HELLO I HAVE A 1998 HONDA ACCORD COUPE, I THINK THE SPEEDO IS OFF, IT SAYS I AM GOING FASTER THAN I ACTUALLY AM. I LOOKED AT THE TIRES AND THEY ARE 195 60 R15, BUT I HAVE BEEN READING THAT THE ACCORD SHOULD HAVE 195 65 R15. COULD SOMEONE TELL ME IF THIS IS WHAT IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM.

 

IIRC, the 60/65 is the aspect ratio of width to height. In other words, the height of the sidewall section compared to the width of the tire. If this number was a 50, then the tire section is half as tall as it is wide. Short sidewalls deliver crisp handling. Tall sidewalls give a smoother ride. For a specific tire width, the smaller this number, the shorter the sidewall. So, that would mean that you have tires a smaller sidewall than the orignals. I don't know enough about how speedos are set up on Honda's, but in theory it could mess with your speedo (smaller wheel will make more revolutions than a larger wheel going the same distance).

 

Cobey hit that one right on the head. If you want the speedo to show the correct speed then just use the stock tire size for the vehicle. On my car the speedo is two miles off the entire range of the speedo.My buddy is a cop and he just used hisradar and followed me one day, and it showed I was that much off.

 

I'll just repeat what's been said but a different size tire will give you a different speedo reading.... not to mention there is a margin of error for stock speedometers, meaning that you could be 1-2 MPH off from the factory (standard procedure for auto manufacturers since so many things make a difference...)

 

195/60-15 tires are about 3% smaller than the 195/65-15 size that it's supposed to have. Now 3% isn't too much, but it IS in the direction of making your speedometer read high.

My '98 is an EX sedan with 4-cyl engine, but the speedometer calibration is probably the same as yours. You could verify the proper tire size for YOUR car by looking on the sticker in the driver's door jamb.

ps...
In addition to that, the speedometer probably reads slightly high to begin with, even with the proper size. That's because car companies are up for hefty fines if they build cars with speedometers that read low.

 

Would it be just the front tires affecting the speedo? I want to replace the front because they are wearing out but the rear are in great shape. Would it hurt to keep the 195 60 r15 on the back and put new 195 65 r15 on the front? Thanks

 

In my experience, the speedos are based on the front wheels.

Generally speaking, it's best to change all 4 at a time, but, it is acceptable to change only the fronts or the rears. Replacing only one tire is bad practice.

Since your fronts are nearly worn to replacement and the rears are great, I would also suggest that you rotate the tires a little more often so that they wear more evenly.

 

Speedometer IS based on front wheels.

But your ABS probably will not like having different-size tires. It operates on the difference between wheel-speed.