I stumbled upon this ABC News
It talks about how to determine the manufacturing date of a tire.
From what the video says this is a very dangerous thing. I have a feelings its not as bad as they are saying, but something to check for.

Anyone know how true this is?

 

Should I get the 205 in the Michelin HydroEdge, or stick with the 195. Does it improve anything?

 

I only went with the 205s because I am cheap and was buying used tires (winter beater) and they had a nice set of almost new 205s but only 2 used 195s. I don't think you would notice much difference they are just a little wider than the 195s. I have never had snow tires driving every winter in Ontario for 25 years now, so I doubt you would need them in Vancouver. Whichever is cheaper the 195s I would guess would be fine. I believe the skinnier 195s would be better in the snow as well.
Nick

 

Humm that is interesting, I was not aware of that at all. They did say how to read the date codes so I will be checking every tire from now on before I buy it. It does make sense though, if you look at a car that has been parked for a couple of years usually you will start to see cracks in the sidewalls. So it does seem as though the rubber will degrade over time and not be as elastic as it was when new, which would cause cracks due to the sidewall flexing while driving. Think bending a coat hanger repeatedly.
Nick

 

No, there'd be no advantage over 195 with a 205. The only reason I mentioned it was because the tire I was recommending isn't available in a 195/65/15, but is available in a 205/65/15. You would see improved gas mileage with the 205, not much, but a little.

 

I don't know about that. The 205 is wider = more rubber in contact with the road = more resistance = more gas used. The fact that the 205 is a bigger diameter may have some effect but not too sure on that.

 

420Guy, you're definitely on to something there. However, I think the increase in circumference as a percentage is greater than the increase of the tires "footprint" as a percentage.

As it states, when his speedo reads 100kph, he's actually traveling at 102kph. So he gains 2 km on every 100 km he travels. Now, if he drives 20,000km per year, he'll gain a whopping 400km of distance. Why did I make this argument? lol

What's that work out to be for you, an extra tank of gas per year?

I'm silly. To the original poster, um, pick a few tires for your consideration, then we can help you narrow it down. 195/205 won't make a difference really, only in availability. 205 might be a few extra dollars too. Depends on the brand.

 

Yeah I'm pretty sure the extra Kms will offset the extra resistance. Like I said the only reason I went with the 205s was because they were there and cheap and the 195s weren't. I paid $1200 for the car so I was not going to spend $ 600 putting new tires on it. 4 used 205s with 90% tread left for $200 cash out the door I can handle.
Nick

 

Not audio related... moving it to the appropriate section

 

oh, sorry for the wrong section. The PM i got seemed very hostile to what I posted. Maybe the message should be more clear.

Thanks for everyones help. hopefully this wont disappear into the forum abyss and be forgotten.