Can I put 15" winter tires on 2009 Caravan ?

mourrri · #1 09-25-2009, 08:31 AM

Hi All,

I just bought a 2009 Caravan, Dodge says it can handle either 16 or 17" tires.
I'll be needing a set of snow tires and I was told that to save a bit of money I could put on 15" snow tires.

Is there any problems/issues with putting on 15" winter tires ? or should I stick to 16" winter tires ?

thanks !

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22dodge · #2 09-25-2009, 09:54 AM

your going to have a tough time finding 15" rims for a gen5 van because of the bolt pattern size.

and you need to keep all 4 tires the same size for the ABS.

mourrri · #3 09-25-2009, 11:04 AM

thanks for your reply,I was thinking along the same lines...

Aside from trying to find 15" rims that will fit the van, I was thinking that the insurance could give me problems in case of an accident and they find out the van had 15" tires. (smaller tires then what the manufacturer recommends) I guess I should call the insurance myself, just out of curriosity.

Other then that, does the van really care if it's got 15" tires ?

regards,
Richard

22dodge · #4 09-25-2009, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mourrri

thanks for your reply,I was thinking along the same lines...

Aside from trying to find 15" rims that will fit the van, I was thinking that the insurance could give me problems in case of an accident and they find out the van had 15" tires. (smaller tires then what the manufacturer recommends) I guess I should call the insurance myself, just out of curriosity.

Other then that, does the van really care if it's got 15" tires ?

regards,
Richard

did you ever think that changing the size of the tire would effect other things like transmission shifting and speedometer?

mourrri · #5 09-25-2009, 10:46 PM

I didn't think so.... but I was told otherwise by a few, so I thought Id ask in a Caravan forum to get opinions.

thanks for the input ...

regards,
Rick

22dodge · #6 09-26-2009, 07:58 AM

seems you need to refresh some basic math. if you change the size of the tire, you effect the number of revolutions per mile which will effect the speedometer reading.

46FD04 · #7 09-29-2009, 11:04 AM

mourrri,

NEVER call your insurance company about anything, unless they've raised your rates or you've been in a collision.

Whenever you call them to enquire about this scenario or that scenario, THEY DOCUMENT IT!!!

And it will bite you in the ass one day.

Insurance Companies are right up there with Lawyers. YOU CAN'T TRUST ANY OF THEM!!!

Just my opinion...

06caravansxt · #8 10-17-2009, 12:25 PM

If you go to a smaller wheel, just be sure you get tires that are the same diameter as the stock tires.

dhvaughan · #9 10-17-2009, 01:56 PM

with smaller wheels, be careful of them hitting steering or suspension pieces.
i'd stick with the same size. the little bit of $ savings on smaller tires aren't worth the hassle of speedometer problems, wheel fit, etc.

DanJ · #10 10-28-2009, 11:32 AM

I have 15 inch rims and snow tires left from my 05 Grand Caravan. When I bought the 09 earlier this year, the salesperson swore up and down that they would fit on the 09. The only reason this came up was because it was January when we were doing the deal, and I mentioned I needed to get the snows off the old van. I wish I had taken him up on the offer then to swap the snows off the old and put them on the new van. I might have been able to play off his mistake and get a deal on a new set of snows, which I am now finding to be a real pain to get.