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Old 09-29-2010, 05:07 PM   #1
2005chevimpala
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downsizing impala from 16 inch rims to 15 inch rims for the winter

For anyone out there with an impala who has a winter climate as bad as ours in Newfoundland and you would like to go to a smaller tire for better braking and traction then your 16 inch rims and tires here is what I did,the 15 inch rims will fit the rear of the impalas but will not fit over the caliper in the front,you have to find a set of caliper brackets off of a 1998 & up montana or venture van and buy a set of new rotors to fit the same van to use for your impala,just take the original caliper brackets off put on the montana or venture van caliper brackets on with the new rotors that fit the montana or venture van & you don't change the caliper you use the same caliper,now you can get 15 inch rims to fit you car,you can also put the 16 inch back on using the same set up with out putting the original brackets and rotors on, I opted to keep the montana rotors and brackets on my impala since the summer and brakes work fine.Rotors are about $10-$20 cheaper for the vans then they are for the original impala rotors,same goes for tires from a 16 inch tire to a 15 inch you can save up to $50 a tire depending on the brand you buy.to get the same ride height and keep the speedometer reading right the tire size you will need for the 15 inch tires are 215/65/15
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Old 09-29-2010, 05:45 PM   #2
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Re: downsizing impala from 16 inch rims to 15 inch rims for the winter

dont you also end up with smaller front brakes when you do a swap like that?
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Old 09-29-2010, 05:50 PM   #3
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Re: downsizing impala from 16 inch rims to 15 inch rims for the winter

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Originally Posted by 2005chevimpala View Post
For anyone out there with an impala who has a winter climate as bad as ours in Newfoundland and you would like to go to a smaller tire for better braking and traction then your 16 inch rims and tires here is what I did,the 15 inch rims will fit the rear of the impalas but will not fit over the caliper in the front,you have to find a set of caliper brackets off of a 1998 & up montana or venture van and buy a set of new rotors to fit the same van to use for your impala,just take the original caliper brackets off put on the montana or venture van caliper brackets on with the new rotors that fit the montana or venture van & you don't change the caliper you use the same caliper,now you can get 15 inch rims to fit you car,you can also put the 16 inch back on using the same set up with out putting the original brackets and rotors on, I opted to keep the montana rotors and brackets on my impala since the summer and brakes work fine.Rotors are about $10-$20 cheaper for the vans then they are for the original impala rotors,same goes for tires from a 16 inch tire to a 15 inch you can save up to $50 a tire depending on the brand you buy.to get the same ride height and keep the speedometer reading right the tire size you will need for the 15 inch tires are 215/65/15
if you kept the 16inch wheels and used a narrow tire 70 or 75 with a deep tread LT rated you will get the traction.

I changed over to the 75 tire and this also adds about 3/4 inch of hieght. this helps with a low vehicle to clear snow .

the lower revs per mile , will throw off the speedometer , about 5 mph lower at 60 mph. the LT tires have a better tread for water snow.

I wouldn't change the brakes .

Last edited by j cAT; 09-29-2010 at 06:31 PM.
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Old 09-29-2010, 06:48 PM   #4
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Re: downsizing impala from 16 inch rims to 15 inch rims for the winter

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dont you also end up with smaller front brakes when you do a swap like that?
not really no ,you are still using the same calipers and the same brake pads,there are over 30taxi cabs here that all have it done and maybe another 10 plus people with the same set up since I was asked by impala owners how did i get 15 inch rims on the car.

Last edited by 2005chevimpala; 10-01-2010 at 04:35 AM.
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Old 09-29-2010, 06:51 PM   #5
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Re: downsizing impala from 16 inch rims to 15 inch rims for the winter

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Originally Posted by j cAT View Post
if you kept the 16inch wheels and used a narrow tire 70 or 75 with a deep tread LT rated you will get the traction.

I changed over to the 75 tire and this also adds about 3/4 inch of hieght. this helps with a low vehicle to clear snow .

the lower revs per mile , will throw off the speedometer , about 5 mph lower at 60 mph. the LT tires have a better tread for water snow.

I wouldn't change the brakes .
so whats your acual size of the tire, 205 70 or 205 75,also the the tires don't rub in the front?? when the car bounces,there were a few people here tried the same size tire of the new dodge mini vans 215 70's 16's and took them off because they scrape the inner fender and rub on the mud flaps
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Old 09-29-2010, 07:15 PM   #6
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Re: downsizing impala from 16 inch rims to 15 inch rims for the winter

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so whats your acual size of the tire, 205 70 or 205 75,also the the tires don't rub in the front?? when the car bounces,there were a few people here tried the same size tire of the new dodge mini vans 215 70's 16's and took them off because they scrape the inner fender and rub on the mud flaps
the 215 75 16 is 1.5 inches larger in diameter ,thats 3/4 more from the center. you should have much more clearance than 3/4 of an inch.to clear the inner fender. if not I would make sure the springs have not sagged. especially on the right side.
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Old 10-05-2010, 04:29 PM   #7
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Re: downsizing impala from 16 inch rims to 15 inch rims for the winter

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Originally Posted by j cAT View Post
if you kept the 16inch wheels and used a narrow tire 70 or 75 with a deep tread LT rated you will get the traction.

I changed over to the 75 tire and this also adds about 3/4 inch of hieght. this helps with a low vehicle to clear snow .

the lower revs per mile , will throw off the speedometer , about 5 mph lower at 60 mph. the LT tires have a better tread for water snow.

I wouldn't change the brakes .
so whats size winter tire are you using on the impala,225/70/16 or 215/70 16,i might go with that if i knew what size tire you are using
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Old 10-05-2010, 07:07 PM   #8
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Re: downsizing impala from 16 inch rims to 15 inch rims for the winter

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Originally Posted by 2005chevimpala View Post
so whats size winter tire are you using on the impala,225/70/16 or 215/70 16,i might go with that if i knew what size tire you are using
I used the 215 70 r16 bf goodrich winter slalom . has a good tread for snow rain . the diameter is 1 inch greater . revs per mile 746.

stock 225 60 r16 revs per mile 786 . as you know these OEM sized tires are not available in snow tread designs . thats why I said to check out the 70-75 tires . clearance can be a problem so make sure the springs and shocks are good ..5 years on a GM strut spring in snow country its pretty much shot.

the 75 tire I used was on a camaro got it mixed up. that had 60 tires also very bad in snow until the 75 's with good traction tread put on.
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Old 11-01-2010, 10:15 PM   #9
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Exclamation Re: downsizing impala from 16 inch rims to 15 inch rims for the winter

Thats an awful lot of work just to drop one tire size. May mess up the speedo too if its not calibrated for the swap. To me it just dosen't sound safe.

It dosen't matter where you live as long as you know HOW to drive in bad weather. A one inch difference in tire diameter will not make a hill of a difference if the vehicle is sliding on ice.

Besides if the car is under warranty you just just blew it.

I am from New Jersey and we used to get our share of bad driving conditions in the Winter.

To help in traction and stopping along with gripping in the snow, as good set of chains on the tires will help you in snow.

John
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