Tire Sizing?

I think you have 215 not 315. I see 215/55R18 (27.3 tall) and you would need 215/70R18 to go taller. Or 75 or 78 aspect ratio. I really do not see anything available in that zone.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=46

Dadoffourgirls wrote:

monkey44 wrote:
Why larger tires - you ask? OK, some orthopedic issues make it difficult now for me to climb into the driver's seat. It's just a bit low to the ground ... and it's a small vehicle - we only use it for running around town. And, if we decide to tow, then we can on a tow dolly -- it won't two 4-down. nd yes, it has 18" wheels.

So, if I can raise it a couple inches (not even sure tires will do it?) then it works. I can barely squeeze down enough to swivel into the seat - and it's new enough Id prefer not to upgrade to a larger SUV and spend a buncha bucks. No worries in Florida about chains etc. And it only has 12,000 miles on it.

Am just looking for a simple way to raise it a bit, without a lot of cost and mechanical change - and without buying a larger vehicle ...

I know, sounds ridiculous, but the thought just popped into my head ... :) :)

Thanks for the explanation. I was interested in what might trigger the desire for larger tires on this specific vehicle. I understand perfectly what you are trying to accomplish. You may also want to search on a Chevrolet Trax forum to see if anybody put oversize tires on the Trax. They came with the 16 inch rims standard, but I have seen with much larger rims. Do you have the power seats? If not, maybe you can trade out for the power seat if that gives enough height.

Wish you luck.

Yes, power seats ... interesting tho, we were at the dealer getting the air bag recall done on the Encore. We saw a new Trax and it actually looked bigger in the showroom - my wife actually insisted it is bigger, until we compared the dimensions online ... altho I knew it is the Chevy version of the Encore body.

Anyway, it had different tires, but when I looked at it, said 305's and they seemed taller, but our Encore has 315's - I have no clue what all the tire sizes mean with respect to rims and ratios etc. SO, will look into it a bit more. Don't need much, just to bend and clear my head getting in --- It's a back/spine issue :(

Thought this would be a simple question, but it never is, is it?

If you're needing to raise the vehicle a couple (2) inches you'll need 4" larger diameter tires. Doubt that big of tire will fit, unfortunately.

monkey44 wrote:
Why larger tires - you ask? OK, some orthopedic issues make it difficult now for me to climb into the driver's seat. It's just a bit low to the ground ... and it's a small vehicle - we only use it for running around town. And, if we decide to tow, then we can on a tow dolly -- it won't two 4-down. nd yes, it has 18" wheels.

So, if I can raise it a couple inches (not even sure tires will do it?) then it works. I can barely squeeze down enough to swivel into the seat - and it's new enough Id prefer not to upgrade to a larger SUV and spend a buncha bucks. No worries in Florida about chains etc. And it only has 12,000 miles on it.

Am just looking for a simple way to raise it a bit, without a lot of cost and mechanical change - and without buying a larger vehicle ...

I know, sounds ridiculous, but the thought just popped into my head ... :) :)

Thanks for the explanation. I was interested in what might trigger the desire for larger tires on this specific vehicle. I understand perfectly what you are trying to accomplish. You may also want to search on a Chevrolet Trax forum to see if anybody put oversize tires on the Trax. They came with the 16 inch rims standard, but I have seen with much larger rims. Do you have the power seats? If not, maybe you can trade out for the power seat if that gives enough height.

Wish you luck.

Bedlam wrote:
Sorry, forgot about tire sizing: A rough way to tell how much clearance you have available is to run one front wheel up on the curb and cut the wheel to the steering stop. The clearance you have remaining between the tire and the rest of the car will tell you how much larger you can go from the current size without modification.

Thanks -- I'll try that ... also, follow up with a 'real tires' place too. Didn't think of that because RV net always has the answer :)

Why larger tires - you ask? OK, some orthopedic issues make it difficult now for me to climb into the driver's seat. It's just a bit low to the ground ... and it's a small vehicle - we only use it for running around town. And, if we decide to tow, then we can on a tow dolly -- it won't two 4-down. nd yes, it has 18" wheels.

So, if I can raise it a couple inches (not even sure tires will do it?) then it works. I can barely squeeze down enough to swivel into the seat - and it's new enough Id prefer not to upgrade to a larger SUV and spend a buncha bucks. No worries in Florida about chains etc. And it only has 12,000 miles on it.

Am just looking for a simple way to raise it a bit, without a lot of cost and mechanical change - and without buying a larger vehicle ...

I know, sounds ridiculous, but the thought just popped into my head ... :) :)

Sorry, forgot about tire sizing: A rough way to tell how much clearance you have available is to run one front wheel up on the curb and cut the wheel to the steering stop. The clearance you have remaining between the tire and the rest of the car will tell you how much larger you can go from the current size without modification.

What are trying to achieve by changing tire size? Road performance? Off-road traction and clearance? Appearance?

Typically you can run larger sizes than stock, but you may be limited whether you will be able to run chains or cables in bad weather. You also may need to run fender flares if the wheels are much wider or the rim offset is different.

Think twice about increasing the outside diameter of the tires - it will impact final gearing.

Rob

The Encore comes with 18 inch tires. Why do you want a bigger tire? A 16 inch rim will fit on the Encore, and you can have a taller tire.