Need new tires/rims - going SMALLER in size

[justme]

I bought a 2001 Limited a little over a year ago. I don't like it for many reasons - none of them because it's a PT (my mother loves hers), but because of the problems that were hidden from me and have since surfaced.

Anyway, I have never liked the tires because the ride was rough, and because control was a little more difficult than what I am used to. I have low-profile tires with chrome rims. They look nice but are terrible in the winter, and I live on a very steep hill. I have never had problems driving in the winter with any of my past cars, but there were times last winter when I did not drive the PT and relied on friends for rides, so here I am now asking/begging for advice.

This is what is on the car -
Goodrich 205/50 ZR17 89W

When I went to a Chrysler dealership to get an estimate, I was told the above tires & rims are original to the car and that Chrysler has no specs on going down in size because everyone wants to go up. He said there is an issue with clearance that won't show up until they are on the car, and since they don't keep that in stock, they didn't want to be stuck with it if it did not fit.

The other day I was reading the sticker on the car door (for other info for another issue), when lo and behold, it says right there on the sticker the tires that came with the car! And they are NOT the ones that are on it now. It also lists another recommended size.

Here is what came on the car according to the sticker:
P205/55 R16 BSW
Rims 16x6
34 PSI

Recommended tire sizes:
P195/65 R15
Standard weight
P205/55 R16
Standard weight

This is new territory for me, so I have little idea as to what most of these number/letters mean. I went to Sam's Club website, just to get a general idea on tire prices, and they also asked for the service description. I know it is 89W on the tires I have now, but I don't want those tires. I don't know how to find the service description on the recommended sizes.

So here are my questions (finally)-
My concern is safety, reliability, MPG, and price - not style/looks.

What size? What tires? What rims?

How does size, and types of tires affect safety, reliability, and MPG?

How do I find the service description for the recommended sizes?

What does BSW mean?


Thank you!

[quicksilverdon]

Originally Posted by justme

So here are my questions (finally)-
My concern is safety, reliability, MPG, and price - not style/looks.

What size? What tires? What rims?

How does size, and types of tires affect safety, reliability, and MPG?

How do I find the service description for the recommended sizes?

What does BSW mean?

Thank you!

Rough rules of thumb -
Smaller diameter - better ride, cheaper tires, better MPG, and better in snow
Bigger diameter (because of wider sidewall) - better handling

BSW - Black Side Wall.

Suggest you go on TireRack. They have wheel/tire packages - they'll send you tires mounted and balanced and you just bolt them on.
Enter 2001 PT, and it'll show you what fits.
You can then post here and sell you 17" wheels/tires

[BeerBurner]

One of the downsides to larger wheels, especially if they're cheaper aftermarket ones, is added weight. The increased unsprung weight has a tendancy of making the ride rougher. Since ride quality is a concern, make sure you don't end up replacing the current 17" wheels with another set of boat anchors or else you'll spend a lot of money just to have a similar ride.

Unfortunately, I don't know what's a good upper weight limit for the PT Cruiser...

BB.

[quicksilverdon]

Originally Posted by BeerBurner

One of the downsides to larger wheels

Another:
With bigger rims, to keep the overall diameter the same, there is less rubber between the rim and potholes and bumps...

[Mal]

Going smaller or larger, as long as you keep the diameter the same will have a negligible effect on speedo and the odometer. If you increase diameter; you will likely get slightly better mileage but the computed mileage will be less because the odometer will read lower. The converse is true if you go lower in diameter; the true mileage will be less but your computed mileage will be more.

As the wheels get smaller there can be clearance problems with brakes and as they get larger there can be problems with the body.

As to what the numbers mean, the 205 is the tread width in mm, the R is for radial, the 55 is the % of the width the tires are high and the 16 is the rim diameter..... Tire Rack and Discount Tire have some really good tire discussions that will likely help you make your choice. Their recommendations are really conservative and so they will fit for sure.

This is not a recommendation and a contentious subject ..... beware. If I lived in a really snowy area and had to rely on the car to get through and were on a budget; I would get two cheap wheels of stock size, fit them with Blizzex tires or some other quality snow tire and put them on the front. I would drive very carefully with them on and put them on as late as possible and remove them as soon as possible in the season. Conventional wisdom says to fit all 4 with the best in the rear.