometimes a PITA with the folks at various tire stores, who only want to put the stock size on. Sometimes my explanation works, sometimes I need to go to another store.

If only the court system would believe in Darwinism instead of wealth-creationism...:)

I got toyo h/t tires two weeks ago, from les here in town,they are size
p235/65r-16. they don't rub at all, but I haven't put chains on. I haven't even
owned chains for years.

I have since hypothesized that 225 may have been the original size, and that the 215's were supplied instead for some corporate reason (possibly related to the low listed GVWR and towing weights).


Back in the early days of this forum, there was a power point presentation by a Honda engineer, describing the evolution from concept car to production. If I recall correctly, at the concept stage they were using 235/70/16 size tires.

I don't recall any mention as to why the production car has 215/70/16. I don't think it had anything to do with weight limits. The 215 size, while not common, was used in RAV4s for a number of years, and initially on the Escape. The CRV used 15" wheels, and tires that are smaller in diameter than the Element (and hence lower load rating).

One possible factor in choosing the smaller size was storage of the flat tire. A 215/70/16 tire barely fits in the cargo area behind the rear seats. The Honda Pilot uses 235/70/16 tires, and the next size up for the compact spare. They may have also decided that the 215 size gave better clearance relative to the suspension components and fender.

paulj

nah, they just had a lot of leftover 215/70/16s from the passports!