[Huikko]

Hello,

Sorry if this has been covered already. Couldn't find an absolute answer though.

Can anyone confirm that 15" wheels will clear the front brake calibers?

We have so bad roads up here Finland that I would rather use 195/65R15 instead of original 16".

I went to the dealer but he just read from the brochure that it's not possible.
I said that Ioniq has the basic wheels 15 inchers, but got no answer if the brake caliber/discs are the same.

So...anyone tried to fit 15" on the Niro.

Btw nice forum. I think I'll spend some time here...

 

[realto]

The clearance betwwen the wheels and wheel wells is pretty good, not as much as a big SUV or truck of course, but more than a sedan. I guess that's the clearance youre concerned with when you mention bad roads. Otherwise, I've never heard of anyone going from the smallest wheel to even smaller.

 

[fernando]

I would also be interested in an answer to this question.

 

[Huikko]

Ok...

The 195/65R15 is more quiet on hard tarmac -> less noise in the cabin.
It also has higher profile so it gets bumps, potholes, rocks etc better without getting damage to the rim.
It has overall softer ride over the 205/60R16

It is also about 15% cheaper to buy, especially on studded winter version that we have to use here.
It's a bit larger on the diameter too so that will cut down the fuel costs a little.
Winter tire also has better grip when it's a bit more narrow.

Did this clarify the question at all?

 

[Neuron]

Great description Huikko! It seems like the perfect tire with how well you say it soaks up bumps and holes, even sold at an affordable price too.

Haven't tried to fit it to the Niro, but you can probably ask the dealerships service department and get and answer about the calipers from them.

 

[JasonC]

As far as fuel economy the 15" and 195's would be less mass also, right?

I'm hunting for other wheels my self. Even though the hubcaps look ok, I'm no fan and prefer alloys.

 

[bhrm]

Anyone confirm yet?

Not just for comfort and noise, but for winter tires.

Hoping a set of 195/65/15 would do as it's cheaper and would perform much better than a fat set of 16s

 

[basicbill]

I can't give a definitive answer, but my last car...a Hyundai Tucson....had 16" wheels but my winters were 15" so in that case there was enough clearance. I would like to do the same for my winter tires when the time comes this fall.
I'll be watching to see if we get a 'for sure' answer.

 

[JasonC]

The 16" wheel specs:

16x6.5 +40, 5x114.3(4.5)
The same size as Honda Civic, so thousands of options.

 

[Broncos]

I wouldn't doubt that it would clear the brakes though. The brakes aren't large at all and worst case scenario, add a slight spacer or something?

 

[JasonC]

I think a 15" will fit easily.

 

[AdviceOnTech]

I'm also planning to put 15" winter tires on the Niro but will probably go with 205/65R15. On another thread @Neo confirmed these fit fine, he said: "I went with Michelin Xice in a 205/65-15. I love them. The taller tire gives a softer ride which is a nice improvement when the tires are cold and rock hard and the road is less than perfect. The 15 inch steel wheels fit with just enough clearance."

Anyone else switched to 15" for their winter tires?

 

[yticolev]

15" wheels and tires would be quieter and more efficient if everything else was equal. But it is not! If you want a close match for the diameter, the same tire is seldom available (although you do want a different model for winter anyway).

But forgetting about efficiency, you want a narrower tire for winter use and I've confirmed that with personal use. I don't see any advantage in getting 15" tires for winter use, other than they tend to be cheaper than 16" tires. But huge advantage to going narrow, regardless of rim size.

 

[Roy]

Pretty sure on tire rack they offer a 15” wheel option!

 

[Spiritwalker2222]

This is good to hear that 15" rims should fit. I have 15" winter tires that are the same width, height, offset and pattern as the Niro tire (well very close, height is off by 2%).

I'm going to put them on and see if there is clearance with the disc brakes.

 

[Spiritwalker2222]

15" rims do fit.

I went last week to get winter tires and was told the wait to have the work done is 30+ days. So I checked to see if my winter tires from my old car would fit. I got lucky as the bolt pattern, offset, center hub diameter are all the same. Only difference is my old winters are on 15" rims. I just installed them. There is about 0.100" clearance from the calipers to the rims. Not much but there is clearance. This is diametrically. Lots of clearance to the face of the rim, I'd say 1/2". The rear has a little more clearance, but not much. I'd say 0.150" at most.

Not sure how long I'll leave the tires on, they are 4 years old and don't have the TPMS. At most I'll keep them one season. I'll check the price difference when I get new tires, but still undecided if I'll get 16's or stick with the 15" rims for the winter tires.

 

[lafe005]

15" rims do fit.

I went last week to get winter tires and was told the wait to have the work done is 30+ days. So I checked to see if my winter tires from my old car would fit. I got lucky as the bolt pattern, offset, center hub diameter are all the same. Only difference is my old winters are on 15" rims. I just installed them. There is about 0.100" clearance from the calipers to the rims. Not much but there is clearance. This is diametrically. Lots of clearance to the face of the rim, I'd say 1/2". The rear has a little more clearance, but not much. I'd say 0.150" at most.

Not sure how long I'll leave the tires on, they are 4 years old and don't have the TPMS. At most I'll keep them one season. I'll check the price difference when I get new tires, but still undecided if I'll get 16's or stick with the 15" rims for the winter tires.

Personnaly, i would go with the 16' original alloy wheel and cap cover for winter, and buy some nice mags like i did for summer!

 

[Spiritwalker2222]

Personnaly, i would go with the 16' original alloy wheel and cap cover for winter, and buy some nice mags like i did!

Ya, I was thinking that could be an option too. I was looking at getting nice alloy's for the winter. Still can't get over the 30+ days for service. Some shops aren't even answering their phones.

P.S. Just ordered an eco dome J1772 cover. Looks to be the same as what you have. Hopefully I don't need to use it too much, should have the garage switched over to it's winter setup so we can park our cars in there.

 

[lafe005]

Ya, I was thinking that could be an option too. I was looking at getting nice alloy's for the winter. Still can't get over the 30+ days for service. Some shops aren't even answering their phones.


Same thin over here.. with the provincial law for winter tires that has changed from Dec. 15 too Dec. 1, everybody is trying to get a place to install theirs before getting a 200$ fine from the police.!

P.S. Just ordered an eco dome J1772 cover. Looks to be the same as what you have. Hopefully I don't need to use it too much, should have the garage switched over to it's winter setup so we can park our cars in there.

Cool, if it's from Alex Industries, it's the original one!

 

[deltasmith]

I assume this impacts your speedometer and odometer calibration. With smaller rims, you're likely to be really going slower than your reported speed, and really putting on fewer miles/kms than your reported distance. That's standard with any car when you change the tire size. But with the Niro being so heavily computerized (and so heavily goal oriented toward fuel economy), I wonder if it might have any impact on any of the computer's decision making logic? I imagine that there's a way to recalibrate the speed/distance logic so that it reads correctly with the smaller rims, but I'm not aware of what that entails.