HELP! Best tire for CRX HF (165/70 vs 155/80 vs 175/70 for economy &/or performance)

[goobous]

Hi Gang
Im pretty new here.
I have a 100% original 88 HF I found in the mountains of GA and am in the process of restoring it to be my daily driver, I LOVE this car! i have the original window sticker , and sails receipt!

I am looking for the best option for tires on my 88 HF, of course I want optimal mileage, but I also have a teenage driver in the house so I also want a tire that will grip the road !

Please give your best opinions, your experiences etc...
size / brand / location to get them (if you have that information! )

My car sticker recommends 165/70's. The local tire store recommended I get 155/80/13's in place of the 165/70/13 I was looking for as stock replacement, (I think he wasn't interested in searching for my 165/70/13's) I have 175/70/13 on it now (there dead tires! )

1) I have heard the 165/70/13 are really the tire I should get (I assume in terms of mileage, and speedo accuracy) what are your thoughts , advantages / disadvantages?

2) The tire guy said the 155/80/13's are narrower and would help w mileage , what are the advantages / disadvantages that you know of ?

3) I have seen many posts with the 175/70/13's listed for the HF, ( did this tire come stock on hf's in non 1988 years?
Thanks a ton in advance!
Brian

[GasSavers_Erik]

The stock 165's would likely be best for mileage- Honda engineers must have had a reason for specifying that size on the HF.

If the 165's are going to be really expensive then I'd go with the 155's IF they are rated for at least 44psi and you do lots of high speed highway driving (narrower tires are more aerodynamic). They have less (narrower) tread so they will wear faster.

If you are worried about traction on wet twisting mountain roads, then the 175's would be a good choice (better traction on wet pavement) + with more tread, they should last longer.

We've had a big debate here about wider vs narrower tires. The point was made that wider tires will have less sidewall distortion than narrower tires at the same psi and sidewall distortion increases rolling resistance. But at some speed, the extra aerodynamic drag of a wider tires will likely overcome this advantage.

[CapriRacer]

Directionally, the larger the tire, the better the fuel economy - HOWEVER, the affect is small. 175/70R13's are larger (in load carrying capacity) than both the 155/80R13's and 165/70R13's - and are easier to find, so that's a plus.

You should be aware that there is a technology triangle involving Treadwear, Traction and Rolling Resistance. If you want good performance in one area, one (or both) of the other areas have to be sacrificed.

If you are concerned about grip, then stay away from any tire with a UTQG Traction rating of "B".

I did a quick check on Tire Rack and there were only 7 tires listed in a 175/70R13 - and none of them had a B traction rating.

[goobous]

Thanks very helpful! (Am I understanding correctly?) the 175's would be a bit over sized , which would mean i need to adjust for the odometer / speed difference, and it's a bit wider, you are saying it would wear out slower?

[Jay2TheRescue]

Of all the tires listed, I only found one tire that was available as a LRR tire. Personally, I'd do the LRR tire, and have the speedometer gear adjusted if necessary. Since the LRR tire is also a Michelin, it should wear and ride very well too.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

Of all the tires listed, I only found one tire that was available as a LRR tire. Personally, I'd do the LRR tire, and have the speedometer gear adjusted if necessary. Since the LRR tire is also a Michelin, it should wear and ride very well too.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

Do you realize your link is to a winter tire? It might be LRR, but an all season tire would be a better choice for the OP.

[Jay2TheRescue]

From the writeup, even though its sold as a winter tire, it sounds like an all season tire.